If you’re feeling nostalgic for the holidays as we enter another cold month, these turkey meatballs with cranberry sauce are perfect for you. They are hearty enough to be satisfying as a winter meal, while also helping to remind you of how excited you are about Thanksgiving 2015. I served these as an appetizer but you could also serve them with a salad for dinner.

Also, apologies for the less than awesome photos. I made these for our holiday party (when I made around 15 dishes in two days pretty much by myself), so I didn’t have a ton of time to devote to photos! But I promise they’re delicious!

 Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients (makes about 15-20 meatballs)
1 pound ground turkey
1/3 cup oats
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sage, minced
1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon thyme, minced
1 tablespoon chives, diced
Salt and pepper
Note: I did not buy fresh sage, rosemary, or thyme, but instead used dried herbs and just added a couple dashes of each.

Sauce-
6 ounces cranberries
1/4 cup orange juice
1/8 cup molasses
1.5 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to mix. Divide the batter up into small mounds, about 2 tablespoons each, and place on a pan covered in foil, wax paper, or silicone liners.

2. Bake for 20-25 minutes. To make sure they are done, cut one in half to make sure the center is cooked.

3. While the meatballs are cooking, cook the cranberries, orange juice, molasses, honey, and ketchup in a pan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue cooking for about 10 minutes until the cranberries start to soften. Then add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer for 30 more minutes. It should reduce in size and thicken. Once done, store in the fridge until ready to eat.

4. I recommend serving the meatballs on toothpicks if you are serving them as an appetizer.