Yorkshire Meatball Casserole

vancouverlori's Note:

Tasty meatballs baked in a custard-like batter and topped with gravy. Serve with some steamed veggies (carrots? peas? spinach?) and dinner's all set. You can use all beef in the meatballs if that's what you have or prefer. It's based on "Yorkshire Burger" by Paul C. Kellogg in Pilsbury's Best of the Bake-Off Collection, 1959. But I cut it down and used my favourite meatball/meatloaf recipe. (If you double the meatball ingredients, you can use half for this recipe, and half for plain meatballs for freezing, and use the pan drippings for the gravy.)

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 1.0 casserole

• 1/4 large onion (or 1/2 small onion)
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley flakes)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg (or EnerG Egg Replacer as directed on package)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch pepper
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground lean pork
• 1/4 cup quick oats (not old-fashioned)

batter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3 egg whites (or EnerG Egg Replacer prepared as per package, equivalent to 2 eggs to replace egg and egg white)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

gravy

• 3/4 cup beef broth (or same amount made from pan drippings from baking a second batch of meatballs plain)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon flour

Directions:

1. Grease 8" square pan.
2. Finely chop onion, celery, and parsley or blend with water, Worcestershire sauce and egg.
3. Add to ground meat and seasonings, and mix well.
4. Form into 16 large meatballs and place in pan.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
7. Beat eggs until foamy.
8. Add milk and melted butter and beat some more.
9. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and blend just until smooth.
10. Pour over meatballs.
11. Bake 50-60 minutes.
12. (If making another batch of plain meatballs, make them smaller - 30-40 meatballs - and bake them about 25 minutes).
13. If making gravy as stated, heat beef broth in a small saucepan over medium-high. Mix flour and water in a small bowl until smooth. When broth boils, add flour-water mixture and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
14. (If making gravy from plain meatball pan drippings, deglaze pan with about 1/2 cup water, scrape into small saucepan, and add water to add up to 3/4 cup. Heat over medium-high. Meanwhile, mix flour and water in a small bowl. When liquid boils, add flour-water mixture and stir well until thickened then remove from heat.).