French Onion Meatballs

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These delicious meatballs are paired with a creamy caramelized onion sauce is the perfect weeknight dinner with all of the familiar flavors of French onion soup! Made with ground beef, fresh parsley, caramelized onions, and topped with gooey gruyere and mozzarella cheese, these French Onion Meatballs are sure to become a winter dinner staple.

What are French Onion Meatballs?

Do you love a warm and cozy bowl of French onion soup? This simple recipe brings all of the flavors of French onion soup into a delicious easy dinner idea or even a hearty side dish. If you love making meatballs, this recipe is a great way to change up the sauce you would typically serve alongside them. This recipe includes the savory beef flavor of french onion soup with sweet, wine-flavored caramelized onions. It’s seriously so good!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

• Simple Ingredients. The ingredients for these French onion meatballs are simple and you probably already have everything you need in your pantry! This recipe is made entirely from scratch using whole ingredients that are good for your body and taste amazing.

• Quick Dinner. This cozy meatball dish comes together quickly in about an hour, making it a great option for an easy weeknight meal.

• Sweet and Savory. The flavor of French onion soup is so unique and delicious, and I wanted to incorporate that into this meatball dish. You will love the savory beef flavor paired with the sweetness of caramelized onions.

Gathering Ingredients:

• Ground Beef. When it comes to selecting ground beef for meatballs, it’s usually better to go with a higher fat count. This helps keep the meatballs juicy! I would suggest 70/30 or 80/20 ground beef for this recipe.

• Breadcrumbs. You can use any type of breadcrumbs for this recipe.

• Milk. If you are avoiding dairy, you can replace the milk with water.

• Parsley & Thyme. Fresh parsley and thyme are preferred, but you can also use dried herbs here.

• Spices. You will need salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.

• Butter.

• Onions. White onions work best but you can also use yellow onions.

• Brown Sugar. If you do not have brown sugar, granulated sugar or honey can be used. This can also be omitted entirely, it just helps the onions to caramelize more quickly.

• White Wine. You will want a dry white wine such as sauvignon blanc or chardonnay.

• Beef Stock.

• Heavy Cream.

• Gruyere Cheese. You can also use Emmental, Fontina, Raclette, Beaufort, or Jarlsberg.

• Mozzarella Cheese.

How to Make French Onion Meatballs:

Step One: In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk. Leave the mixture to soak for about 5 minutes. Then, add the ground beef, parsley, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and gruyere cheese, mixing well. Finally, add in the beaten egg and stir until the mixture comes together. Be careful not to over-mix.

Step Two: With your hands, roll the mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Once all of the mixture has been made into meatballs, place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to chill for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Step Three: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the olive oil until it begins to shimmer, about 2 to 3 minutes. Place about half of the meatballs into the skillet, browning them on all sides, about 5 to 8 minutes total. Remove the first set of meatballs from the skillet and brown the second set of meatballs. Once they’ve all browned, remove them from the skillet. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the meatballs for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until they are cooked through the center or to an internal temperature of 165° F (74° C).

Step Four: In the same skillet over medium heat, drain most of the leftover oil and remove any burnt/crispy bits. Then, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 4 to 6 minutes. Toss the onions with the brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they reduce in size and caramelize, about 20 to 25 minutes. They should be a deep caramel color and thick like jam.

Step Five: Once the onions have caramelized, stir in the garlic, parsley, and thyme. Then stir in the wine to deglaze the pan, whisking everything around for about a minute. Sprinkle the flour over the onions, stirring to coat well. Slowly pour in the beef stock, stirring as you pour, to help the mixture thicken quickly. Continue to stir until the sauce becomes thick and smooth, about 3 minutes, and continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes. Once thickened, stir in the heavy cream and remove the skillet from heat.

Step Six: Add the meatballs back into the hot sauce, but do not stir. Top the meatballs with the shredded mozzarella cheese and Gruyere cheese and place the skillet in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and lightly browned.

