French Onion Meatballs For The Weekend!

Here’s how we’re going to handle the weekend: by making french onion meatballs immediately!

Hi. It’s me again. Back with another french onion recipe.

I KNOW.

I’m sorry? I realize I’ve tried to french onion the entire world this this year but I just can’t help it. I mean, this HAS to be the last recipe, right? There can be no more french onion-ing of any things in this house. 

Unless… never mind.

Just this year alone I’ve done french onion sweet potatoes and french onion lasagna roll ups and french onion soup. But I also have a french onion grilled cheese and french onion dip and french onion deviled eggs!

I think I have a french onion problem. But it’s a good problem to have? 

P.S. you can find me making these on instagram today!

So, as usual, anything french onion-ish is going to take a little bit of time because you have to caramelize those onions! It’s the key to all the flavor. Once that part is done though, these aren’t too difficult to make. 

And bonus, you can make the onions ahead of time. Heck, you can make the meatballs ahead of time!

Also! You can use ground turkey or chicken for this recipe. You could even use ground beef, but I find that turkey or chicken makes the meatballs taste best – they really allow the flavor to shine. 

After you decide on that, we deal with all the other additions. Basically whatever goes in that soup is going into our meatballs!

Gruyere! Parmesan! Thyme! Breadcrumbs!

Delicious things like that and of course, the onions too. 

Enter all the exclamation points.

It is nearly impossible to not eat these all out of the pan. You brown the meatballs, then throw a little stock into the pan and bake with some cheese. These practically melt in your mouth. They are divine.

Now what to serve these with!

Um, can we still be friends once I tell you that I placed mine on top of a piece of toasted sourdough? It was basically the best decision in quarantine (aside from this banana cake) and I essentially made a meatball MELT. Love it.

Another option is to serve these just like this, out of the skillet, with some roasted vegetables or your favorite side. They are SO good on their own. They have enough flavor and they are juicy enough too! 

Of course, you could throw them in with some pasta too, whether you do buttered noodles or marinara or whatever! Because the meatballs are so ridiculously flavorful, they don’t need much! They can carry an entire meal, trust me. 

HELLO.

Okay so now that I’ve convinced you to stand over the stove and caramelize onions AGAIN, dinner should be great this weekend! xo

French Onion Meatballs

French Onion Meatballs

Yield: 16 meatballs

Prep Time: 1 hr

Cook Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins

These french onion meatballs are super delicious! All the flavors of french onion soup made into juicy meatballs. Cheesy, saucy goodness!

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 pound lean ground turkey or chicken, I like 94%
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup finely grated gruyere cheese, plus extra for topping
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, for browning the meatballs
• 1 ½ cups chicken or beef stock
• 1 teaspoon flour

Instructions 

• Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the onions with a big pinch of salt. .Cook, stirring often, until the onions caramelize, about 30 to 40 minutes. Once the onions are golden and caramelly, transfer them to a plate. (Note: if you’re really in a rush, you can add 1 teaspoon of sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc to speed along the caramelization process. Be sure to stir often and check on the progress!)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take half of the cooled caramelized onions and chop them up a bit - just so they easily mix into the meatballs.
• In a bowl, stir together the turkey, garlic, ½ cup gruyere, all the parmesan, the breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Add in the chopped caramelized onions. Mix until the meatballs are just combined - do not over mix!
• Use your hands to form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs. It helps if you wet your hands with water before rolling. It’s okay if the meatballs are not perfect rounds!
• Heat the same skillet over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the meatballs in a single layer and brown them on all sides - let them cook for 1 to 2 minutes, before flipping.
• Once the meatballs are completely browned, fill a shaker cup or water bottle with the stock and flour. Shake it for 30 seconds. Pour the mixture into the skillet with the meatballs. Add in the remaining caramelized onions. Top the meatballs with the remaining gruyere cheese.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through (you want the internal temp to read 165 degrees F). Serve immediately! I love serving these on sourdough bread, like a meatball melt!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: How Sweet Eats

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This is mind blowing comfort food!