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Meatball Stew

a bowl of homemade meatball stew with a spoon topped with parsley and a pice of bread beside it
  • Serves:  8
  • Prep Time:  20 min
  • Cook Time:  50 min

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

  • 1 ½ pounds ground beef 80/20
  • ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¾ teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup bread crumbs
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ cup whole milk

For the Stew:

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced, about 1 cup
  • 2 large carrots, large dice, about 1 cup
  • 3 celery ribs, large dice, about 1 cup
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
  • 6 cups beef stock
  • 2 teaspoons beef bouillon or better than bouillon
  • 4 Small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in 1½-inch pieces
  • 1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ¼ cup cold water
  • Flat leaf parsley, for serving

Method

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, Italian seasoning, pepper, egg, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce and whole milk until fully combined. Mixing the meatball mixture with your hands will produce the best texture, but you can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment if you prefer.

  2. Form golf ball-sized meatballs—about 2 tablespoons each—and place them on a plate, about 24 total. Dampen your palms with a bit of water before rolling the meatballs to make rolling easier.

  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottom stock pot over medium high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides, but don’t worry about cooking them through—they’ll finish cooking in the stew later. You may need to work in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Set meatballs aside and continue with remaining meatballs. Once the meatballs are browned, take them out of the pan and set them aside on a plate.

  4. Deglaze the pan with a few tablespoons of beef stock if necessary. To the same pot add the remaining tablespoon olive oil along with the onions, celery and carrots. Cook until vegetables are beginning to soften, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute longer.

  5. Add in the tomato paste and thyme, stirring to combine. Add the meatballs back to the pot along with the beef stock and the beef bouillon. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer.

  6. Add in potatoes and green beans, cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the meatballs register 160°F on an instant read thermometer. If you like your green beans on the firmer side, you can add them in 10 minutes after you put in the potatoes.

  7. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water together until smooth. Add the cornstarch slurry to the stew broth and stir over low heat until stew has thickened, about 5-7 more minutes.

  8. Serve the stew sprinkled with parsley with some good crusty bread or buttered egg noodles