Meatballs and gravy

 

Meatball Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 ½ lbs. Ground Beef, 85% lean
• ½ Yellow Onion, finely diced
• ¼ cup Breadcrumbs, Plain or Italian
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 large Egg
• 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Yellow Mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ¼ teaspoon Pepper
• 2 teaspoons Fresh Parsley, roughly chopped

Gravy

• 1 medium Yellow Onion, sliced into ½ inch strings
• 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 1 cup Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Beef Broth
• 1 Beef Bouillon Cube
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
• ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 2-3 drops  browning and seasoning sauce, 
• 1/4 cup cold water + 3 tablespoons Corn Starch

Instructions

• MyTip: Refrigerate the meatballs for 15 minutes after rolling them to help them stay together during cooking.

Brown the Meatballs

• Set olive oil aside and gently mix remaining meatball ingredients in a large bowl until just combined, don’t overmix or the meat will become tough. Roll into 11/2 inch meatballs.
• Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brown 5-6 meatballs at a time for about 2 minutes on each side. (Leave extra room around each so that you can easily roll them over to cook on the reverse side.) Remove and set aside on a plate. Repeat for all meatballs.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add any oil/drippings from the meatball plate back to the pan and melt a Tablespoon of butter. Add the sliced onions and let them soften and even caramelize a bit, about 15 minutes. Stir often.

Prepare the Gravy

• Add the chicken broth, beef broth, beef bouillon, onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet. Stir to combine. 
• Use a silicone spatula to work any brown bits on the bottom of the pan into the sauce. If a darker color is desired, add 2-3 drops of the browning and seasoning sauce.
• Combine the cold water and corn starch in a small bowl with a lid. Shake to combine.
• Bring gravy to a boil. Slowly whisk in cornstarch mixture until desired thickness is obtained. Decrease to medium low. Continue to whisk to ensure that it blends in smoothly. If it gets too thick add a little bit of water.

For the Meatballs

• Add the meatballs back to the skillet and heat for about 10 minutes to allow the meatballs to finish cooking through. Garnish with parsley and serve over mashed potatoes. Which is my favorite 😍 

Notes

My Tips:

• Don't overwork the meat when you mix it, it will make the meatballs tough instead of nice and tender. I roll them loosely.
• Refrigerate the meatballs for 15 minutes after rolling them to help them stay together during cooking. This works for me.
• Searing the meatballs creates a nice color and texture around the outside of the meatball, but do what works best for you.
• Don't overcrowd the pan when  you brown the meatballs, browning in batches makes it easy to rotate them so that they can brown on all sides.
• I made 12 meatballs 
• A nonstick skillet will help keep the meatballs from sticking to the pan and makes it easier to keep them intact when you flip them.