Keeping a can of frozen orange juice concentrate in the freezer means you can make more than just orange juice. Try it in a variety of orange-flavored recipes.
Slow Cooker Meatballs With Sweet Orange Chipotle Sauce
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Tender meatballs are served with a slow cooked sauce made with tomatoes, chipotle peppers, and orange zest.
serves/makes:
ready in:
2-5 hrs
2-5 hrs
2 reviews
ingredients
1 can (15 ounce size) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (8 ounce size) tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 medium chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon grated orange zest, divided
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup dry instant mashed potato flakes
1 large egg
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
directions
Combine the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, tomato paste, brown sugar, chipotle pepper, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, and half of the orange zest in the crock pot. Cover the crock pot and cook on low heat for 1 1/2 hours.
Combine the ground beef, mashed potato flakes, egg, cilantro, garlic, salt, and remaining orange zest in a bowl. Mix well but do not over work the meat. Form the beef mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides. Transfer the meatballs to the crock pot with a slotted spoon.
Gently stir the meatballs into the sauce so they are coated. Cover the crock pot and cook on high heat for 30-40 minutes or until the meatballs are fully cooked. Serve the meatballs and sauce over pasta or rice.
crock pot notes
Crock pots/slow cookers all heat differently. There is no standard among manufacturers. Cooking times are suggested guidelines based on our testing. Please adjust cooking times and temps to work with your brand and model of slow cooker.nutrition data
447 calories, 25 grams fat, 31 grams carbohydrates, 25 grams protein per serving.
Ah, the unassuming envelope of onion soup mix. It's more than just for onion soup (or dip). It adds tremendous flavor (and convenience) in all these recipes.
Beer makes batters better, meat more tender, and sauces more flavorful.
see more crock pot meatball recipes
reviews & comments
November 23, 2013
I wasn't sure how orange was going to taste in this but it turned out quite good. The orange is subtle and I liked the chipotle flavor a LOT! In fact, I'd maybe even add a little chipotle to the meatballs too for extra zing.
September 11, 2013
Loved how tender and flavorful these meatballs were! Using instant mashed potatoes in the meatballs really gave them good texture. The sauce had a good balance with the chipotle and orange flavors. You can definitely let the meatballs sit in the sauce longer than 30 minutes if you wish. I tested one after 30 minutes and then let them sit in the sauce for another couple of hours on low and they were quite good and had absorbed more of the flavors from the sauce.