Healthier Holiday Recipe: Meatballs

Eating healthier this holiday season has been made a little easier by our HealthWorks! dietitians. We created better-for-you versions of our favorite dishes. Try them out and let us know how they taste!

Recipe: Cranberry Meatballs
Makes 60 servings (1 meatball)
Make an extra batch of these meatballs and freeze for a quick and easy meal. They’re great in other dishes too – use in spaghetti sauce, a Swedish meatball recipe, or a hoagie.

Meatball Ingredients

• 2 lbs lean ground beef, ground turkey or ground buffalo (or any combination)
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup egg substitute (equivalent of 2 eggs)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup corn flake crumbs
• 2 tablespoons dry onion
• 1/3 cup dried parsley flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix all ingredients above and shape into walnut-sized balls.
3. Place in a shallow baking pan and bake for 20 minutes; pour off grease.
4. Bake 10 minutes longer; pour off grease.
5. Drain on paper towels.

Cranberry Sauce
If you don’t like cranberries or just want a different taste, substitute your family’s favorite BBQ or teriyaki sauce.

• 1 can whole cranberries
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 bottle chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Place ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat.
2. Pour sauce over meatballs and keep warm in chaffing dish or crockpot. Serve as an appetizer with toothpicks or over rice as an entrée.

Nutrition facts per meatball: 48 calories, 3 gm protein, 4 gm carbohydrates, 2 gm fat, <1 gm fiber, 11 mg cholesterol, 146 mg sodium.