Juicy tender beef meatballs are first pan-fried for deliciously crispy exterior and then smothered in hearty mushroom gravy! Plus, learn how to make ton of meatballs for your freezer, step by step.
Meatballs are amazing! They’re so versatile, convenient, and, most importantly, they’re mighty tasty. Plus, they are perfect to make ahead! Don’t you agree?
Homemade meatballs are so much better than store-bought ones too, because:
- You know exactly what goes in them. ✔️
- You can customize it to your taste. ✔️
- You can shape them into whatever size you want to. ✔️
- And probably it’ll cost you way less! ✔️
See? So many reasons to make bunch of meatballs for your freezer, and I’ll show you exactly how to freeze meatballs in just a bit. But first, imagine all the delicious comfort meals you can make with them! Spaghetti and meatballs, meatball subs, meatball soup, and many, many more.
When I was expecting my little one, I made sure to make a whole bunch of meatballs to freeze. It takes practically no time and effort to whip up a huge batch of meatballs.
I love using Panko, light and crispy japanese breadcrumbs, for juicy tender meatballs. And for perfectly uniform meatballs, I use this medium cookie scoop to shape the meatballs. Seriously, these were the easiest and fastest freezer meal I prepared during my pregnancy. And I’m telling ya, it paid off big time!
How to freeze meatballs?
I arrange them on baking sheets, lined with parchment paper, and freeze them just like that first. Then I divide them into small portions and vacuum seal for longer storage. That way meatballs won’t get freezer burn, and will store well for a long time.
Out of many easy meatball recipes, these meatballs in mushroom gravy were my favorite!
There is no better comfort food than a simple meat n’ potato, right? And this hearty meal hits the spot just right when you’re craving some comfort food.
It’s super simple to make, yet yields amazing flavors, all in just one skillet!
Serve it over fluffy mashed potatoes for a winning combination! Now does it look good or what?
Hope you’ll give this beef meatball recipe a try and add it in your menu rotation!
Tell me what’s your favorite meatball dish?
Beef Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients
For meatballs:
- ½ cups (30g) Panko breadcrumbs Note 1
- ¼ cup (60ml) milk
- 1 lbs (500g) ground beef Note 2
- 2-3 garlic cloves pressed
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
For mushroom gravy:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 oz (170g) mushrooms sliced, Note 3
- 2 garlic cloves pressed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (700ml) beef stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley if desired
- Mashed potatoes for serving
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 soaked Panko, beef, garlic, eggs, 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 plate.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter and stir in the flour. Cook the flour mixture for at least 2 minutes, whisking constantly. (That’s how we make roux 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 to thin it out.
- Salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add chopped parsley before serving. Serve over mashed potatoes for a complete meal.
Tips & Notes:
- Smothered meatballs in brown gravy will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store in an airtight container in the back of the fridge.
- Meatball gravy freezes well too! Transfer any leftover meatballs and gravy into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the meatballs in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat on the stovetop in a large skillet over medium heat until hot and bubbly. Note 1: Plain or Italian style breadcrumbs work too. Note 2: I recommend ground chuck. It's the perfect ratio of fat-to-meat for juicy and tender meatballs. Note 3: Feel free to use any variety you like. White button, cremini, and swiss browns are great options!
Nutrition Facts:
Sheela says
This is so yummy! Made it last night for my picky family and they loved it! I was worried it would be too salty with the broth I was using but it was just right with the mashed potatoes and green beans I served. Thank you!!!
Shinee says
Yay, so happy it turned out perfect!! Thank you for your feedback, Sheela!
Mark says
I made the gravy this evening but used another meatballs recipe. for meatballs I used half ground beef and half ground pork but I used Thyme as a spice and cut 3 slices of bread as breadcrumbs in the mix. The moisture of the meatballs was unbelievable. This sauce, though, was perfect. The color of the sauce was amazing with the mushrooms on the meatballs and mashed potatoes. The taste of the gravy was fantastic. Really recommend this gravy.
Jamie says
This sounds amazing. Are you able to freeze the gravy as well????
Shinee says
Hi, Jamie. I actually never tried freezing with the gravy. But I don’t see why you couldn’t.
Emily says
This is a great recipe! Thank you for sharing. I love having pre-made, precooked meatballs ready to go in my freezer!
Svenja Mason says
I made this recipe yesterday and it was very well received. It’s quick, easy and very lovely. Thank you very much!
Shinee says
Thank you so much for your feedback, Svenja!
Rosann Marquardt says
This evening I had meatballs in mushroom sauce in mind for dinner. I was so excited when your site was the first one to come up. Need less to say, I had to give it a try and was not disappointed. I read all the reviews and saw the one that served it with wild rice. I love wild rice by my husband is not a big fan. Not to worry the meatballs in mushroom sauce was a big hit. Thank you so much for a winning recipe to keep in my rotation. Next time, I will try it with mashed potatoes. Keep those recipes coming, they’re the best.
Love and Hugs to you and your family!
Shinee says
Oh so glad you guys loved this recipe, aunt Rosann! And wild rice sounds great for a side dish!
Patricia Abels says
Wonderful recipe. My gravy was too thin with 3 Tbsp. Of flour. I just added 2 more with some water. Divine. I used 1 can of beef consommé and 2 beef bouillon cubes. It was all I had on hand.
Shinee says
Patricia, thank you so much for sharing your notes. So happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for leaving your feedback!
Alex says
This recipe is also great over wild rice! 🙂
Shinee says
Ah, wild rice sounds real good! I made of these meatballs over the weekend, and have some leftovers. I’ll cook some wild rice for it. Thanks for sharing, Alex!