Description
These festive meatballs combine juicy ground meat with a luscious, sweet and savory blueberry bourbon sauce, perfect for parties or a comforting meal.
Ingredients
1 ½ lbs ground beef (or half beef/half pork)
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups blueberry preserves or jam
1/3 cup bourbon
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Optional: pinch of red pepper flakes for heat
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the ground beef (or beef/pork mixture), egg, breadcrumbs, finely diced onion, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix gently with your hands until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
Step 3: Roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet. You should get about 24-30 meatballs from this mixture.
Step 4: Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly browned. Alternatively, pan-fry them in a skillet until browned on all sides and cooked through.
Step 5: While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberry preserves, bourbon, ketchup, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, and optional red pepper flakes. Whisk until smooth.
Step 6: Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and let it gently simmer for 5-7 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken slightly.
Step 7: Once the meatballs are cooked, add them directly to the simmering sauce. Stir gently to coat all the meatballs evenly. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
For a non-alcoholic version, substitute the bourbon with an equal amount of chicken broth or apple juice, adding a few drops of bourbon extract if desired for flavor. These meatballs are excellent served hot from a slow cooker for parties; simply add the cooked meatballs and warm sauce to the slow cooker and keep on a 'warm' setting.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking, Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs
- Calories: 310 kcal
- Sugar: 25g
- Sodium: 550mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 70mg
