Recipe: My Grandmother’s Meatballs.

My Grandmother's Meatball recipe

The photo above looks a little gross, which is why (amongst many other reasons) I am not a food blogger!!! That being said, while I am a terrible food photographer/stylist, this is a GREAT recipe and one I frequently turn to when I am sad or things aren’t great. And so please don’t judge the gross photo, but make these meatballs. You will LOVE them, I promise.

It’s good comfort food – partially because it reminds me of my childhood (my mom would make these for us growing up; my favorite way to eat them was over egg noodles) and partially because they are just really good!

My Grandmother’s Meatball Recipe!

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs:

  • 3/4 lb. ground beef
  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 small onion, minced
    • (If you hate chopping onions you  could use one of these little food processors if you have one – I don’t have a lot of counter space but this little guy is great for chopping onions etc)!)
  • 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup evaporated milk OR light cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Sauce:

  • 4 cups beef broth (my mom likes the Pacific brand)
  • 4 tablespoons flour

Directions:

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet (you may need two, depending on the size!)
  • Mix everything together! I take off any rings or jewelry and just mix it up with my hands.
  • Roll into 1 teaspoon size balls and brown in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

To make the sauce….

Whisk the flour into the beef broth over medium heat until it thickens. Divide the mixture in half. Freeze half of the sauce (about 1.5 cups) to use another time. Put the meatballs in the remainder of the sauce, don’t cover, and simmer on low. (If you cover them, they’ll get mushy!)

Serving ideas!

Growing up we’d always have the meatballs and sauce over egg noodles or rice. This is a very reassuring, good comfort meal!  At home I’ll often snack on these cold… I like to dip them in ranch dressing (I know that sounds weird but it’s so good!) A yummy snack is to cut up some veggies, take 3 or 4 meatballs, and eat them with dip/d dressing.

Also, I’ve had allergies last week and was very stuffed up. I have found that heating four or 5 meatballs in a cup of vegetable broth is quite delicious… it certainly isn’t fancy but it’s comforting and an easy “soup” to make.

ENJOY my grandmother’s meatball recipe! xoxo

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15 Comments

  1. Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog:

    Mmm, looks like a great recipe! Thanks for sharing! ❤️✨

    Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog

    4.1.20 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Thanks Charmaine!

      4.1.20 Reply
  2. Lisa Autumn:

    I love all of your recipes! Can’t wait to try this one x

    Lisa | lisaautumn.com

    4.1.20 Reply
  3. Jessie:

    Love a good meatball! Thanks for sharing.

    (p.s. – where are your slippers from? looks so cozy)

    xoxo

    4.1.20 Reply
  4. Carly:

    Yum! How long do you simmer them for in the sauce? Can’t wait to try!

    4.1.20 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      I’d say maybe 5 minutes? You don’t want to overcook them!

      4.1.20 Reply
  5. Abby:

    These look delicious and look to be a perfect quarantine meal or snack!

    4.1.20 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      They are the best! Going to need to do another batch this weekend I think 🙂

      4.3.20 Reply
  6. Chelsea:

    Thank you so much for sharing! I never cook at home but lately I’ve been trying to with everything going on!

    xx Chelsea
    http://www.organizedmessblog.com

    4.1.20 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Hope you make it – one of my favs!!!

      4.3.20 Reply
  7. TURNER:

    I love to make meatballs and your sauce idea looks like a delicious addition so I’m definitely going to try that next time!

    4.2.20 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      It’s so good! Enjoy!!!

      4.3.20 Reply
  8. Victoria:

    This reminds me of beef stroganoff my grandma and I used to make together when I was a kid (also clutch on egg noodles!). Yum!

    Another onion pro tip specifically for meatballs, especially if you can’t mince them finely — grating them on a box grater helps them integrate/cook into the meat more quickly and preserve the texture of the ground meat (versus the slight crunch of onion pieces). Depending on the recipe and how they are being cooked, you can use a paper towel or kitchen towel to squeeze out excess liquid from them if needed, but I usually leave it!

    4.2.20 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Oh that’s so smart! Thanks V! So smart.

      4.3.20 Reply