Weeknight Sauerbraten Meatballs

4.3
(21)

Our traditional holiday meal is sauerbraten and gravy, butter-sautéed homemade egg noodles, potato balls, sweet and sour red cabbage, and freshly cooked apples. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it once a year! This is a quick recipe to enjoy the sauerbraten flavor without waiting five days for a beef roast to marinate. And you'll have plenty of gravy to spoon over your buttered egg noodles and potatoes.

3
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
50 mins
Servings:
4
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Ingredients

  • cooking spray

Meatballs:

  • 1 pound lean ground beef

  • ½ cup minced onion

  • cup gingersnap cookie crumbs

  • ¼ cup water

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Gravy:

  • 2 cups beef broth

  • ½ cup gingersnap cookie crumbs

  • 2 tablespoons gingersnap cookie crumbs, or more as needed

  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon white sugar, or more to taste

  • 3 tablespoons raisins

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; place a baking rack on top. Coat rack with cooking spray.

  2. Combine ground beef, onion, 1/3 cup gingersnap crumbs, water, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Shape into 24 meatballs using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop; place onto the prepared baking rack.

  3. Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into centers reads 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), 18 to 20 minutes.

  4. Meanwhile, whisk beef broth, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons gingersnap crumbs, vinegar, and sugar together in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until gravy thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Add more gingersnap crumbs for a thicker gravy, or some water for a thinner consistency.

  5. Stir cooked meatballs and raisins into gravy; cover and simmer until flavors combine, about 10 minutes.

Cook's Notes:

An easy way to make gingersnap crumbs is to break gingersnap cookies into the bowl of a food processor; pulse until reaches a fine texture.

Meatballs can be made in advance and frozen in a resealable plastic bag. For a weeknight meal, all you need to do is make the gravy and boil some noodles. I usually double the meatballs so I always have some on hand in the freezer.

26 home cooks made it!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

418 Calories
20g Fat
32g Carbs
26g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 4
Calories 418
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 20g 25%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 78mg 26%
Sodium 851mg 37%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 19g
Protein 26g 52%
Vitamin C 2mg 2%
Calcium 35mg 3%
Iron 4mg 21%
Potassium 422mg 9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.