Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy

If you've read one of my previous blogs, you'll know that I have a soft spot when it comes to meatballs. They are so versatile! You can eat them as appetizers, alongside pasta, or as your main entree. While I most commonly eat meatballs with some kind of tomato-based sauce, I decided to try serving it with a mushroom gravy this time around. In the moment, I think I was craving something comforting and somewhat reminiscent of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

While my recipe below calls for ground beef, you can definitely opt for ground turkey if you prefer. I would highly recommend serving these meatballs over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes. However, because I was attempting to be "healthy-ish" this week, I used mashed cauliflower instead. I tricked my brain into thinking it was mashed potatoes...

Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Servings: 4

Mushroom Gravy Ingredients:

• 2 garlic gloves (minced)

• 5 ounces mushrooms

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

• 2 cups beef stock

• 1 tbsp olive oil

Meatball Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 large egg

• 1 lb ground beef (*can be substituted for ground turkey)

• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

• 1/4 tsp dried oregano

• 1/4 tsp dried basil

• 1/4 tsp dried parsley

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Optional: Fresh parsley (for garnish)

***

Directions:

• In a large bowl, mix together milk and egg. Add ground beef, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, oregano, basil, parsley, black pepper and salt. While you can use a spoon to mix all ingredients together, it's best to use your hands. Combine all ingredients together evenly, but avoid overly mixing or crushing the pieces of ground meat. Set aside.

• In a saucepan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and mushrooms. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes or until brown and fragrant. Then transfer to a plate.

• In the same saucepan, add unsalted butter over medium heat. Careful not to burn the butter! Once melted, add the flour (one tablespoon at a time) while whisking. Once sauce is thickened and there's no trace of visible flour, slowly add in beef stock while still whisking. Lower heat to low and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

• {While the sauce is simmering} In a large cast iron or frying pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Wet your hands with water or with light oil, then roll the ground beef to desired size with your hands. Add to the pan until there is no more meat left.

• ​Tip: Place the meatballs to the outer edge of the pan first, then make your way to the center. Because the center of the pan is the hottest, this helps the meatballs from burning while you are molding out all of your meatballs. You can also keep heat off while doing this until all meatballs have been molded.

• Let meatballs sit for 3-4 minutes or until the bottoms are browned. Use a spoon or tong to roll them over on the pan and let sit for another 3 minutes.

• By now, the sauce should have simmered for about 10 minutes. Transfer the gravy to the pan. Then add the already sautéd garlic and mushrooms. Lower heat to low and let simmer for another 10 minutes.

• Once meatballs have reached internal temperature of 160 degrees F, they are ready to be served with pasta, veggies, or other desired sides. Optional: Garnish with fresh parsley.