Chili Meatballs

Chili meatballs are a great party appetizer or dish to pass. They are especially perfect to kick off the holiday party season! Small bite sized veal meatballs are cooked to perfect crispness and coated in a sweet and tangy glaze for serving. You wont be able to have just one, they are the perfect finger food and packed with flavor.

Meatballs

When combing the ingredients for these veal meatballs, make sure not to over work the mixture. Combine all ingredients and form into small meatballs, about the size of 1 1/2 tablespoons. This recipe makes roughly 24. First, pan sear each meatball until they browned. Careful not to over crowd the skillet, cook the meatballs in 2-3 batches if need. Once browned, move all to a cookie sheet and continue cooking them in the oven.

A Simple Sauce

This recipe calls for a super simple sauce, made from chili sauce and jelly. Combine the two ingredients on the stove top in a sauce pan. Bring the contents to a bowl and allow to thicken. Do this while the meatballs cook in the oven. Once the sauce has reached its desired thickness set aside for serving over the meatballs. Combine the chili sauce and the cooked meatballs in a dish, gently stirring to coat the meatballs thoroughly in the delicious sauce. Serve hot, or in a slow cooker to keep them warm for your crowd.

This simple but great recipe was developed by Carla Cardello of Homemade in the Kitchen. Some of her other great recipes are our, Taco Pizza Rolls, Veal Stroganoff, and our Veal Stuffed Shells.

Ingredients

1 pound ground veal

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup minced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 large egg, room temperature

1/4 cup milk, room temperature

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup bottled chili sauce

1/3 cup grape jelly

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the veal, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, egg, milk, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Using a spoon or by hand, portion the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon balls. You should get roughly 24 meatballs.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add some of the meatballs in a single layer without overcrowding. Cook them until they are browned on one side, about 1-2 minutes then flip and cook another 1-2 minutes. Transfer to the baking sheets. Repeat until all of the meatballs are browned.

Move the meatballs to the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F, as tested with an instant read thermometer.

While the meatballs are cooking, make the glaze: In a large saucepan, stir together the chili sauce and jelly. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Once the meatballs are cooked, add them to the glaze and gently stir until the meatballs are covered in the thick sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.