Grape Jelly Meatball Recipes

Random Trivia for a Food Connoisseur

According to the guidelines of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 65% of a meatball should comprise meat.I adore trivia like that when it comes to my favorite food items and somehow it is fun to think of such trifles while feverishly gorging on the actual food. Very few non-vegetarians on earth can say no to meatballs. They are amazing. Simply divine. Bathe meatballs in some grape jelly sauce and that is when you reach this town called "lip-smackin'"! The combination does sound a little mismatched, but you won't know what it's really like unless you have tried it. So, here are five (well, technically six) recipes for you to try your hands at. Also, a lot of you do not prefer buying frozen meatballs and would rather make them from scratch at home. You will find a very detailed description of how exactly to go about that below as well.

But before we start, here's another piece of trivia to humor you:

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's or NASA's round insignia is nicknamed the "meatball"!

INDEX

Glazed Grape Jelly Meatballs
Barbecued Grape Jelly Meatballs
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Swedish Meatballs
Grape Jelly Meatballs with Ketchup

Some kitchen utilities that you will need to serve these meatballs are:




Chafing dish


Slow cooker


Colorful toothpicks
Now, we see the recipes.

Glazed Grape Jelly Meatballs


A perfect hors d'oeuvre, make 16 servings of this festive dish with the following.


Ingredients:

Eggs, 2 (beaten)
Grape Jelly, 1 12-ounce jar (preferably SMUCKER'S Concord Grape Jelly)
Chili sauce, 1 12-ounce bottle
Beef, 1 pound (ground)
Breadcrumbs, cup (fine, dry)
Onion, cup (chopped)
Milk, cup
Vegetable oil or butter, cup
Salt, 1 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce, teaspoon
Pepper, teaspoon


Procedure:




Assemble the ingredients
to prepare the meat.


On a plate, loosen the
ground meat up a bit and
make a trough in the
meat lump with your fingers.

Break the two eggs on the meat pile. The eggs will act as binding agents to hold the meatballs together.


Add the salt...


...followed by the
chopped scallions


The crudely ground pepper
goes next.


Next, add the breadcrumbs and
mix well using your hands.The breadcrumbs prevent the meatballs from becoming too hard (cracker crumbs or oatmeal serve the same purpose).
Finally add the milk and the Worcestershire sauce and commingle thoroughly again.



You will be able to make about 3 dozen meatballs from the mixture. Now to make the meatballs, follow the steps given below.




Take 1 tablespoonful of the
meat mixture...


...into your palms at a time.


Roll the meat gently
to shape into a 1" ball.


Refrain from packing the meat too
firmly as it will affect the texture. Repeat.


All the meatballs should be
approximately of the same
shape and size so that the
cooking rate is equal for all.


Heat oil in a frypan on medium heat.
Place the meatballs in
the warm oil and let them
brown for 12 - 15 minutes.


The meatballs will gradually
change color.


Fried meatballs.Once done, place the meatballs on paper napkins in order to get rid of the excess oil.

Pour the chili sauce and the jelly into a nonstick skillet and heat the mixture on medium for 3 minutes. Do not stirring the concoction throughout this duration. Pour the liquid mixture into a bowl and place the same skillet back on the stove. Place the cooked meatballs into it and now pour the sauce jelly over them. Swirl the skillet lightly in order to cake each meatball well. Cover the skillet and heat it until a steady simmer sets in. Use a spatula to stir every 2 - 3 minutes. After 10 minutes, take the skillet off heat.

The meatballs coated with the sauce need to be then transferred to a chafing dish for serving. Place colorful toothpicks on the side for the guests to use for picking the meatballs up.

Note: You can also use ready-to-use frozen Italian-style meatballs for this recipe as well and use half and half instead of milk. Sauting a finely sliced onion and a little freshly ground garlic in a 1:1 mixture of and extra virgin olive oil (total cup) before adding the jelly and chili sauce to the skillet has a delectable flavor to offer, thus enhancing the taste of the sauce and the dish overall.
[ Top ]
Barbecued Grape Jelly Meatballs


All I shall say for this dish is "Yummmmmmmmmm!"


Ingredients:

Chili sauce, 1 bottle
Vinegar, bottle
Beef, 1 pounds (lean, ground)
Italian breadcrumbs, cup
Breadcrumbs, cup (regular)
Parmesan cheese, cup
Beer, cup
Brown sugar, cup
Grape jelly, cup
Lemon juice, 2 tablespoons
Parsley, 1 tablespoons
Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon
Mustard, tablespoon
Onion, tablespoon (minced, dry)
Garlic powder, a pinch
Salt and Pepper


Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 356 F (180 C). Thoroughly mix the beef, the Italian and the regular breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and 3 tablespoons of chili sauce together. Take 1 tablespoonful of the meat mixture into your palms at a time and roll gently to shape into a 1" ball. Refrain from packing the meat too firmly as it will affect the texture. Repeat. All the meatballs should be approximately of the same shape and size so that the cooking rate is equal for all. Place these meatballs on a baking tray.


Meatballs on baking tray


Baked meatballsBake for about 20 minutes.

Take a saucepan and add the remaining chili sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, grape jelly, beer, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, powdered onion, and powdered garlic to it. Stir the mixture continuously and bring it to a boil. Check the thickness and add a little water if the consistency is too thick for your liking. Once the sauce has cooked enough and reached the desired consistency, take it off the stove. Pour this sauce over the baked meatballs and serve in a crock pot.

