18 Sauces for Cocktail Meatballs, Weenies, and Sausages

My mom and Aunt Blanche insist that my cocktail meatballs, weenies, and sausages are among the fastest disappearing dishes at any gathering. Ironic, since there are so many other food items on the family feast table that take hours of preparation. Cocktail weenies are also great to have on hand for young kids. They can go for the weenies or Lit'l Smokies instead of grabbing a big piece of chicken that they won't finish.

This article will share recipes for:

Basic Meatballs

Jelly-Based Sauces

• Sweet-and-Spicy Chili Grape Sauce
• Grape Jelly and Mustard Sauce
• Spicy Grape Jelly and Mustard Sauce
• Hot Cranberry Jelly Sauce
• Currant Jelly Sauce

Ketchup-Based Sauces

• Basic Ketchup Sauce
• Homemade BBQ Sauce
• Garlicky Smoked Ketchup Sauce
• Beer Ketchup Sauce
• Little Meatloaf-Bites Sauce

Sweet-and-Sour Sauces

• Sweet-and-Sour Soy Sauce With Pineapples
• Tomato-Based Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

Sauces for Swedish Meatballs

• Onion Soup-Based Swedish Meatball Sauce
• Creamy Swedish Meatball Sauce

Other Sauces

• Brown Sugar and Mustard Ham-Glaze Sauce
• Favorite Balsamic Marinade
• Two-Ingredient Marinara

Enjoy these easy-to-make appetizers!

Most of the sauces here can be used for any type of meat.

We cooked our sauces and meats on the stovetop. To do so, simply combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring them to a low boil. Most sauces and meats will be ready after simmering for between 30 minutes and an hour.

For parties, you can prepare the sauce and meat on the stove, then transfer them to a crock pot or chafing dish to keep them warm.

Alternately, put the meatballs and sauce in the crock pot on low for 4 to 6 hours before your event.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for homemade. But when it comes to meatballs, I buy frozen. When you're buying, keep in mind which sauce you're planning to use and whether it'd best complement plain or Italian meatballs.

For those who prefer to make their own meatballs, I have included a basic recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• cooking oil, for browning meatballs

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except cooking oil in a bowl and thoroughly combine.
2. Shape into meatballs, approximately 1 inch in diameter.
3. Heat oil in skillet. Add meatballs and cook until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on paper towel.

Freezing Homemade Meatballs for Future Use

It's easy to make a huge batch of meatballs and store for parties or meals:

1. Freeze the cooked meatballs in a single layer so they don't stick together, then place meal-sized potions in freezer bags.
2. Cook meatballs in sauce from frozen for a quick and easy meal.

The most popular jelly-based sauce made with grape jelly and usually includes mustard or tomato-based chili sauce. Other popular variations are made with cranberry or currant jelly.

Most of these recipes would accommodate 1½ to 2 lbs of meat.

• 1 ¼ cup grape jelly
• 1 ½ cup tomato-based chili sauce

• 1 ½ cup grape jelly
• ½ cup mustard

• 1 ¼ cup grape jelly
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 2 Tbsp mustard

• 1 eight-ounce can jellied cranberry sauce
• ¾ cup chili sauce
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1½ tsp lemon juice
• Hot sauce, optional

• ½ cup currant jelly
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• ½ tsp lemon zest (finely grated rind)
• 2 tsp mustard

• 1 cup ketchup
• ½ cup packed brown sugar

• ¾ cup ketchup
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup vinegar
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 1½ Tbsp dried minced onion
• 1 tsp mustard
• 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 6 drops hot pepper sauce

• 2 cups ketchup
• 1½ cups packed brown sugar
• ½ cup minced onion
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves

• 14 oz ketchup
• 12 oz beer
• 1 cup sugar

This sauce is a combination of some of the above recipes. I used frozen meatballs, cooking them on high for about 45 minutes and then on low for three to four hours. The meatballs were like little meatloaf bites. We demolished them!

• 1 cup ketchup
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce.

• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 can pineapple chunks (13 oz.)
• ⅓ cup vinegar
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 small green pepper, chopped

Combine ingredients in pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer meatballs, weenies, or sausages for 10 minutes.

• 1/3 cup green pepper, chopped or sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup tomato soup
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp mustard
• 1 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 to 2 cups pineapple tidbits with some juice

Prepare as above.

• 2 packages mushroom gravy mix
• 1 package onion soup mix
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sour cream

Combine gravy and soup mixes and water. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Simmer for one minute, reduce heat to low, and add sour cream.

• 1 can cream-of-chicken soup
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 2 packages brown gravy mix
• 1-2 cups sour cream
• 1 bag frozen turkey-and-pork meatballs

Empty soup into crockpot. Blend in milk, water, and gravy mix. Add meatballs and cook on low for about six hours. Add sour cream in the last hour.

This recipe is what my family uses for baked ham. We tried it for Lit'l Smokie sausages last night, and they turned out pretty well. The recipe covers one pound of meatballs or a 12-ounce package of smokies.

• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup mustard
• ¼ cup water

This is my favorite chicken marinade, modified into a meatball simmer sauce.

• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup water
• ½ Tbsp garlic powder with parsley
• 1 tsp basil

Another simple but handy idea. Buy a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce or treat your guests to a gourmet sauce with Italian meatballs.

• Spaghetti sauce
• Capers, optional