These oven baked 3-ingredient beef cranberry meatballs are the kind of simple holiday dish that earns a permanent place on the table. Around the Midwest, we have always had a soft spot for those sweet-and-savory party meatballs that disappear before the mashed potatoes even make it around the room, and this cranberry version feels especially right for Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings. With just a bag of frozen beef meatballs, whole berry cranberry sauce, and chili sauce, you get a warm, glossy dish that tastes like you fussed far more than you truly did.
Serve these meatballs warm from the casserole dish with toothpicks as an appetizer, or spoon them over buttered egg noodles, fluffy rice, or creamy mashed potatoes for a hearty supper. They also sit nicely beside a holiday spread of dressing, green beans, roasted sweet potatoes, and dinner rolls, and a little extra sauce on the side never goes to waste.
Oven Baked 3-Ingredient Beef Cranberry Meatballs
Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 (26-ounce) bag frozen fully cooked beef meatballs
1 (14-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 (12-ounce) bottle chili sauce
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a 9x13-inch glass casserole dish.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the whole berry cranberry sauce and chili sauce until well combined.
3. Add the frozen meatballs to the prepared casserole dish, then pour the sauce over the top and toss gently so the meatballs are evenly coated.
4. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, stir the meatballs, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until heated through and bubbling around the edges.
5. Serve warm right from the dish as an appetizer or spoon them onto a platter for the table.
Variations & Tips
Slow Cooker Version: If oven space is tight during the holidays, combine the meatballs, cranberry sauce, and chili sauce in a slow cooker and heat on low for 3 to 4 hours or on high for 2 hours, stirring once or twice, until hot and saucy.
Homemade Touch: If you have your own homemade meatballs tucked in the freezer, they work beautifully here. Just make sure they are fully cooked before baking them in the sauce.
Sweeter Holiday Flavor: For a sweeter, more old-fashioned party meatball, use jellied cranberry sauce instead of whole berry. The sauce will turn smoother and silkier, with that familiar potluck taste many of us grew up with.
Keep Warm for Guests: Once baked, these meatballs can be transferred to a small slow cooker on the warm setting so they stay hot through the whole gathering without drying out.
Make-Ahead Tip: You can assemble everything in the casserole dish a day ahead, cover, and refrigerate. When ready to bake, add a few extra minutes to the cooking time since the dish will be cold from the refrigerator.