Description
French Onion Meatballs are a comforting and flavorful dish featuring juicy beef meatballs mixed with Italian seasonings and baked in a savory caramelized onion sauce topped with melted Swiss cheese. Perfect as a hearty main course, these meatballs pair wonderfully with mashed potatoes or garlic toast for a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 1.5 lb ground beef
- 3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 oz onion soup mix (1 package, divided in half)
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
Sauce and Topping
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup beef broth or water, divided
- 4 oz swiss cheese (sliced or shredded)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 375˚F to prepare for finishing the meatballs with cheese.
- Make Meatball Mixture: In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Italian bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, half of the onion soup mix (about 1 tbsp), worcestershire sauce, milk, and eggs. Mix well until just combined.
- Form Meatballs: Shape the mixture into 18 meatballs, each about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter.
- Sear Meatballs: Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Once hot, add the meatballs and sear on each side for 2 to 3 minutes until nicely browned. Remove meatballs and set aside.
- Cook Onions: Reduce heat to medium-low. Add butter and sliced onions to the skillet along with 1/4 cup beef broth and the remaining half of the onion soup mix. Cook onions for 8 to 12 minutes, stirring regularly, until they become translucent and caramelized. Add more broth if needed to maintain moisture.
- Return Meatballs and Add Cheese: Place the seared meatballs back into the skillet with onions. Pour in the remaining beef broth and top the meatballs with sliced or shredded Swiss cheese.
- Bake: Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 160˚F and the cheese is melted. Optionally broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end to brown the cheese more.
- Serve: Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve the meatballs hot, ideally over thick garlic toast or creamy mashed potatoes.
Notes
- This one-pan meal is packed with hearty flavor and comforting textures.
- You can substitute beef broth with water, but broth adds more richness to the caramelized onions.
- If you prefer, use a different cheese like Gruyere or provolone for variation.
- To keep onions from drying out while caramelizing, add small amounts of broth as necessary.
- Meatballs can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator before searing and baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs
- Calories: 551 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 983 mg
- Fat: 38 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17 g
- Trans Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 167 mg