Tips for Making Perfect Snickerdoodles:

• Weigh Your Ingredients. If there is one tip I could say for all of my baking recipes (and I often do!) is to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients. This will provide you with perfect cookies every single time.

• Use a Cookie Scoop. If you want perfectly uniform cookies, try using a cookie scoop! This will give you evenly sized cookies as well as keep them in a nice round shape.

• Watch Your Flour. For cookies that hold their shape but are still soft and chewy, you really need to watch your flour additions. Watch to see when the dough can hold its own shape and is no longer super sticky on your hands. It should still be soft, but not gooey!

Serving Suggestions:

These French Onion Meatballs are best served sprinkled with freshly minced parsley. They are delightful with a thick slice of crusty warm bread for dunking into the sauce or they can be made into sandwiches! Simply dunk the finished sandwich into the sauce and enjoy.

Try serving this dish alongside my Crusty Dutch Oven Spelt Bread or 3-Hour Baguettes.

If you are looking for the perfect pan to make your meatballs and sauce in, try my favorite Lodge Cast Iron 3.6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Pan.

Final Thoughts:

If you are looking for a quick and simple dinner recipe to make on these chilly winter evenings, definitely give these French Onion Meatballs a try. You will not be disappointed with their juicy texture and the incredibly rich sauce. It’s so delicious with a slice of crusty French bread!

xoxo Kayla

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Yield: 6

Author: Kayla Lobermeier

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French Onion Meatballs

Delicious meatballs paired with a creamy caramelized onion sauce is the perfect weeknight dinner with all of the familiar flavor of French onion soup!

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

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Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1/4 cup (30 g) breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) milk
• 1 lb (454 g) ground beef
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup (36 g) Gruyere cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 4 tbsp (60 ml) olive oil

French Onion Sauce

• 6 tbsp (85 g) salted butter
• 2 large white onions, halved and sliced
• 3 tbsp (41 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) dry white wine
• 2 tbsp (28 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) beef stock
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
• 1 cup (227 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Fresh parsley, for serving

Instructions

To make the Meatballs:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (177° C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set this aside for now.
2. In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk. Leave the mixture to soak for about 5 minutes. Then, add the ground beef, parsley, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and gruyere cheese, mixing well. Finally, add in the beaten egg and stir until the mixture comes together. Be careful not to over-mix.
3. With your hands, roll the mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Once all of the mixture has been made into meatballs, place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to chill for about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the olive oil until it begins to shimmer, about 2 to 3 minutes. Place about half of the meatballs into the skillet, browning them on all sides, about 5 to 8 minutes total. Remove the first set of meatballs from the skillet and brown the second set of meatballs. Once they’ve all browned, remove them from the skillet. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the meatballs for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until they are cooked through the center or to an internal temperature of 165° F (74° C).

To make the French Onion Sauce:

1. In the same skillet over medium heat, drain most of the leftover oil and remove any burnt/crispy bits. Then, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 4 to 6 minutes. Toss the onions with the brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they reduce in size and caramelize, about 20 to 25 minutes. They should be a deep caramel color and thick like jam.
2. Once the onions have caramelized, stir in the garlic, parsley, and thyme. Then stir in the wine to deglaze the pan, whisking everything around for about a minute. Sprinkle the flour over the onions, stirring to coat well. Slowly pour in the beef stock, stirring as you pour, to help the mixture thicken quickly. Continue to stir until the sauce becomes thick and smooth, about 3 minutes, and continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes. Once thickened, stir in the heavy cream and remove the skillet from heat.
3. Add the meatballs back into the hot sauce, but do not stir. Top the meatballs with the shredded mozzarella cheese and place the skillet in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and lightly browned.
4. Serve the meatballs sprinkled with freshly minced parsley. These meatballs are wonderful served with a slice of crusty warm bread for dunking into the sauce or to make into sandwiches!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

607

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