Cocktail Meatball Recipe (perfect for all your holiday parties!)

One of our favorite things about celebrating a holiday is the party food! Luscious tidbits that can be eaten by toothpick while you mingle with friends and family. As the party host, or for a potluck, spending a long time in the kitchen is not how you want to spend the day. For something easy and delicious, you want these Asian-inspired cocktail meatballs.

Secrets to the perfect Cocktail Meatball

Cocktail meatballs can be very versatile. You can make them sweet, spicy, or savory. This recipe has a sweet savory flavor with a bit of zing from ginger. One thing you must have is high-quality ingredients. Natural, chemical free ground beef, like what you can find at The Butcher Shop can elevate your meatballs from a forgetful grisly disaster to the star of the party.

The Best Cocktail Meatball Recipe

Approximately 10 servings
Total prep and cook time 1 hr 45 min – 5 hours

Ingredients:
Meatballs

• 1 lb high-quality ground beef
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. cracker or bread crumbs crushed fine
• 2 minced scallions

Sauce

• 1 cup grape jelly
• 1/4 cup high-quality soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tbsp dark sesame oil
• 2 tbsp fresh crushed garlic
• 2 tbsp fresh crushed ginger (approximately 2 inches of fresh root peeled)
• 1 tbsp Chinese five spice (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (or 175 degrees C)
2. In a large bowl mix all the meatball ingredients together. Take care not to over mix. Then roll into bite sized balls. (Approximately 1 inch in diameter)
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 min, turning halfway through
4. When meatballs are almost done baking, combine sauce ingredients in a large stock pot or slow cooker and over low heat, whisk until well blended.
5. Add cooked meatballs and stir gently to cover the meatballs with sauce. Simmer on low for an hour or for 3-4 hours in a slow cooker.

Serving Suggestions
These meatballs can be served warm straight from a slow cooker, or for a more elegant presentation, you can serve them on a platter placed on lettuce leaves, or slice some bread and use cookie cutters to cut the slices in to festive shapes. Once your friends and family try these meatballs, they might forget to use anything but their fingers!