Panko soaked in milk is the secret to the most tender meatballs from scratch. Simmered in hearty gravy from scratch, this meatballs and gravy recipe will be highly requested dinner in no time!
Craving some comfort food, but short on time?
Well, you just hit a busy-weeknight-dinner-jackppot, because these meatballs and gravy are satisfying comfort meal that comes together in less than 1 hour!
And when you try this meal once, I know you’ll be adding it to your dinner rotation. Since I make these meatballs and gravy on a regular basis, I’ve got some clever time-saving tips for you, which will cut the dinner time by more than half!
Stick to your ribs comfort food from scratch!
Meal prep tips to save time making meatballs and gravy:
- Make a big batch of beef meatballs on a weekend, bake and freeze them. You only need like 1-2 hours to accomplish this task, and in return you’ll save 30+ minutes on a weeknight cooking. The most rewarding weekend meal prep task for sure!
- Sauté a bulk of mushrooms as well. You can do this while meatballs are baking. See how efficient?
- Now all you need to do is make the roux and the gravy, add meatballs and mushrooms, and cook until gravy is nice and thick and meatballs are warmed through.
What to serve these meatballs and gravy with?
The hearty mushroom gravy with meatballs are delicious over creamy mashed potatoes, or plain rice. And brown or wild rice are also great options too.
Meatballs and Gravy
Ingredients
For meatballs:
- ½ cup Panko Japanese breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 2-3 garlic cloves pressed
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For gravy:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 oz sliced mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves pressed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups beef stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley if desired
Instructions
- To make the meatballs, in a small bowl, combine Panko and milk. Set aside to soak for a minute.
- In a large bowl, mix together Panko mixture, beef, garlic, egg, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. With clean hands, mix the beef mixture until well combined.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, shape the meatballs and arrange them on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
- To make the gravy, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
- Arrange the meatballs in one layer and brown on all sides, turning each meatball using a kitchen tong. (Note: Meatballs don’t need to be cooked all the way, we’re just browning for now.) Remove onto a clean plate.
- Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the same skillet and add mushrooms along with garlic. Cook the mushrooms stirring frequently for about 3 minutes, or until they’re nice and brown. Remove onto a clean plate.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter and stir in the flour. Cook the flour mixture for at least 2 minutes, whisking constantly. (It’s called roux. We’re making it to thicken the gravy. If you don’t cook the roux long enough, you will taste raw flour in your gravy, so don’t rush this step.)
- Slowly pour in the stock and Worcestershire sauce and bring it to a boil, whisking frequently.
- Add browned meatballs and mushrooms and cook for additional 8-10 minutes. If the gravy thickens too much, add a little bit of water, or stock. Salt and pepper to taste.
- If desired, add chopped parsley before serving. Serve over mashed potatoes, or noodles, for a complete meal.
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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Reader's Reviews
We love meatballs around here and I am stuck in a habit of making this in a patty form, but I am going to do this AND make the big batch, Thank You!
Lately, I have really been into cooking things ahead that are still good after freezing, not everything is, but meatballs are perfect to make ahead : )
Meatballs are fantastic for making ahead and don’t lose flavor/texture after freezing. Let us know if you give it a try, Pamela.