Crockpot Meatballs with Blackberry Chili Sauce
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
1 hr 45 mins
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Total Time
2 hrs 5 mins
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Servings
36 Meatballs
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Calories
115 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Appetizer
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Cuisine
American
Crockpot Meatballs with Blackberry Chili Sauce
Description
This Crockpot Meatballs recipe uses ground turkey and Italian chicken sausage combined with grated onion, minced garlic, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper to form flavorful, moist meatballs. After shaping into tablespoon-sized balls, they bake at 350°F until just cooked through. Baking meatballs before slow cooking helps set their shape and ensures even cooking.
The accompanying sauce mixes blackberry preserves with chicken broth, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce for heat, soy sauce for saltiness, and a cornstarch slurry for thickening. Adding sauce to the slow cooker with the meatballs and cooking on high for 1.5 hours allows sauce flavors to deepen and coat the meatballs thoroughly. The sweet and spicy sauce complements the mild meats well.
The meatballs can be served hot with toothpicks for easy eating, making them suitable for appetizers or casual meals. Extra sauce can be drizzled on top for additional flavor.
This recipe notes that the Weight Watchers points value is 3 per serving. Adjust seasonings and sauce thickness as desired, and handle raw sausage carefully for food safety. Preparing sauce and meatballs separately before combining helps maintain texture.
Ingredients
The Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground turkey lean 94%
- 12 ounces Italian chicken sausage removed from casings, raw
- ½ onion grated, medium
- 4 garlic minced, cloves
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs or more, if needed, + 2 tablespoons
- ¼ cup parsley flat-leaf, minced
- 1 teaspoon thyme dried
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper ground
The Sauce:
- ½ cup blackberry or marionberry preserves
- ¼ cup chicken broth divided, 2 tablespoons
- 3 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Chili garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
The Meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, chicken sausage, onion, garlic, egg, egg white, breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Using a rounded tablespoon for each portion, shape the mixture into meatballs and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until just cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Place the meatballs in a slow cooker/crockpot and pour the sauce over top. Gently stir to coat the meatballs.
- Set the crockpot to HIGH heat and cook until the sauce has thickened, about 1 ½ hours. Serve with toothpicks, drizzling the extra sauce over top.
The Sauce:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the blackberry preserves, ¼ cup chicken broth, rice vinegar and chili garlic sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoon chicken broth, soy sauce and cornstarch. Whisk this mixture into the blackberry preserves mixture.
Notes
- The Weight Watchers Points value for these meatballs is 3 (Freestyle SmartPoints and Points+).
- Bake meatballs first to set shape before slow cooking in sauce for tender results.
- Stir gently in the crockpot to evenly coat meatballs without breaking them.
- Serve with toothpicks for easy finger food presentation.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 36Meatballs
Amount Per Serving
Calories 115 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 2Meatballs | |
| Calories | 115kcal | 6% |
| Carbohydrates | 9.1g | 3% |
| Protein | 9.6g | 19% |
| Fat | 4.5g | 7% |
| Saturated Fat | 1.5g | 8% |
| Cholesterol | 40.5mg | 14% |
| Sodium | 349.5mg | 15% |
| Fiber | 0.4g | 2% |
| Sugar | 6.1g | 12% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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