Stroganoff Meatballs

I've said it before and no doubt I'll say it again - the thing about everyday blogging is we don't get to repeat our favorites very often. It's really kind of dumb in a way because JBug's Kitchen is all about "everyday food" or at least that's my excuse for this particular repetition. 

This recipe is from the Ladies of the Best of Bridge series of cookbooks and it's been in my repertoire for many moons. It's one of Big Guy's absolute favorites and guaranteed to elicit moans, groans and limited dinner conversation so if you'd relish silence while chowing down, this will do the trick nicely. 

While the meatballs are keepers - in fact I made 2 pounds worth of 'em and froze half for later on because they'll take to almost any flavored sauce, sandwich or soup, the real pièce de résistance is the sauce.

Finely chopped onion sauteed until carmelized and jazzed up with ketchup, sherry, and worcestershire sauce, the liquid is a can of beef consomme or even French onion soup courtesy of Campbell's and Company. Thickened with a touch of flour and tarted up with sour cream, it's a perfect foil for the juicy meatballs and darn near addictive topping plain old egg noodles. 

If you're not into making meatballs, you could really just throw the whole shebang together by browning the meat, adding onion, parsley and cooked egg noodles and call it a casserole, but honestly the meatballs are hardly any effort at all. I roll and bake 'em in the oven for 25 minutes and they just kinda' cook themselves.  

Stroganoff Meatballs (adapted from Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks, The Best of the Best)

1 lbs lean ground beef

3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 tablespoons milk

¼ cup onion, minced

1 eggs beaten

Salt & pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Combine ingredients together and form into balls (approx. 1”). Place on edged cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray, then bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Sauce:

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 – 10 oz. cans beef consommé or French onion soup, undiluted

2 Tablespoons sherry (optional)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Wide Egg Noodles cooked per package directions 

Caramelize onion in butter (about 10 minutes on medium low heat). Add flour and mix well. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add consommé and cook, stirring well until thickened. Add ketchup, sherry, and Worcestershire sauce. Lower heat, add sour cream and stir to combine. Add meatballs reheat gently over low heat. (Watch your heat or the sauce will curdle.)  Serve over egg noodles. Makes 4 servings.

A year ago - Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs with Veggies

Two year's ago - Butternut Squash Galette

Comments

[Lea]

I love meatballs because of the golden brown crust they have all around them that you just don't get if you cook the meat all loose! And - you are right - it really doesn't take much of an effort! I would make the sauce with out the ketchup - of course - but I bet it would not suffer without the omission just for us! Tasty and delicious - yum! I can see why it is a favorite!

[June]

Lea - the ketchup's really for added color and I doubt it would be missed. This would be a great football day treat too with the meatballs made in miniature...or not! LOL

[Lorraine]

I am for anything with egg noodles but this looks absolutely yummy. I don't know if I would say the sherry is optional...I think sherry takes a sauce over the top.

[June]

It is pdg (pretty darn good) and I agree with you re the sherry. I just don't want people to think they can't make the dish without it.