With this easy recipe for Dutch meatballs you get juicy, flavorful beef meatballs which are a great accompaniment to almost every dish. Made in the same way my grandma used to bake them.
Meatballs can accompany almost every meal: Hotchpot, stews, potatoes, veggies and meat dish (really Dutch), but it will combine easily with an Italian meal if you make the meatballs in a tomato sauce or if you add some spices it becomes delicious with rice.
A simple recipe with easy to get ingredients
A homemade meatball is juicy, with lots of flavor, you can use a good quality meat and contains a really nice gravy. It's easy to make and you don't need a lot of special ingredients.
You've probably got them in your own cabinets. And to be honest: when you have eaten homemade meatballs you won't want any others! This recipe was also used by my granny. I remember when eating them, it was one of my favorite meals. She made them the same way I do right now and I love to share this recipe with you.
We combined these meatballs with a great potato carrot stew (a traditional hotchpot called Hutspot).
💭 Top tips
- Egg and bread crumbs are added to the meatballs so they will stick better and become juicy.
- Make sure you bake the meatballs brown before adding the water for more flavor.
- Knead the meat gently and not too long (just until everything is mixed), otherwise, your meat will become solid
- If you want to vary this basic recipe you can do it by adding some fresh herbs and spices and create your own family recipe. Try chives, rosemary, or thyme to get a different flavor.
- A more creamy meatball can be made by using half beef - half pork minced meat.
- If want to make a budget meatball (or want to use less meat). Substitute ⅓ meat with oatmeal. The flavor stays the same.
Delicious to eat with
- Meatballs are great as an appetizer at a buffet or party, you can, in that case, make small meatballs and add chopped onion and some soy sauce to make it even more special.
- a great stew like this creamy endive stew or Brussels sprouts mash
🥘 Other delicious recipes
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Dutch meatballs Grannies recipe
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef
- 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 1 egg size M
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons oil
Notes
- Egg and bread crumbs are added to the meatballs so they will stick better and become juicy.
- Make sure you bake the meatballs brown before adding the water for more flavor.
- Knead the meat gently and not too long (just until everything is mixed), otherwise, your meat will become solid
- If you want to vary this basic recipe you can do it by adding some fresh herbs and spices and create your own family recipe. Try chives, rosemary, or thyme to get a different flavor.
- A more creamy meatball can be made by using half beef - half pork minced meat.
- If want to make a budget meatball (or want to use less meat). Substitute ⅓ meat with oatmeal. The flavor stays the same.
Instructions
- Put the minced meat in a large bowl.
- Break the egg above the meat.
- Add the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Knead the ground meat thoroughly and make 5 balls.
- Make sure the balls are compact and haven't got cracks. That way they don't fall apart while baking.
- Put the butter and oil in a frying pan and put it above medium heat.
- When the butter is melted add the balls and lay them in the pan.
- Bake on all sides until they are brown and lower the heat.
- Add one glass of hot water to the pan, so you also get great gravy.
- Put a lid (or aluminum foil) on the pan and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Because I'm Dutch, I know that when this recipe says "bake," it's the (inaccurate) translation of the Dutch word "gebakken." "Bake" in English means to cook food by dry heat in the oven. These meatballs do not go anywhere near the oven. They are BRAISED - fried first, then cooked completely in the closed pan. So "make sure you bake the meatballs brown" might have people puttimg the meatballs in the oven! Don't donit! Braising is easy, delicious, and about as Dutch as you can get!