Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Glazed Meatballs

Easy to prep, and delicious to eat, these sticky Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Glazed Meatballs are sweet and savory, with just a little kick!

This post is sponsored by Florida Strawberry in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

I’m fighting hard to stay on the meal-prep train this year. Some days are easier than others, but having a plan come Sunday generally sets me up for a strong week ahead.

My latest obsession for a proper Sunday meal prep? Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Glazed Meatballs! These meatballs are made with ground turkey, and cooked in your slow-cooker all day (though if you got an Instant Pot for Christmas, you can absolutely use that). So while these meatballs are cooking, you can prep everything else you’re planning for the week.

Most days I try to stay away from bread, so instead of breadcrumbs for these balls, I use a little almond meal, and Parmesan cheese to bind together, which keeps these turkey meatballs pretty low carb. This is my favorite low-carb meatball recipe, but please use whatever protein, and recipe you want!

You could easily use any BBQ sauce you like in the slow-cooker, but most store-bought sauces are loaded with extra sugar, and then that kind of defeats the purpose of making your own meatballs, and prepping ahead for the week. If I’m going to indulge, it’s got to be worth it, and sugary, sweet, processed BBQ isn’t going to do it for me.

Plus, if you’ve been a friend of Casa de Crews for a while now, you know I love making my own sauces, and dressings. It’s so much easier to control what goes into a recipe that way.

Enter homemade Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce! Naturally sweet using Florida Strawberries (Florida Strawberry season runs from December to April!), and raw honey, with just a leeeetle kick from chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, this Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce is perfect for so many dishes!

Plus, it’s a pretty clean condiment loaded with health benefits, too. Since strawberries, in general, are virtually fat free, containing no cholesterol and are an excellent source of folic acid, they help the body metabolize protein (ahem, like turkey meatballs). They are a good source of potassium too. You can eat them out-of-hand, on the run. Just wash and bite (but don’t wash until you’re ready to eat) And it only takes eight medium strawberries to get more vitamin C than one orange. #holla

I like to make a batch of Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Glazed Meatballs, and serve over a mix of half cauli-rice, and half quinoa or brown rice (just depending on what I have in the pantry), with shredded carrots, and sesame seeds.

These Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Glazed Meatballs would be tasty in a lettuce wrap, over grilled chicken or ribs, or even as a party app (ahem, like the Big Game next weekend?). They’re pretty clean, and no one needs to know it. They’ll just hear you’re bringing a crock of meatballs glazed in a Strawberry BBQ Sauce, and get excited.

This is one tasty meal, healthy meal all the way around!

strawberry chipotle bbq glazed meatballs

Clean-eating BBQ Sauce sweetened naturally with strawberries and maple syrup. This sauce is so good, you'll want to put it on everything!

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Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Author: Nichole Crews

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion - diced
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 3 cups fresh strawberries - hulled and halved
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• ¼ cup Worchestire
• ½ cup maple syrup - raw honey will also work
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2-3 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - add more to taste, if desired
• 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes - to taste
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper - to taste
• 2 lbs your favorite meatballs - or you may use frozen

Instructions

• To a medium saucepan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion and cook until the onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
• Add tomato sauce, strawberries, maple syrup, Worcheshire, paprika, chipotle peppers, and red pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 20 minutes.
• Stir in the apple cider vinegar; and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Using an immersion blender, mix until all ingredients are smooth. You can also use a blender, or food processor.
• If making homemade meatballs, make sure to brown in a skillet before slow-cooking (this will help retain flavor and moisture!) After searing, transfer meatballs to slow-cooker. Pour 2 cups of Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce over meatballs. Cook 4 hours on low.
• You will have approx 1½ cups of BBQ Sauce leftover - will keep in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Did you make this recipe?We want to see! Tag @casadecrews on instagram or use the hashtag #casadecrewseats so we can find you!

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