Slow Cooker, Make Ahead

Meatballs in Tomato Chutney

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Start to Finish: 4 Hours 30 Minutes 36 appetizers

• 3 cans (14.5 oz each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes with garlic, drained
• 2 cups chopped onions (2 large)
• 1 jalapeño chile, seeded, chopped
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ cup cider vinegar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1 lb bulk Italian pork sausage
• 1 lb ground beef round
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 egg
• Additional chopped fresh parsley, if desired

1 Spray 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In slow cooker, stir together tomatoes, 1½ cups of the onions, the chile, raisins, tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, curry powder and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook uncovered on High heat setting 3 hours or until thickened.

2 Meanwhile, heat oven to 400°F. Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix sausage, beef, ¼ cup parsley, the egg, remaining ½ cup onion and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Shape mixture into 36 (1-inch) balls. Arrange in single layer in pan. Bake 15 minutes or until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in center.

3 Add meatballs to slow cooker. Reduce heat setting to Low. Cover; cook 1 hour. Sprinkle with additional parsley.

1 Appetizer: Calories 200; Total Fat 11g (Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 620mg; Total Carbohydrate 16g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 10g Exchanges: ½ Fruit, ½ Other Carbohydrate, 1 Vegetable, 1 Lean Meat, ½ High-Fat Meat, 1 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1

Make-Ahead Magic You can make the sauce and meatballs up to 2 days ahead of time. Spoon cooled sauce and meatballs into large microwavable bowls; stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate. The day of serving, microwave bowls on High 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot. Transfer hot meatballs and sauce to slow cooker. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 1 hour.