I’ve been using this beef meatball recipe for years and while I tried many other recipes, I keep coming back to this one. There isn’t a better ground beef meatball for me. I love the fresh herbs in it – I use a combination of sage, basil, parsley, scallions, cilantro, oregano, marjoram – they all work great in this recipe. Fresh herbs make a huge positive difference.
I use a large onion or two medium onions per two pounds of meat. The onions are browned to get the most flavor out of them. But that’s not it. Plenty of onions make meatballs very juicy and tender. Adding a little bit of bread crumbs helps make them soft and tender. The trick is to add just enough but not too much, you don’t want the meatballs to taste bready.
The quality of the ground beef will make a quality meatball. Ground chuck works great to make meatballs. Ground brisket makes excellent mat balls too. If you can get Angus ground beef, it makes amazing meatballs. Don’t go for extra lean ground beef, get some fat in it, about 20%. A good meatball is like a good sausage – it needs fat to have the right flavor, texture and juiciness. Fat will make your meatballs taste much, much better. Lean beef without any or much fat makes dry, crumbly meatballs that no one will enjoy.
No meatball is good on its own, it must have plenty of gravy to go with it. Yeah. My recipe includes amazing beef broth gravy that makes the meatballs shine even more. Serve these meatballs with pasta, rice, buckwheat, quinoa, polenta, or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Beef Meatballs
Print PinIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 large onion minced
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup fresh herbs a combnation of some of the following: basil, sage, parsley, cilantro, oregano, scallions, etc.
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs seasoned
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
For cooking the meatballs
- 1 Tbsp butter unsalted
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Gravy ingredients
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup water cold
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
Preparing the meatballs
- Add a tablespoon of butter and drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Saute for 5-6 minutes, until tender and lightly brown. Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a large bowl, gently mix the ground beef with the rest of the meatball ingredients, including the sauteed onions and garlic. Do not overmix. Shape into 20 balls of equal size, about 1.5 inches in diameter.
Preparing the gravy
- To make the gravy, bring 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan. Add the cornstarch dissolved in cold water, followed by the Worcestershire sauce. Cook for a minute or so, until thickened. Set aside.
Cooking the meatballs
- In a large non-stick skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes or until browned. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Pour the gravy over the browned meatballs, lower the heat to low, cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the meatballs reach 165F internal temperature.
Serving
- Serve hot, over your favorite carbohydrate, drizzled with the gravy from the pan, and garnished with grated parmesan cheese and minced herbs (parsley, basil, oregano, scallions, cilantro, etc).
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