Slow Cooker Cocktail Meatballs

Steps

1. Set a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker on low and put the lid on, so it is already warm when the meatballs go in.
2. In a large pot over medium heat, whisk the chili sauce and grape jelly together until the jelly melts and the sauce starts to bubble, about 5 minutes. A few small lumps of jelly will melt as it cooks.
3. Stir in the frozen meatballs until they are coated. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring every 5 minutes so the sauce does not catch on the bottom, until a meatball from the middle of the pot reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Spoon the meatballs and sauce into the warm slow cooker and turn it to warm so they stay hot for the party. Set out toothpicks and give them a stir now and then.

Good to know

• Make ahead: Cook the meatballs a day early, cool them and refrigerate them in their sauce. Reheat in a covered pot over medium-low heat, stirring often, until they reach 165°F, then move them to the slow cooker on warm.
• Why the stove first? Frozen meatballs warm up slowly in a slow cooker, so the USDA advises heating cooked food on the stove and letting the slow cooker keep it hot.
• Cooked meatballs and sauce freeze well in a covered container for up to 3 months. Move them to the fridge the night before you plan to reheat them.
• For a holiday twist, use a 14 ounce can of jellied cranberry sauce in place of the grape jelly.
• No slow cooker? Leave them in the covered pot over the lowest heat, stirring now and then.