Meatballs are the ideal appetizer. They can serve a lot of people and the premade ones are super convenient. Grocery stores and warehouse-type stores sell 4-pound bags (or larger) of fully cooked meatballs.

And if you don’t like beef-based meatballs, many stores now have frozen turkey meatballs..

You also can make your own meatballs if you want to take the time to shape them all.

This entire recipe is made in the slow cooker. It’s totally set-it-and-forget-it. Once done, set the slow cooker to the warm setting, if you have one, and serve the meatballs straight from the pot.

You also can make it in the oven.

With this recipe, I pre-browned the frozen meatballs in a skillet. Many slow-cooker recipes call for browning meat and poultry before adding it so it has the nice crispy exterior.

The key ingredient is Penzeys Spices Raspberry Enlightenment sauce ( penzeys.com). The sauce has a mild fruity, sweet taste. It has a host of uses and is not just for sweet things. You also can use the sauce in plenty of savory dishes. An associate at Penzeys told me people use it to make vinaigrette dressings, as a glaze for pork or chicken and as an ice cream topping.

You can serve these meatballs as a main dish if you like. Serve them over cooked brown or white rice with some lightly sauteed bell pepper strips and snow peas.

For a printable copy of the recipe, click the link:

Spicy Raspberry Enlightenment Meatballs