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Monday, November 05, 2012

Savory Meatballs in Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup Sauce

If you're craving tender, savory meatballs simmered in a from-scratch, creamy mushroom gravy, you've come to the right place. My simple recipe shows you how to create a cream of mushroom soup style of sauce that is completely homemade (no canned soup here), yet is easy and uncomplicated. I've, also, included the recipe for my favorite meatballs. Paired together, you've got a dinner dish that I'm sure you'll want to make again and again ... and one that will make your family want to lick their plates clean.


This is really a two-for-one recipe post.  First, you'll find the meatball recipe with the cream of mushroom soup recipe to follow.  The meatballs can be made on their own and used in any recipe ... as can the soup!

I am in love with this homemade mushroom soup.  It is seriously beyond amazing and way better than the canned stuff.  It is ultra-luxurious and has a deep, rich flavor.  It can be eaten by itself just as a simple, comforting soup, but it really is a show-stopper matched up with meatballs and served over fluffy egg noodles.

You'll find instructions below, too, for making the meatballs in advance and freezing.  (Major time-saver for those busy weeknights.)


Meatball Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 large onion, grated into meatball mixture
3/4 cup breadcrumbs or finely-crushed crackers (made into crumbs)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 green onions, chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Meatball Directions:

Place the ground beef in a large mixing bowl.  Whisk the egg and add it to the ground beef.  Add in the rest of the ingredients (except olive oil). 

 
Combine ingredients until everything just comes together and is evenly distributed throughout.  (I "wear" a plastic sandwich bag over my hand to combine. Then, just remove and toss!)

Wet hands with water, then roll meat mixture into balls (roughly golf ball size) for a total yield of 12 - 14 meatballs.

 
NOTE: At this point, you could lay meatballs out individually onto a baking sheet tray and place tray in freezer if you'd like to make these ahead of time to keep on hand for future use. When they are completely frozen, toss meatballs into a large freezer bag, let the air out, seal, label and freeze until a few hours before using (or thaw in fridge the night before cooking).

Brown meatballs on all sides in large sauté pan over medium-high heat in a little olive oil. You may have to do this in batches so you don't "crowd" the pan. (You're not looking to completely cook the meatballs at this point ... just sear well.)

Once all of the meatballs are browned, remove from pan and set them aside.  Now is when you'll start the mushroom soup.

Mushroom Soup Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
8 oz. package of whole button mushrooms, wiped clean and roughly chopped
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup beef broth or stock
1 1/2 - 2 cups whole milk
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mushroom Soup Directions:

Using the same pan used to sear meatballs, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Sauté the mushrooms for about five minutes.  Stir occasionally during cooking time.  (You're not looking to brown or crisp up the mushrooms.)

Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms, stir to coat and cook for 3 - 4 minutes.  Give the mushrooms a stir every now and then as you're cooking off the raw flour taste.

Add broth slowly and stir continuously until all is incorporated.

Stir in milk ... start with 1 1/2 cups and add a little at a time of the other 1/2 cup, if needed. Season with salt and pepper.

To Finish the Recipe:

Once the mushroom soup is made, drop meatballs back into the pan, cover and gently simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.  Stir off and on to make sure that the sauce doesn't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. If at any time the sauce becomes too thick, add in a few splashes of milk and gently stir to combine it into the sauce.

Test a meatball for doneness.

Serve over cooked egg noodles or prepared mashed potatoes. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves or parsley, if desired.


 
 
04/07/16: Update photos and made clarifications within the recipe.
 


19 comments:

  1. This recipe looks so good. I can't wait to try it. My family will love it.

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    1. Hi, Cindy! We loved this recipe, too! The soup is so easy to make and blew the canned version out of the water! Thanks for visiting and let us know if you try it! :)

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    2. My husband loved this recipe; he said "you can make these meatballs & sauce any day of the week"! Love the homemade mushroom sauce. Perfect for just mushroom soup for lunch!!!

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    3. That's awesome, Maria. It's always great when the hubby is happy! ;)

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    4. Made mushroom soup n served it over noodles n breaded cube steaks. Two thumbs up

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  2. I love saucy noodles, epecially mushroom sauce and meat........ I will definitely give it a try!!!!!!!!!:)

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  3. How do I use this with pre cooked meatballs I bought from my Italian friend?

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    1. I have never tired this with pre-cooked meatballs. Perhaps you could make the sauce as directed, then heat up the meatballs in the sauce. That would be my suggestion. :)

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  4. sounded so good, so I made it tonight. Wow! fantastic. this will be a regular..I put it in my "keepers" folder. Oh, and I will NEVER use canned mushroom soup again. Looking forward to your other recipes this week. Bought the wonton wrappers for the lasagna cupcakes.

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    1. Awesome, Roni! I'm so thrilled that you liked the recipe. And, glad you enjoyed the mushroom soup! Thank you for stopping back by to leave your feedback! :)

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  5. WOW! I am so glad I came across your recipe today. I had some Aidells Caramelized Onion Chicken Meatballs I didn't know what to do with. I made your mushroom soup (which is to die for) I will NEVER and I mean NEVER buy a can of Cream of Mushroom soup again. Added the meatballs which are pre-cooked and served over wide noodles. It was excellent. The only change I made was using Chicken broth. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.

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    1. That's awesome, Mary! That soup IS pretty scrumptious, isn't it! So glad you enjoyed it! :)

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  6. Looks good!! How many servings does it make? I need enough for about 15 ppl. How much should I times the original recipe by?

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    1. This recipe as written is perfect for about four adults (served as a meal with egg noodles or mashed potatoes) ... yielding around 12 - 14 meatballs. So, I would estimate that you should quadruple at the minimum - I think it would depend on how many kids versus adults you'll be serving. If it's mostly adults, I would even times the recipe by five! That would give you 60 - 70 meatballs and would allow each to have 4 - 5 meatballs. Will this be the main course or are the meatballs being served as party food/appetizers along with lots of other things? I would take that into consideration, too. If there will be lots of types of food laid out, you might not need quite as many as compared to this being the main course and served with noodles in a sit-down meal setting. (I often make just the meatballs cooked in my slow cooker with the sauce for parties.) You can choose to make the meatballs smaller if you want to "stretch" the amount of meaballs a bit ...

      Hope that helps. Thanks for your question and I hope you enjoy the recipe!

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  7. Delicious...even my 4 very picky kids were asking for seconds! Thank you for a great recipe.

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  8. can this recipe be made in a slow cooker

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    1. I have not tried it in a slow cooker. I wouldn't know where to begin giving you accurate instructions without testing it first.

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  9. Used the mushroom soup as a base for a turkey casserole, with butternut squash, green beans, peas and of course turkey, topped with boxed turkey stuffing for pot luck, will let you know how it went over😊

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