Ruth's German Boiled Meatballs and Gravy

"This is my Mom's version of German meatballs. Her mother used to make these but of course never used a recipe - she never even had a stove - always used a coal burning stove! Mom kept working on it and used a few more conventional ingredients and came up with this recipe. She always served it over extra-wide egg noodles."
 
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photo by Nif_H photo by Nif_H
photo by Nif_H
photo by twissis photo by twissis
Ready In:
55mins
Ingredients:
13
Yields:
15-18 meatballs
Serves:
6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Mix the veal, pork, beef, egg, 1 teaspoons salt, pepper and onion together thoroughly.
  • Shape mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls.
  • To boiling water, add onion soup mix, bay leaf and 1/2 tsp salt - stir until mixed.
  • Drop meatballs into boiling water; cover pan, reduce heat and simmer for 1/2 hour.
  • Combine flour and cold water to make a thickening agent.
  • Add to simmering meat stock and bring back to a boil.
  • Boil one minute uncovered or until gravy is slightly thickened. (If you would like a little more gravy, add a bit more water and thickening agent).
  • Serve over noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.

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Reviews

  1. As written, I give it 4 stars, but with tweaks it can be 5. I recommend adding seasoning of your choice to the meatballs and using beef stock in place of water. I used ground beef only but really want to try it with the pork and veal. This is an easy, hearty meal to prepare and offers many possibilities of side dishes to serve with it.
     
  2. Smells amazing! I, too, only had ground beef, but it made enough. I doubled the sauce too since I have two grown boys and a husband who loves this kind of food. I got the idea to look for something like this from a movie I watched on TCM Mother's Day called, "All About Momma". Near the end of the film, "Momma" was trying to get a celebrity writer to read her daughter's writings. She bribed her with a very favorite recipe that no one else had. The trick, she said, was to boil the meatballs in stock, not in water, and a little sour cream at the end. I thought, "Huh, that sounds very similar to Swedish Meatballs!" So, in my searches, I came across this recipe. Like I said, smells amazing. Can't wait to try it out on my family this evening. Blessings and thanks!
     
  3. Absolutely delicious! I made this with just ground beef and it was fantastic. My hubby and kids ate it all up! Thanks for your great recipe. Will definitely be making this often.
     
  4. This was a hearty meal that my children enjoyed. I will add more seasoning the next time, because while I liked the creamy gravy over rice, I thought the meatballs themselves could use more seasoning. I am thinking of adding garlic and seasoned salt, maybe using beef broth in place of some of the water; I am not sure what else. I will definitely make it again, with modifications. PS, I was a little unsure about what kind of pan to cook this in. I went with a fairly deep skillet because the amount of water required was lost in the stock pot I first tried. They came out just fine, even though a few of the meatballs were not submerged in the liquid.
     
  5. This is the best recipe I have ever tasted! The meatballs were moist and I only had ground beef and they still turned out awesome! I did add sour cream and Worcestershire sauce, but other than that, I kept it the same. I have 3 kids, ages 5,6, and 7 and they absolutely loved this. They asked for it again, for tomorrow, lol! We ate this over spaetzle
     
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Tweaks

  1. This was terrific and so simple to make on a sticky afternoon when i had ground beef and no idea what to do with it. Instead of water, i used beef stock
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>I'm one of the original members of RecipeZaar and an active member in the old forums.&nbsp; I loved meeting so many wonderful people from across the globe in what were truly amazing forums and during events on the site which encouraged interaction.&nbsp; I miss those forums and am saddened that this is now just another recipe collection site.&nbsp; I will always come back here as I have so many recipes saved of my own and tried many gems.&nbsp; I hope you are able to find something you like.</p>
 
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