Meatball Stroganoff

Creamy casserole dish of beef stroganoff made with meatballs with herbs on top.

5 from 1 vote

A terrific twist on classic beef stroganoff made with beef meatballs in a rich, creamy sauce with onions, mushroom, and creme fraiche instead of sour cream. Makes 30 meatballs for 5 servings or 4 larger appetites. Serve over wide pasta noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, or without. Make the meatballs ahead of time. The meatballs take 45 minutes and the sauce about 45 minutes.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: (6 meatballs each)

Calories: 265kcal

Author: Sally Cameron

Equipment

Rimmed baking sheet half sheet size
Parchment paper
12" saute pan or fry pan
Whisk

Ingredients

Beef meatballs

6 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs gluten-free or wheat
6 tablespoons milk
1 large egg
2 large garlic cloves zested or finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
¾ cup onion, very finely chopped ½ a medium onion
1 pound lean ground beef 93/7 or 90/10 lean to fat

Stroganoff sauce

1 pound white mushrooms or cremini
4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided use
1 cup chopped onion ½ a medium
2 tablespoons brandy, cognac, or dry white wine optional
3 tablespoons flour GF blend or all purpose
2 cups low sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon or thyme or ⅓ to ½ amount dried
1 tablespoon worcestershire GF if needed
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or white pepper
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
7-8 ounces creme fraiche

Instructions

Get ready

Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Line a half sheet baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make the Meatballs (can be made ahead)

Combine the breadcrumbs, milk, egg, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and mix well. Allow to stand for about 5 minutes for breadcrumbs to hydrate.
Add salt, cheese, herbs, and onion and mix well. Add the ground beef and gently mix with your hands. Disposable kitchen gloves are helpful. Mix completely until ingredients are well distributed but don't overwork the meat.

Portion meatballs

With either a #40 disher (aka cookie scoop) or a tablespoon, portion meatballs onto the baking pan. They should be bite sized or the size of a small golf ball. You should get approximately 30 meatballs.

Bake meatballs

Bake meatballs for 16-17 minutes until they reach 165°F internally measured with a digital thermometer. Remove pan from the oven.
If serving immediately keep warm while you make the sauce. Alternatively cool and refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months, labeled and dated. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator to use.

Clean the mushrooms (start sauce)

Using a paring knife, trim the stems of the mushrooms flush with the base and discard stems. Cup 2-3 mushrooms in your hands and rinse them quickly under a trickle of cold water. Dry on paper towels.

Make the sauce

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a 12" saute pan or fry pan, add the chopped onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until the moisture is released and almost gone, 8-10 minutes. Add brandy if using, and cook until almost gone. Pour the onions and mushrooms into a bowl and set aside near the stove until needed.
Add the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter to the pan and melt over medium low heat, add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
Slowly add broth to the pan, whisking to create a smooth sauce. Cook and whisk until the sauce is thickened, 8-10 minutes. Whisk in the Dijon and tomato paste until smooth, then stir in the tarragon, worcestershire, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until smooth. Stir in the onions and mushrooms. Lastly, add the creme fraiche and stir.

To serve

To serve, add the meatballs to the pan and heat through until meatballs are hot. Serve over noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
At this point you can cool the stroganoff and place in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 days before re-heating and serving.

Notes

Substitutions

Substitute ½-3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder for the fresh garlic.
Swap dried herbs for fresh at half the amount.
For gluten-free flour blend I use King Arthur.
If using spirits and you don't keep it on hand, buy an airline size bottle at a liquor store.
If using white wine, get the mini, airline sized bottles at the grocery store.

Freezing meatballs

After meatballs are completely cooled, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 2-4 hours before transferring them to a container or bag. This ensures they’re individually frozen and don’t stick together.

If using frozen cooked meatballs, thaw them first before adding to the sauce.

Freezing sauce

This is not a dish that freezes finished well because freezing disrupts the emulsion of the dairy and it may become grainy. If you want to freeze it, leave out the crème fraîche and stir it in after reheating the thawed sauce. Add the thawed meatballs and heat through until hot.

Meatballs nutrition (per 6 meatballs)

For the nutrition calculation I've separated out the meatballs because they are good with other sauces. It's a great basic beef meatball recipe.

Serving: 6 meatballs provides 265 kcals, 24 g protein, 13g fat, 13g carbs, 1g fiber.

Nutrition