Crock pot meatballs are the perfect get-together food. Only 3 ingredients, cook and carry it right in the crock pot, and everyone loves that sweet, tangy sauce. And there will be easy clean up, too, because there will not be leftovers!

These sweet and savory meatballs are perfect for a tailgate party, church carry-in dinner, or office party. I have taken them to all three of these events, and they were always a big hit! There are lots of different versions out there on the internet, but this is my absolute favorite! Now, I am not a very adventurous eater.  I am not usually one to order some new thing off the menu.  I stick with my favorites. Please tell me some of you are like that, too…  Anyway, I had these at a party many years ago, and they were really good. I mean, really good.  I assumed they were meatballs in a barbecue sauce, but after the first bite, I knew it wasn’t BBQ sauce.  But I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I just knew it was yummy!

Well, it turns out the sauce is simply 2 bottles of Heinz chili sauce and a big jar of GRAPE JELLY!  How weird is that, you ask?  Well, I’m not sure who originally thought that combining these would be a great idea 😉 , but I’m telling you it is one! If someone had told me beforehand what the sauce was made from, I probably wouldn’t have tried these. So, I’m glad I was brave that day! 🙂

Before I show you the steps, I do need to mention one thing!  MAKE SURE the meatballs you get are regular,  NOT ITALIAN. Frozen italian meatballs have extra seasonings and they really don’t work well with this sauce.  So select carefully!

With that out of the way, I hope I have convinced you to try these crock pot meatballs, too.  I promise – they are delicious! So, here’s the ridiculously simple recipe:

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Ingredients:

2 12 oz. jars Heinz chili sauce

1 32 oz. jar grape jelly

64 oz. frozen REGULAR meatballs (not Italian)

Directions:

Put all of the frozen meatballs in a large crock pot.

Add both jars of chili sauce. (Add a tsp. or so of water to the jar after the sauce has been poured out. Put the lid back on, shake it, and add the rest of the diluted sauce to the crock pot – so you don’t waste a single drop!)

Open the jar of grape jelly. Stir the jelly, still in the jar, with a large spoon to break it up into smaller pieces. It will pour out and melt better that way.

Stir the chili sauce, grape jelly, and meatballs to evenly coat the meatballs.

Put the lid on and cook on high for 3 hours.

Re-stir the meatballs and sauce about half way through. Re-cover and continue cooking.

How easy is that?

Click here for the printable recipe.

So, next time you have a tailgate party, church carry-in dinner, or office party, take these crock pot meatballs. Your guests will thank you!

What is your go-to item to take for a big get-together?  I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and let me know!

Par-tay time!

~ Pam 🙂

P.S. Looking for yummy desserts? Fill out the form below to get a downloadable copy of recipes for my 10 favorite easy desserts!