Slow Cooker BBQ Grape Jelly Meatballs
Make juicy slow cooker BBQ grape jelly meatballs with just 3 basic ingredients. Easy, tasty, and perfect for your next gathering, this dish is so versatile.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- Slow Cooker 5-Quart Minimum
Ingredients
- 36 Ounces meatballs frozen
- 17 Ounces grape jelly
- 18 Ounces BBQ sauce
Optional Garnish:
- parsley freshly chopped
Instructions
- Add the meatballs to your slow cooker.
- Add the grape jelly and BBQ sauce, and stir to mix.
- Cover and cook on low for 3 to 5 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours, until the meatballs are heated through, stirring halfway through.
- Serve hot, garnished with freshly chopped parsley if liked.
Notes
Use a large slow cooker: I recommend using a 5-quart or larger crockpot to make this. If you fill a slow cooker more than about ¾ full, it's going to struggle to cook the food evenly and the food on top will steam rather than simmer, meaning the sauce doesn't thicken up.
Mix well: Stir all the ingredients together until the meatballs are evenly coated in the sauce ingredients.
Stir halfway through cooking: Stir the dish about halfway through the cooking time, as you don't want it to burn on the bottom.
If using fresh meatballs: Cooking times can vary if you’re using homemade fresh meatballs instead of fully cooked meatballs that might or might not be frozen. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 160°F.
Thicken sauce faster: Take the lid off the crockpot and increase it to a high temperature. Another way to thicken it is to stir in a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch dissolved in cold water).
Cool the meatballs before storing: Let them cool to room temperature before you store them, so you don’t get condensation in the container that makes the dish watery.
Mix well: Stir all the ingredients together until the meatballs are evenly coated in the sauce ingredients.
Stir halfway through cooking: Stir the dish about halfway through the cooking time, as you don't want it to burn on the bottom.
If using fresh meatballs: Cooking times can vary if you’re using homemade fresh meatballs instead of fully cooked meatballs that might or might not be frozen. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 160°F.
Thicken sauce faster: Take the lid off the crockpot and increase it to a high temperature. Another way to thicken it is to stir in a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch dissolved in cold water).
Cool the meatballs before storing: Let them cool to room temperature before you store them, so you don’t get condensation in the container that makes the dish watery.
Nutrition
Calories: 613kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 748mg | Potassium: 561mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 152IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2mg
QR code
Scan this QR code with your phone's camera to view this recipe on your mobile device.
