Holiday Meatballs with Cranberry Aioli

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sprouts Farmers Market. All opinions are 100% mine.  I just love this time of the year!  My holiday tree is up and is filled with all of the ornaments that mean so much to me.  I am not one to go out to the store and buy just any ornament.  Ornaments on my tree must have some meaning.  I have some that have been on my tree since I was a kid, some that are handmade by me or my family members, and some that I have collected on trips that I have taken over the years.  December also means Christmas movies, holiday music, and sharing delicious food with family and friends.  Cooking is one way that I show the people around me how much I care about them.  These Holiday Meatballs with Cranberry Aioli are a festive and healthy way to show the important people in your life a little love.

The main ingredient in these holiday meatballs are ground beef of course.  But not just any ground beef…Sprouts 100% grass-fed ground beef.  Grass-fed beef has many benefits including environmentally friendly, better for the animal, and more nutritious for us.  Animals fed their natural diet of grass tend to be naturally leaner.  They also contain less of the inflammation promoting Omega-6 fatty acids.  On the flip side grass-fed beef contains higher amounts of the beneficial Omega-3 fatty acid as well as conjugated linoleic acid (an important antioxidant).  Naturally raised animals can be part of a healthy diet.

I gave these meatballs some holiday cheer by adding in my favorite fresh cranberries.  Every year I made a batch of homemade cranberry sauce just for myself.  These little red berries are well known for supporting urinary tract health but they really can do so much more to support our health.  Some of the compounds found in cranberries can support cardiovascular health, a healthy immune system and even brain health.  AMAZING!

One of my favorite greens in the world is kale.  When people tell me that they don’t like kale then I usually say that they probably aren’t making it right.  If you have some kale skeptics in your like then this recipe might just be perfect because you don’t really notice it in the meatballs.  The kale helps add a festive green color to the recipe but also lots of nutrition.  Kale is a fantastic source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and the plant source of Omega-3 known as ALA (alpha-linolenic acid).  Who says the holidays have to be full of overindulging on junk food?  Serve these Holiday Meatballs with Cranberry Aioli as an entrée or appetizer at your next party!

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Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 6 -8

Author Sara

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• ½ yellow onion peeled and diced
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 2 cups packed kale leaves stems removed (about 4 leaves)
• ½ Tablespoon Dried Sprouts organic rosemary
• 1 pound Sprouts Old Thyme Butcher Shop grass fed ground beef
• 1 egg opional
• 1 teaspoon Sea salt
• 1 teaspoon Dried Sprouts organic garlic powder
• Cranberry Aioli
• ¼ cup organic prepared cranberry sauce or homemade cranberry sauce
• ¼ cup olive oil or avocado oil mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dried Sprouts organic rosemary
• juice half lemon

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large sauté pan over medium heat melt the coconut oil.
3. Add in the diced onion and sauté until start to soften.
4. In a food processor add the fresh cranberries, kale, and rosemary.
5. Pulse all of the ingredients together until they are finely chopped.
6. Add the cranberry kale mixture to the onions and continue to sauté until the onions are translucent and the kale is softened, just a couple of minutes.
7. While the mixture cools slightly, make the cranberry aioli.
8. Add the cranberry sauce (one that is free of high fructose corn syrup), mayo, lemon juice, and 2 tsp. Dried Sprouts rosemary to a bowl and mix until combined.
9. Set the aioli in the fridge for the flavors to combined, make it the day before for even better flavor!
10. Add the Sprouts Old Thyme Butcher Shop grass fed ground beef to a large bowl with the sautéed cranberry and kale mixture.
11. To the same bowl add the egg, salt, and garlic powder.
12. Mix well to combined but being careful not to over mix or you will get tough meatballs.
13. Roll the mixture into 2 ounce balls using your hands or a scoop, you should get 12-14 balls.
14. Place the meatballs on a rack lined baking sheet to get an evenly cooked meatball.
15. Cooked in a 375 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
16. Allow the meatballs to rest for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a serving platter.
17. Serve with the cranberry aioli.