Salisbury Steak Meatballs — The Mushroom-Gravy Sunday

Late June. The savings envelope is at $1,420 with the cake-job summer schedule already booking. The recipe Sunday was Salisbury steak meatballs from a Family Feast post — the diner classic in meatball form, served in a mushroom-and-onion gravy over mashed potatoes. The meatballs are seasoned ground beef with a small amount of breadcrumb and egg binder, browned, then simmered in the gravy.

The math: ground beef $1.99, mushrooms $1.99, onion, beef broth, gravy from the pan drippings, mashed potatoes from the bag. Total: about $5.40 for two dinners.

The technique is the brown-then-simmer. The meatballs brown first to develop crust, then simmer in the gravy to stay tender.

The recipe is below. The trick is the brown-then-simmer.

Salisbury Steak Meatballs

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
• 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Mix the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined — do not overwork the meat. Roll into 1 1/2-inch meatballs (about 16 total).
2. Brown the meatballs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer and brown on all sides, about 6–8 minutes total. They don’t need to be fully cooked through at this stage. Remove to a plate and set aside.
3. Sauté the vegetables. In the same pan, reduce heat to medium and add the butter. Add the sliced onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook another 4–5 minutes until they release their liquid and begin to brown.
4. Build the gravy. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat, cooking for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the beef broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and Dijon mustard. Bring to a simmer.
5. Finish with the meatballs. Return the meatballs to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15–18 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the gravy has thickened. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
6. Serve. Ladle meatballs and gravy over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or creamy polenta. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 680mg