As far as store-bought, frozen meatballs go, there is a big difference between the good and the bad. Too often frozen meatballs are spongy, flavorless orbs with very little similarity to their homemade cousins and I should know because I tried just about every brand at my local grocery stores to find the very best one.
When us Friends Who Fete gals decided to throw a holiday party we decided to make it as easy as possible to replicate because if there is a time of year when we all wind up having people over it is now, and we wanted to give you the tools to do it as effortlessly as possible.
We came up with a menu that spruced up our favorite store-bought ingredients for a last-minute celebration you can pull together in an afternoon and my assignment: meatballs. I came up with two different sauce recipes, honey-chipotle and mango-habanero, both requiring little more than a turn in a bowl.
So what are your favorite purchased meatballs you ask? Well, after trying waaayyyy too many, my favorites were Nature’s Ranch Angus Beef Meatballs from Whole Food’s. They have great meaty texture and rich, beef-forward flavor that isn’t bogged down with too many seasoning allowing me to bathe them in whatever sauce I choose.
This is such a simple recipe that I hope you will also consider it for busy weeknight meals as well. Served with steamed rice and some veg I can see these meatballs taking center stage on a snowy December night.

Honey Chipotle Cocktail Meatballs
These Honey Chipotle Cocktail Meatballs make a stunningly simple party appetizer with just three ingredients, they are made as fast as they disappear.
Ingredients
- 1 pound 6 ounces frozen mini meatballs
- 2 chipotles en adobo, minced
- 1/3 cup honey
Instructions
- Bake meatballs according to package instructions
- Mix chipotles and honey together in a large bowl.
- Add hot meatballs to sauce and stir to coat, serve immediately.
Notes
Serve meatballs in a slow cooker to keep warm.
A big THANK YOU to This Mess Is Ours and Salt & Wind for all the photography!
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