Best Slow Cooker Cocktail Meatballs Ever!

I have tried different slow cooker meatball variations and all of them either seem to be too sweet or taste too much like ketchup. It is hard to find the perfect balance of sweet, salty and tangy. This recipe hits a home run, or two or three or four. It is very easy to make, hence it being a slow cooker recipe, and although I like to stir them twice while they are cooking so that the bottom ones don't get as browned, you could treat this as a place in the cooker and walk away kind of recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. brown sugar
2/3 c. honey
1 c. ketchup
4 Tbs. soy sauce
3 gloves garlic, crushed
2 (28 oz.) bags fully cooked frozen meatballs (I sit them in the fridge over night)

In a bowl, mix the brown sugar, honey, ketchup and soy sauce together. Line the slow cooker with a plastic slow cooker liner, and pour the meatballs in. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and throw in the 3 crushed garlic cloves. Let cook on High for 3 hours, then reduce to low for the last hour (4 hours cook time total). I like to stir after each hour on high so that they don't get too brown on the bottom meatballs.

Oriental Meatballs

Ingredients:

1.25 lb. Jennie-O ground turkey, Lean
2 green onions, chopped
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs
2-3 Tbs. Soy sauce
2 Tbs. fresh grated ginger

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine all of the above ingredients together (I like to use my hands, but you could use a spatula). Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and set on the parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool slightly before serving. No joke.....they really are THAT easy to make!

(Makes 20-25 meatballs,  1 WW point per meatball)

Mummy Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 roll of Pillsbury pizza dough
16 meatballs from the Garlic Parmesan Turkey Meatball recipe, minus the parsley and garlic
16 edible eyeballs (recipe below also, string cheese and black olives)
1 tsp. ketchup or pasta sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unroll the pizza dough and cut into strips. Place two meatballs next to each other on the cutting board. Wrap the pizza dough around both meatballs to begin with, and then in random directions and places on the meatballs, leaving room to add the eyes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 19-21 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, cut a piece of Mozzarella string cheese into 1/4 inch slices (or however thick you want the eyeballs to be). Using a larger straw, cut out circles in the cheese slices. Using a smaller or regular size straw, cut a smaller circle in the middle of the string cheese circles. Cut a few olives in half. Using the smaller straw again, placing the olive shiny side down with the inside part facing up, cut out little circles. Place the small olive circles in the Mozzarella circles and presto! Edible eyes! I added a dot of ketchup on top of the meatballs to hold them in place.

Taco Turkey Burger Meatballs

Ingredients:

1/2 recipe of Taco Turkey Burgers

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll the meat into 1 inch balls and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 19-21 minutes until golden brown and let cool.

*If you wanted to make a double batch, just use the full recipe for the meat in the Taco Turkey Burgers recipe.

From this recipe, that was already leftover meat from the turkey burger recipe, made two other recipes using the leftover meatballs!

(1/2 of the Taco Turkey Burger recipe makes 10-12 1 to 1 1/2 inch meatballs, each 1 WW point.

If you make the whole meat up for the recipe, they are still each only 1 WW point.)

Taco Meatball Quesadillas 

Turkey Taco Meatball Quiche

Mozza-Balsa-Basil Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb. ground turkey, lean
0.75 oz. pkg. basil, chopped (save some for garnish if served with pasta)
1/2 c. Panko, plain
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
2 Weight Watchers string cheese, sliced


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Combine the turkey, basil, Panko, balsamic, olive oil, garlic salt and pepper together with hands until well combined (you can use a spatula if you don't like to get your hands dirty).

Eyeball approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons worth of filling and flatten in your hand. Place a slice of string cheese in the middle. Bring the turkey up around the cheese and roll into  a ball. Place on the parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining meatballs. Bake for 23-25 minutes in the oven. Let cool slightly before serving.

(Makes 25 meatballs (1 WW point each. Divided into 8 servings, of 3 meatballs each, is 3 WW points.)

(Great when served on top of Spinach Roasted Garlic Pasta)

Cranberry Stuffing Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb. ground turkey  (Jennie-O), lean
2-3 c. leftover stuffing
3 Tbs. fresh thyme
1 c. leftover cranberry sauce
1 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Roll the turkey into meatballs using about 1 1/2 Tbs. mixture for each meatball. bake for 20-22 minutes until the inside of the meatball is fully cooked (these are harder to tell, since the cranberry sauce makes them slightly pink).

This is a great way to get rid of leftovers without feeling like you are eating the same thing over and over again. I ate mine with cranberry sauce, but they are delicious in a sandwich with mustard, lettuce and a slight touch of miracle whip. Yum!

Ginger-Soy Turkey Meatballs with a Surprise Inside!

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and cut in half
1 egg
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1/2 c. green onion (green part only), chopped
1/4 c. bread crumbs
3 Tbs. fresh chopped cilantro
2 tsp. grated lime peel
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 1/2 lb. ground turkey, lean
(Sweet and Sour sauce for dipping)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the egg, soy sauce, and the next 9 ingredients with your hands or a spatula. Take about 1-2 Tbs. of the meat mixture in your hand, and place a water chestnut piece in the center. Fold the turkey around the water chestnut. Roll slightly if you need to round it out. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until all of the meatballs are made. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving, or keep on warm in a slow cooker or food warmer.

(Makes roughly 30 meatballs, I doubled the recipe for the party to make 60-70. Each meatball is 1 WW point each. or 3 meatballs for 2 WW points.)

Garlic Parmesan Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb. ground turkey, lean
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 c. seasoned Panko
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
6-8 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
1/8 c. parley flakes

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the above ingredients. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on top of the parchment paper. Bake for 23-25 minutes until they are golden brown and no longer pink in the middle. This recipes makes approximately 28-30 meatballs.

(Makes 28-30 meatballs, 1 WW point per meatball.)

Turkey Italian Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1/4 c. chopped fresh Parsley
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbs. garlic salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. grated Parmesan 
1/2 tsp. fresh pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl with a fork or your hands. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop 1 1/2 Tbs. of the meat and roll into a ball. Place them on the baking sheet 1 inch or more apart. Bake in the oven for 23-25 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.