Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

bonnie's meatballs and gravy

(4 ratings)
Recipe by
BonniE !
Cottonwood, CA

These meatballs are one of my Dad's favorite meals. He calls them... "Those little meatballs". This dish is very versatile. You can serve it in a well of mashed potatoes like my photo, or you can serve it over rice or egg noodles. Comfort food at its best! You can also make these up ahead of time, put them in a crockpot to keep warm for the party. These are excellent as open-face style meatball sandwiches the next day. Enjoy! The Photo is my own. Adapted from a recipe by Marie.

(4 ratings)
yield 4 serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 25 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For bonnie's meatballs and gravy

  • MEATBALLS:
  • 1
    pound extra lean ground beef
  • 1
    slice thick french bread, soaked in milk, squeezed dry.
  • 1
    small onion, grated
  • 2
    teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1
    egg, slightly beaten
  • 1/2
    teaspoon salt
  • 1/4
    teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4
    teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • canola oil for frying
  • GRAVY:
  • fresh grated zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4
    teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2
    tablespoons drippings
  • 2
    tablespoons flour
  • 8
    ounces beef broth
  • 8
    ounces milk (i use 2%)
  • 1
    tablespoon creamed horseradish
  • 1/4
    teaspoon kitchen bouquet browning sauce (don't skip this!)

How To Make bonnie's meatballs and gravy

  • 1
    Using a large mixing bowl, add 1/4 cup of milk to it and place a slice of bread in it, soak it up, then squeeze the milk out. Discard any remaining milk. Add the egg and beat slightly with a fork. Add the ground beef and the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
  • 2
    Shape the mixture with your hands into walnut sized meat balls. (wet your hands if you need to) Heat some Canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs and brown them all over. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Cover loosely with foil to keep them warm. Brown the meatballs in batches, don't crowd them in the pan. They should be a nice golden brown. After you have fried all the meatballs, measure out 2 tablespoons of grease, discard the rest, leaving the brown bits in the pan. Add the 2 tablespoons of grease back to the pan and make the gravy. Over medium heat, whisk the flour into the grease, let it cook one minute, then add the beef broth, milk, lemon zest, thyme, creamed horseradish and kitchen bouquet. Cook the gravy until it thickens. It will be sort of white. Add more salt if needed.
  • 3
    Place the meatballs into a shallow casserole dish. Pour the gravy over the top of the meatballs, Bake uncovered for 25 minutes in a 350 degree, pre-heated oven until bubbling and the gravy turns brown. Serve hot and spooned over mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or steamed white rice. This is delicious! Enjoy!
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