These Sweet & Sour Cocktail Meatballs start with a basic meatball recipe. Once cooked, you simply add them to your slow cooker with two ingredients for a stress-free delicious appetizer at your holiday party.

Thanks to Michigan Beef Industry Commission for sponsoring this post.

Since moving to our new house about a year ago, we have a much different view of entertaining.

Our last house was not exactly “entertaining friendly.”

The house itself was smaller with a different layout and it did not have much of a backyard. Our new house is an entirely different story.

We are so thankful every day for an amazing backyard (lake!) and neighborhood.

Since about mid-September, we have been waiting for the cold weather so our lake would freeze and we could go ice skating and have fun entertaining over the holidays.

And I believe this weekend we will get our wish! It’s going to be frigid all week here which is perfect for our lake to freeze to the “safe” level.

I put “safe” in parentheses because last year unbeknownst to us at the time, our neighbors all thought we were crazy for going out on the ice before it reached the proper thickness.

According to recommendations, it should be 4 inches thick.

Well growing up on a much bigger lake, Lake St. Clair, I have a good sense of safe ice and we had no issues. This year, however, we will probably heed the warning and follow our neighbors’ measurements for when it is safe to skate.

So since we are loving our house (and backyard) we are enjoying entertaining so much more.

That’s one reason I made these sweet and sour meatballs.

I started with my staple meatball recipe and then just added them to the slow cooker with two simple ingredients.

And voilà! A no-fuss appetizer to easily serve at your next holiday party or family gathering.

Dietitian’s Dish

Yes, I am once again highlighting lean ground beef. To me, it’s one of the simplest kinds of protein to cook or bake with. And it’s also one of the most versatile.

A 3-ounce serving of lean ground beef contains only about 150 calories, less than 10 grams of fat, less than 5 grams of saturated fat but contains 22 grams of protein.

It’s important to note that a 3-ounce serving size is about the size of a deck of cards or a smaller smartphone. This is important since many of us have misconceptions about what a proper portion size is.

Of course, when it comes to serving these meatballs as an appetizer, I also serve plenty of raw vegetables with a dip.

Sweet & Sour Cocktail Meatballs

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 10

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beeft
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup whole wheat Panko crumbs
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons garlic powder
black pepper and salt to taste

Sauce

1 (18 ounce) jar apricot preserves
1 (28 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce

Instructions

To make basic meatballs

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray a rimmed baking pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with aluminum foil. I use aluminum foil and spray it also.
Combine meatball ingredients. Form into evenly sized balls.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned and thoroughly cooked.

To make sweet and sour meatballs

Combine sauce ingredients.
Place cooked meatballs in slow cooker, cover with sauce and cook for 2 hours on low heat.

Notes

The prep time and cook times are assuming you have pre-made the meatballs. I will make the basic meatballs ahead of time and freeze them, then when I’m ready to make appetizers, I will pull them from the freezer and place them right in the slow cooker.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

This Sweet & Sour Cocktail Meatballs post first appeared on Chocolate Slopes.

Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Cocktail Meatballs