Tender and flavorful meatballs braised in a classic style French onion sauce topped with melted and gooey cheeses that are broiled to perfection!
My wife happens to make a great version of a French classic. French onion soup. It is a wonderful stock of caramelized onions, butter and brandy cooked down and topped with cheese then served with crusty bread!
As food bloggers we are always trying to up the ante and develop new and interesting meals. Then an idea starts to form. Meatballs are so versatile and go well in so many dishes why not combine them with French onion soup?
And French Onion Meatballs were born!!!
Lets get started with the meatballs since initially we are going to bake these off a bit
Preheat your oven to 350 F
We are using 3 pounds of ground turkey. You can use whatever ground meat you prefer
Next up are our flavors and binders
We will need 1 cup of plain bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs (Japanese style bread crumbs), 2 eggs (whisked), 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic, 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley, 1/4 cup of grated parmesan, 1/8 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and a teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground black pepper
Don’t shy from the Dijon. The sauce is rich and the mustard flavor helps balance it
Add all of these ingredients to the turkey meat
Using your hands gently mix the ingredients together trying to not over work it as that can lead to tough meatballs
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a 1/3 cup measure start scooping out the meat onto the parchment
Once all the meat has been scooped out roll each one gently between the palms of your hands to form a smooth ball. This yielded 20 meatballs
Place the meatballs in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until firm and browned
Remove and set aside
While the meatballs are baking we can start on our French onion sauce
We will need 2 large onions coarsely chopped
We will also need 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground black pepper, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of brandy, 3 cups of beef stock and 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master
Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium heat
Once the butter has melted add the onions to the pan and sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black pepper
Next add in the brown sugar which will help caramelize the onions
What does it mean to caramelize food?
When food such as onions are added to heat and sprinkled with salt a natural process occurs when the sugars are pulled from the onions and the help in the browning process. This also adds a lot of flavor. By adding some brown sugar to the pan your just increasing the caramelization and adding even more depth of flavor
Mix the brown sugar in with the onions to combine. Lower the heat and cook stirring occasionally for 20 minutes allowing the onions to break down and brown and start to become translucent
Next we are going to add brandy to the pan and flambé to help even more with the caramelization and to add that authentic French taste to the sauce!
Why flambé the brandy?
Cooking with brandy or any other spirit for that matter is a means to add a deeper richer flavor to a dish. What you don’t want is and alcohol aftertaste. Flambé simple means to ignite foods. By flaming the brandy you will burn off the alcohol and leave behind the rich deep flavor of the liquor
Safety note!
If your going to do this step I recommend you remove the pan from the heat to a well ventilated are. Ignite the brandy and gently swirl the pan. This will allow the flame to get to all the alcohol When the flame dies down you have successfully flambéed
Next add in the 3 cups of beef stock and 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master
Click on our link below to make your own beef stock!
Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 10 minutes
After the 10 minute mark whisk together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon of water and whisk that into the onion sauce
Simmer until slightly thickened
Add the meatballs to the pan and toss to coat
Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the meatballs to take on some of that delicious sauce
Next up is the best part…the cheese!
I mean it wouldn’t be French onion without some great cheese right?
We are using a combination of 12 ounces of swiss, 4 ounces of cheddar and 4 ounces of mozzarella (for the gooeyness)
Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the meatballs
Place in your 350 F preheated over and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts and is bubbly
Set the oven to broil and and cook 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is nice and browned
Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve over pasta or if we want to stay French onion traditional serve it with a nice crusty baguette!!
Try some of our other favorite meatball recipes!
Turkey & Bacon Meatballs with Pesto
We love it when our readers make and share our recipes!
Post a pic on your social media and tag us
@ #simplysundayshomecooking
Enjoy!!!
French Onion Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 3 pounds ground turkey
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 2 eggs whisked
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/8 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the sauce
- 2 large onions chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 3 cups beef stock
- 1 tablespoon Gravy Master
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon water
To finish
- 12 ounces shredded swiss cheese
- 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
For the meatballs
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Add 3 pounds of ground turkey to a large mixing bowl. Then add in 1 cup of plain breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of Panko bread crumbs, 2 eggs whisked, 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic, 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley, 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 1/8 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- Using your hands gently mix all the ingredients together. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a 1/3 cup measure start scooping out the meat onto the parchment. Once all the meat has been scooped out roll each one gently between the palms of your hands to form a smooth ball. This yielded 20 meatballs. Place the meatballs in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until firm and browned. Remove and set aside
For the sauce
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the onions to the pan and sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Next add in the brown sugar which will help caramelize the onions. Mix the brown sugar in with the onions to combine. Lower the heat and cook stirring occasionally for 20 minutes allowing the onions to break down and brown and start to become translucent
- Add in the 2 tablespoons of brandy. Remove the pan from the heat and ignite the brandy. Swirl the pan until the fire goes out indicating the alcohol has cooked off. Next add in the 3 cups of beef stock and 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master. Bring to a Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 10 minutes . After the 10 minute mark whisk together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon of water and whisk that into the onion sauce. Simmer until slightly thickened
- Add the meatballs to the pan and toss to coat. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the meatballs to take on some of that delicious sauce
- Shred 12 ounces of swiss cheese, 4 ounces of cheddar cheese and 4 ounces of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the meatballs. Place in your 350 F preheated over and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts and is bubbly
- Set the oven to broil and and cook 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is nice and browned. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with a side of crusty baguette
Tools used to make this recipe
Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood
NuWave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop
Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper
Royal Classique 10 Piece Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set with Silicone Handles
Cooks Standard Multi-Ply Clad Stainless Steel Tagine and Extra Glass Lid, 4.5-Quart
Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece
ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch
© Simply Sundays 2021
All rights reserved
Oh. My. Gosh. 👀🍃