French Onion Meatballs
- Jul 8
- 3 min read
Our Story
This is one of those special but not complicated meals Gab makes when everyone wants comfort food. The meatballs are tender and cheesy, and the sauce tastes like your favorite French onion soup, deep caramelized onions and all. Everything finishes under the broiler with Gruyere and mozzarella until golden and bubbly. We serve it with warm crusty bread for dipping, or over mashed potatoes. Trey gets a less saucy version and loves the cheese.
Quick Stats
Serves: 4 to 6
Prep: 25 min
Cook: 50 min
Total: about 1 hour 15 min
Difficulty: 3 / 5
Cost: $$
Ingredients
For the meatballs
1 1/2 cups fresh or panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1 1/2 pounds organic ground beef (85/15)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra for garnish
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
About 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
1/2 large white onion, very finely minced
4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely grated
3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese, divided
1 egg, whisked
1 cup shredded whole-milk mozzarella
For the French onion sauce
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons ghee or butter
2 1/2 large white onions, halved and thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup sherry or white wine
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 1/4 cups beef stock
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef with the soaked breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, herbes de Provence, salt, pepper, minced onion, garlic, 1/4 cup of the Gruyere, and the whisked egg. Combine gently with your hands; overworking makes the meatballs tough.
Scoop 2-tablespoon portions (a cookie scoop works great), roll into smooth meatballs with lightly wet hands, and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
In a large cast iron or oven safe skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high. Brown the meatballs in batches on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes total, then set aside on a tray.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil if needed, then the ghee or butter. Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook slowly, stirring often, until deeply caramelized, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, herbes de Provence, and dried thyme for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Pour in the sherry or wine and let it bubble and reduce for about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for another 30 seconds.
Pour in the beef stock and whisk until smooth. Simmer about 5 minutes to thicken slightly.
Turn off the heat, stir in the fresh thyme, and nestle the browned meatballs back into the sauce.
Top with the remaining Gruyere and the mozzarella. Broil on high for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese is melted, golden, and bubbly. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve with warm crusty bread or over mashed potatoes.
Brands We Used and Love
Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth for the sauce
Pure Indian Foods Organic Grassfed Ghee
Simply Organic Herbes de Provence
OXO Medium Cookie Scoop for even meatballs
Shop the full kit here: https://shopmy.us/shop/collections/6262696
Browse everything in our cooking shop: https://shopmy.us/ajdillon/cooking
The Dillon Scorecard
AJ: A million / 5 (Could eat this once a week)
Gab: 5 / 5
Trey: 5 / 5
What We'd Change Next Time
Take your time caramelizing the onions; going slower makes them darker and sweeter and it changes the whole dish. Gab first saw versions of this floating around Pinterest years ago, and this is how she makes it at home after lots of trial and error. Trey's tip: ask for the less saucy corner with extra cheese.
Estimated Nutrition
Per serving (1 of 6, before bread or potatoes): roughly 600 to 650 calories, 35g protein, 22g carbohydrate, 44g fat. This is an estimate based on standard ingredient values and will shift with your cheese amounts and serving size.
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