Note: Some people prefer using seafood sauce instead of chili sauce.
[ Top ]
Sweet and Sour Meatballs


Great to served with some mashed taters and Brussels sprouts, this dish will take about 2 hours and 35 minutes to cook. To make about 5 - 6 servings, you must have the following.


Ingredients:

Meatballs, 1 32-ounce bag (frozen)
Barbecue sauce, 1 18-ounce bottle (spicy)
Grape jelly, 1 9-ounce jar


Procedure:

In a slow cooker, commingle the barbecue sauce and the jelly with a spatula and then add the meatballs to the sauce. You can add a pinch or two of dried red pepper flakes to the mixture. Cook for 2 hours on high heat. Serve with some mashed potatoes and some steamed broccoli or Brussels sprouts.

A variation of this very recipe is given below.

You can make 12 servings of this appetizer with the following.


Ingredients:

Cocktail meatballs, 3 5-pound bags (frozen)
Chili Sauce, 2 12-ounce bottles
Grape jelly, 1 32-ounce jar
Cayenne pepper, 1 pinch


Procedure:

In a saucepan, add the jelly, sauce, and pepper and heat. Keep stirring until warm and uniformly mixed. Take it off the heat. Add the meatballs in a slow cooker and pour the sauce over them. Cook for anything between 3 - 4 hours (depending on how well the get cooked) on low. Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
[ Top ]
Swedish Meatballs


Perfect for atop a pound of egg noodles that have been cooked al dente and coated in 2 tablespoons of molten butter, make 4 servings of this delectable dish with the following.


Ingredients:

White bread, 2 slices (torn, soaked briefly in about cup of milk, squeezed to dispel excess liquid)
Dill pickles, 2 (chopped)
Egg, 1
Onion, 1 (medium, finely chopped)
Beef, pound (ground)
Pork, pound (ground)
Veal, pound (ground)
Beef stock, 1 cup
Chicken stock, 1 cup
Italian parsley, cup (chopped)
Grape jelly, 2 tablespoons
Butter, 2 tablespoons
Flour, 2 tablespoons
Sour cream, 2 tablespoons
Allspice, 1 teaspoon
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste (freshly ground)
Gingersnap cookies, 5 (finely ground)


Gingersnap cookies
Procedure:

First, melt the butter over medium heat in a largish pan and throw in the chopped onions once warm. Saut and cook for 6 minutes until the bits soften and turn translucent. Mizzle flour from top and keep stirring to mix it well with the butter and onion bits.After a minute, pour in both the stock varieties and heat until it just starts to boil. Add salt and pepper at this point, bring the temperature down to low, and let a slow and steady simmer thrive.

In the meanwhile, loosen the ground meat types with your fingers and put them all in a single and large bowl. Add the soaked bread, egg, allspice, salt, and pepper and commingle really well with swift kneading motions.

Take 1 tablespoonful of the meat mixture into your palms at a time and roll gently to shape into a walnut-sized ball. Refrain from packing the meat too firmly as it will affect the texture. Repeat. All the meatballs should be approximately of the same shape and size so that the cooking rate is equal for all. Drop these into the gravy as soon as you are done shaping them one by one. Once you have exhausted the mean mixture, increase the heat to medium and let the meatballs cook in the simmering gravy for approximately 10 minutely. Keep stirring every 2 minutes. Pour the ground cookies into the gravy after that and stir to mix well. Let it cook for another minute and then add the sour cream and grape jelly to the pan. Stir to incorporate, cook on low heat for a while more and take them off heat. Garnish with parsley and pickle. Serve them on noodles or on their own - either way they are magic!

Note: You can also replace the grape jelly with currant or lingonberry jam with rather pleasing effects.
[ Top ]
Grape Jelly Meatballs with Ketchup


For 36 appetizing meatballs (approximately 6 servings) in 45 minutes, try this dish.


Ingredients:

Beef, 2 pounds (lean, ground)
Ketchup, 1 cup
Breadcrumbs, cup (chopped)
Lemon juice, cup
Grape jelly, cup
Parsley flakes, 1 tablespoon
Oregano, 2 teaspoons (dried)
Basil, 2 teaspoons (dried)
Garlic salt, teaspoon
Vegetable oil


Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large, clean mixing bowl, add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, parsley flakes, oregano, basil, and garlic salt. Commingle all the ingredients thoroughly. Take 1 tablespoonful of the meat mixture into your palms at a time and roll gently to shape into a 1" ball. Refrain from packing the meat too firmly as it will affect the texture. Repeat. All the meatballs should be approximately of the same shape and size so that the cooking rate is equal for all. Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the meatballs until they turn brown all over. Brown in a large skillet. Place meatballs on a baking pan. In the meanwhile, whisk the ketchup, grape jelly, and lemon juice to mix well. Place the brown meatballs on a baking tray, pour the jelly sauce uniformly over them and bake for a good 35 minutes.
As queer as the combination seems, grape jelly meatballs are delectable. Serve them atop spaghetti, plain rice, pasta, bread with shredded mozzarella cheese melted on top, or with mashed potatoes. They make for excellent appetizers and fun Super Bowl party table snacks. Besides, you can bake, fry, steam, slow cook, or braise meatballs and they taste good no matter what the sauce. Try serving meatballs with cranberry jelly, jalapeo jelly, or even the pepper jelly and the satiety levels will still be high. After all, even fitness guru Richard Simmons played a rather joyous dancing meatball on Italian television as an art student! Let me know how things went gastronomically, once you served these through our comments section. Cheerio!