Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs
Easy cranberry jalapeño meatballs can be purchased at Costco or made from scratch to be used in several delicious family dinners this season.
Take a peek in my freezer at any point in the year and you're going to spot several flavors of prepared chicken meatballs waiting to be turned into a quick and easy family dinner like my popular pineapple teriyaki meatball stir fry.
Around November, I start stalking the aisles at Costco so I can grab my favorite cranberry jalapeño chicken meatballs as soon as they arrive.
I love this seasonal flavor with saucy pastas and easy rice bowls.
However, if you don't have a membership to Costco, I didn't want you to miss out on this handy shortcut. I've shared a copycat recipe at the bottom of the post so you can make a batch and freeze them yourself.
Jump to:
- Why This is the Best Recipe
- Ingredients
- Prep the Meatball Mix
- Brown the Meatballs
- How to Freeze Homemade Meatballs
- How to Use Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs
- Pasta Sauces that Pair Well
- Top a Salad
- Make a Meatball Slider
- Meatball Appetizer Ideas
- What to Serve with Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs
- 📖 Recipe
- Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs
- 💬 Comments
Why This is the Best Recipe
Delicious cranberry jalapeño meatballs are only available at Costco as a seasonal item. This is the best cranberry jalapeño meatball recipe because:
- Any Time of Year: You can buy the Costco meatballs and freeze them for using any time of year, or you can mix up a batch of homemade copycat cranberry jalapeño meatballs any time you want.
- Sweet and Spicy: While the meatballs have some kick, they are not too spicy for my kids. The just add a bit of oomph to the recipes I use them in.
- Pair Well for Easy Dinners: I have so many great suggestions for how to make an easy dinner using this recipe, be sure to see all the suggestions below.
Ingredients
I snag a couple packages of the Amylu cranberry & jalapeño chicken meatballs as soon as I see them at the store and pop them in my freezer at home.
However, if you want to make the copycat recipe, you will need to buy:
- Ground Chicken: You could also use ground turkey if you prefer.
- Breadcrumbs: I recommend a traditional style breadcrumb, not the Panko style for this recipe.
- Chili Sauce
- Jalapeño Pepper
- Dried Cranberries: Fresh cranberries would add too much moisture to this dish and the meatballs would fall apart.
- Lemon
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Paprika
- Minced Garlic
Prep the Meatball Mix
Making homemade meatballs is easy peasy. Simply add all the ingredients for the meatballs to a large mixing bowl and gently fluff it together with a fork until well combined.
Break off portions of meatball mix and roll with your hands into 1-inch sized meatballs.
Line them up in a clean baking dish or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brown the Meatballs
Cooking the meatballs is the same whether you made them from scratch or are using the store bought variety.
Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high.
Add the meatballs and brown, turning them over every minute or so until they are golden on all sides.
NOTE: Homemade meatballs are significantly more delicate than the prepared kind and may require a spatula to flip. Be sure to let the meatballs brown thoroughly before turning.
How to Freeze Homemade Meatballs
If you want to freeze your from-scratch meatballs, line them up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper as you roll them.
Place the baking sheet in the freezer for one hour. This flash freezes the meatballs so they don't stick together.
You can then transfer them to a storage bag or container and freeze for up to 6 months.
To use the frozen meatballs, cook as directed above. No need to thaw them first. You'll just need a little more cooking time to warm them through completely.
Alternatively, you could brown the meatballs first, let them cool, and then freeze the fully-cooked meatballs if you prefer.
How to Use Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs
Now the fun part! Once you've cooked your meatballs through, it's time to serve them for dinner.
Pasta Sauces that Pair Well
I love using prepared chicken meatballs from the store to toss in as an easy protein with a pasta dinner.
Change the flavor of the meatball and the pasta dish feels all new.
I think the cranberry jalapeño meatballs pair really well with a creamy pasta sauce like one of these:
Goat Cheese Pasta
The cranberry flavor pairs really well with the baby spinach in this dish. The spicy kick from the jalapeño complements the tangy goat cheese in the cream sauce.
Alfredo Pasta with Meatballs
If you're not a fan of the tang from goat cheese, this rich and creamy homemade alfredo sauce is even more delicious with that cranberry jalapeño kick. It's a fun way to dress this dish up for a holiday dinner, too.
Top a Salad
You could turn the cranberry jalapeño meatballs into an entree salad and add them to my crispy wild rice salad with roasted carrots.
Make a Meatball Slider
Whether you serve them as a simple dinner or a party sandwich, meatball sliders are so fun to eat.
You'll still want to brown the meatballs first but the cranberry jalapeño flavor would taste delicious with BBQ sauce and used instead of shredded chicken for my BBQ chicken sliders.
Meatball Appetizer Ideas
I've used this sweet and sour meatballs recipe as a party appetizer in my Crockpot but I've also served it as dinner of jasmine rice.
Swapping cranberry jalapeño meatballs for the regular Italian style meatballs just adds even more festive flavor to the dish.
What to Serve with Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs
If you prefer for the meatballs to be the star of the dinner plate and would rather just serve them as a meaty main dish with sides, there are several easy options for a delicious family dinner.
Sweet and spicy is one of my favorite flavor combos. The heat from the cranberry jalapeño meatballs would pair really well with a sweet potato side dish like my sweet potato casserole, sweet potato mash with pineapple, or even just a slowcooker sweet potato topped with butter, brown sugar, and chopped pecans.
For a unique texture and a bit of sweetness, you could try serving them with a side of my roasted gnocchi with butternut squash and sage or my slowcooker acorn squash with apples and cranberries.
Meatballs are fantastic on top of a bed of rice, you could make my Instant Pot herb butter rice or this delicious wild rice pilaf with veggies.
And for a special family dinner, you could use the cranberry jalapeño meatballs as a time saver and invest your energy into making my Crock Pot scalloped potatoes. They are just a little more work on the front end, but then the slowcooker does all the rest for you!
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs
Ingredients
Prepared Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs
- 1 lb prepared cranberry jalapeño meatballs or one batch of the homemade meatballs recipe below (1/2 of the Costco pack of meatballs if using)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
From Scratch Cranberry Jalapeño Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp chili sauce
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeds removed and minced
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp minced garlic
Instructions
Brown the Prepared Meatballs
- If using the store bought cranberry jalapeño meatballs, add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and stir. Continue to cook and roll the meatballs around in the oil until they've turned golden brown and warmed through.
Prep the From-Scratch Meatballs
- If you cannot find the store bought prepared meatballs and want to make them from scratch, you'll need to make the meatball mix. Add all the meatball ingredients from ground chicken through minced garlic to a large mixing bowl. Gently knead everything together with a fork until well combined.
- Break off portions of meatball mix and roll into 1-inch meatballs.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs to the pan and cook. Turn the meatballs gently and brown on all sides. Continue to cook until internal temperature reaches 165°F with an instant probe thermometer.
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