Bavarian Style Meatballs

Scaled this recipe in half, and even though the bag of Armour beef meatballs weighed 11 ounces, just added the entire package. I had a box of beef stock open in the fridge, so I used that instead of water, and I think that “beefy” flavor helped balance out the sweetness which was a major concern I had at the outset. Not to worry about the sourness of the sauerkraut, either, because it ended up tasting just like cooked cabbage, and that’s not a bad thing. Never, ever did I think I’d end up giving this 5 stars, but both the ease of preparation and the actual taste warrant it. Sure, homemade meatballs might taste better, but it just doesn’t get much easier than this. I read some of the reviews where people put the meatballs in the oven before adding them to the slow cooker, and I just don’t get that. They’re already cooked, they didn’t make the sauce greasy, so just follow the recipe, and dump them in frozen. That’s part of the appeal of this recipe…quick-and-easy. Served over noodles with a side dish of asparagus, it was a hit, and I’d make again.

I took the meatballs to my daughter’s Girl Guides Potluck. It was a hit. I used an 1.8 kg bag of Italian meatballs which was exactly 100 meatballs. I baked them in the oven first following the directions on the label. I added a can of pineapple chunks including the juice. I blended the cranberry sauce using a hand blender before I added it to the meatballs. In this way, the whole cranberries looked like little flakes. It made the dish look more appealing. In addition I only used 1/3 cup of dark brown sugar since that was all I had. The sauce was still sufficiently sweet. In addition I omitted the sauerkraut and used one roughly chopped medium sized onion instead. I did NOT double the sauce portion of the recipe. The next time I make this recipe, I will use the sauerkraut since my family does not like onions. HINT: if you are planning on taking any meatball dish to an event, ensure the meatballs do not contain pork. Many people now a days do not eat pork. I had a couple of people ask me if the meatballs contained pork. I was honest and said I didn’t know.

We have made this twice now. It has potential, and is surely interesting, but always ends up falling a bit flat. I think one detail is to probably take time to make homemade meatballs.

this is a great recipe. Great as an appetizer or even as a meal.

Love Love Love this recipe! Used 1/3c dark brown sugar 2/3c light brown sugar! And omitted the h20,covored & baked sause in oven @ 350 for a few hours added fresh homemade baked meatballs baked again for 30ish min to thickened sause just a lil more! Sooooooo yummy!