Make these homemade Meatballs with Onion Gravy for the perfect hearty and savory dinner any night of the week. Served over creamy mashed potatoes or your favorite pasta, this is a guaranteed family favorite!
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Tender meatballs covered in a rich, flavorful gravy make the perfect starting point for any memorable hearty meal! Great for Sunday dinner but easy enough to serve on busy weeknights.
Why This Recipe Works
Tender beef meatballs and a rich brown gravy, this comforting dish is the ultimate way to satisfy your family's appetite!
I love to serve these meatballs over top of some mashed potatoes with a veggie on the side for the perfect balanced meal.
And if you can't get enough homemade meatballs, you'll love Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Meatballs, Sweet and Sour Meatballs, or these bold Honey Sriracha Chicken Meatballs!
Ingredients Needed
Meatball Ingredients
- Aromatics: Garlic and onions add depth of flavor to your meatballs.
- Ground Beef: I like to use a lean ground beef, but feel free to choose whatever variety works for you.
- Bread Crumbs and Egg: Together these bind the meatballs and prevent them from falling apart.
- Dijon Mustard: Gives your meatballs a nice bite of flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce: For some nice umami flavor.
- Seasonings: A combination of salt and black pepper with thyme and fresh parsley are all you need!
For the Gravy
- Butter
- Garlic and Onion
- Flour: All purpose flour helps your gravy thicken up.
- Beef Broth: Using beef stock brings out the flavor of the meatballs.
- Worcestershire Sauce
How to Make Meatballs with Onion Gravy
- Step 1: In a skillet, saute onions and garlic in oil until translucent, then set aside.
- Step 2: Combine ground beef with bread crumbs, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, and cooked onions in a large mixing bowl.
- Step 3: Use a scoop to evenly portion out meatballs from the meat mixture.
- Step 4: Place meatballs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet to sit while you continue to form them. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Step 5: In a large skillet, cook the meatballs in vegetable oil and set aside.
- Step 6: To the same skillet, melt butter and add onions. Cook until they start to brown, then add the garlic. Add the flour and mix into a roux, then season with salt and pepper.
- Step 7: Stir in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, then bring to a boil and cook until thickened.
- Step 8: Reduce heat to low and return the meatballs to the gravy. Cook another 15-20 minutes, or until meatballs are heated through again and gravy has thickened fully.
Recipe Tips
- Larger meatballs will take larger to cook, so don't oversize them or you will need to add more cooking time.
- Use a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop to ensure all of the meatballs are the same size. This way they'll all cook at the same rate.
- You can use chicken stock/chicken broth instead of beef broth if that's what you have. Vegetable broth also works, but it won't be as flavorful.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice. Pair with a healthy veggie like green beans or broccoli to complete the meal!
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave, or return to a pot on the stove top over medium-low heat.
Recipe FAQ's
Absolutely! For a lighter option, use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork. Using a different protein might alter the cooking time, so keep an eye on the meatballs.
Be sure you have a good ratio of fat to flour to create the initial roux. Don't be afraid to add a bit more flour, especially if you prefer a thicker gravy. Also, cook the gravy in the same pan where you cooked the meatballs, and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan to add lots of flavor to your gravy.
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Meatballs with Onion Gravy
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon oil
- ½ cup yellow onions diced small, about ¼”
- 1 teaspoon garlic chopped
- 2 lb Ground Beef 80/20 or leaner if you like
- ¼ cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon parsley chopped fresh
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
For The Gravy
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup yellow onion sliced about ½” thick (approximately ½ of a medium to large-sized onion)
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 3 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt kosher
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Add the ½ tablespoon of oil, diced onion, and garlic in a small skillet over medium Heat. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
- a. Note: If the onions for the meat mixture are grated, cooking/cooling can be omitted.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, and cooked onions. Mix gently until just combined; do not over mix.
- Form the meat into balls using a 1.5 tablespoon scoop and place them on a tray. Use your hands to shape and smooth the meatballs.
- a. Note: A larger-sized meatball will increase cooking time.
- Cover the formed meatball tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
- In a deep 10 to 12-inch skillet, Heat the additional 4 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium Heat and add the meatballs - this may need to be done in batches.
- Cook the meatballs for 5-7 minutes, rotating them so they brown on all sides.
- Once all the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the skillet, place them on a new tray, and cover them with foil to keep warm.
- In the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoon of butter, then add the sliced onions. Cook over medium Heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and just start to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the flour and mix that in to form a roux; mix until combined.
- Add the salt & pepper and saute into the mixture.
- Add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and let this cook for about 6 minutes to start to thicken.
- Reduce to low and add the meatballs to the gravy. Cook for 15-20 minutes to heat the meatballs thoroughly.
- Serve warm over whipped mashed potatoes and the pan gravy—optional garnish of fresh chopped parsley.
Video
Notes
- Ground pork, turkey, or chicken are worthy alternatives. The cooking time may need to be adjusted if leaner meat is substituted.
Yay Heather! Happy it was a hit 🙂
Tried this recipe tonight, WOW!! This was delicious. My husband wants it in the dinner rotation🤤🤤🤤🤤