Soft, flavorful meatballs nestled in a bed of cozy onion goodness just like you’d find in a bowl of French Onion Soup. To make them even better, we’ve added a generous layer of Swiss and Mozzarella cheese on top, then baked them to perfection. It’s like turning your favorite soup into a hearty meal.
Introducing the Baked French Onion Meatballs – an incredibly lip smackingly, delicious culinary creation that pays homage to the classic French Onion Soup in a whole new way.
These succulent meatballs are combined with deep, rich caramelized onions, aromatic thyme, savory beef broth and topped with a gooey cheese topping. They have all the oniony flavor that French Onion soup is known for and with the addition of protein, they become a satisfying meal in their own right.
How to Make The Most Delicious French Onion Meatballs:
Step One – Bake Not Fry
- Now, before we start, let’s talk about meatballs. In many traditional recipes, you’d find instructions to fry them. Frying is great; it gives you that lovely crust and texture. But, it can also be a bit of a chore. It demands extra time, more attention, and, let’s not forget, a good amount of oil and a huge mess to clean up.
- We’re about to make things easier, and honestly, I think, more delicious too. Instead of frying, we’re going to bake our meatballs. That’s right – straight into the oven they go. You might wonder why we’d take this route. Well, here’s the beauty of it:
Step Two – Multi Tasking
- While those meatballs are baking to a perfect, juicy brown, we’re simultaneously cooking down a heap of onions. We’re talking about thinly sliced onions that slowly caramelize in a skillet, infused with salt, pepper, and thyme.
- The onions will take as much time to reduce down as the meatballs take to cook, maybe even a little bit more.
Step 3 – Thicken the Sauce
- By this stage the meatballs should be out of the oven and cooling on the baking sheet. Now it’s time to make the sauce.
- When the onions are at their peak of deliciousness, we introduce a touch of dry sherry and a sprinkle of flour. This creates a luscious base for our sauce. As the beef stock joins the party, the sauce thickens beautifully.
Step 4 – Putting it all together
- Finally! What we’ve all been waiting for. It’s time to nestle those succulent meatballs into the onions and top it with some Swiss and Mozzarella cheese. You can certainly use all Swiss or all mozzarella or any other kind of cheese – Gruyere goes fantastic too. Pop them back into the oven.
- What emerges is pure magic. The cheese becomes golden and bubbly, the sauce is hot and oh-so-satisfying, and those meatballs? They’re tender and infused with all the flavors of the caramelized onions and savory sauce. It’s like a French Onion Soup party in your mouth.
I can’t begin to tell you how good these meatballs are, but the finishing touch for me is in the bread. Grab a big ‘ole chunk of fresh bread – I like to toast it kind of like how the soup gets topped- and serve the meatballs on top.
OOOOhhhh man! This is truly EPIC! Enjoy friends!
BAKED FRENCH ONION MEATBALLS
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French Onion Baked Meatballs
Description
Tender, juicy meatballs that are bathed in a French onion sauce topped with cheese and baked until ooey gooey cheesy and utterly delicious!
Ingredients
For the Meatballs (Makes 18 large meatballs):
- 1 Cup Fresh Breadcrumbs
- ½ Cup Milk
- 1 ½ lbs. Ground beef
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Minced Onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
For the French Onion Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. Butter
- 2 Large Onions, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ÂĽ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- ÂĽ Cup Dry Sherry
- 2 Tbsp. Flour
- 2 Cups Beef Stock
For Assembly:
- Swiss cheese slices
- Mozzarella slices
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Prepare the Meatballs:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk. Let them soak for a few minutes until the breadcrumbs are softened.
- Add the ground beef, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, minced flakes, dried thyme, salt, and pepper to the breadcrumb mixture.
- Mix everything together until well combined.
- Form the Meatballs:
- Take about 2-3 tablespoons of the meat mixture and form it into a meatball. Repeat until you’ve made 18 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a greased baking dish.
- Bake the Meatballs:
- Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until they are cooked through and browned on the outside. Remove them from the oven and set them aside.
- Prepare the French Onion Sauce:
- As the meatballs are cooking, heat the olive oil and butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Add the thinly sliced onions, salt, pepper, and dried thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramelized and browned, about 15-20 minutes.
- Add the dry sherry to the skillet and cook for a few minutes until it reduces slightly.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to combine, cooking for another 2 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the beef stock, making sure there are no lumps. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Assemble the Meatballs:
- Place the baked meatballs into the same pan and carefully nestle them into the onions.
- Top with Swiss & Mozzarella cheese.
- Final Bake:
- Return the dish to the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly, and the sauce is hot and bubbly.
- Serve: Serve the French Onion Baked Meatballs with warm crusty bread.
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