Dollop
Crockpot French onion meatballs
Meatballs slow-cooked with soft sweet onions in a beefy French onion gravy, blanketed with Swiss and spooned over egg noodles.
- 330 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 6
- About $2.31 a serving
- 700 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
- 1 lb 8 oz frozen meatballs
- 1 onion soup mix
- 1 can beef broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 6 slices Swiss cheese
- 12 oz egg noodles
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp salt
Each serving has about 700 calories, 31 g protein, 60 g carbs and 37 g fat, and costs about $2.31 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No beef broth? Bone broth works.
- No egg noodles? Fettuccine or penne works.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the onions, them, and them into thin half-moons.
Halve. Halving means cutting something into two equal pieces. Even halves cook at the same speed, so one doesn’t dry out while the other finishes.
How you’ll know: The two pieces look like mirror images of each other.
Peel. Peeling means removing the skin with a vegetable peeler or a small knife. It takes off tough or bitter skins, though potato and carrot skins are fine to leave on unless the recipe insists.
How you’ll know: The color underneath is even all over, with no patches of skin left behind.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Scatter the onions over the bottom of the slow cooker and dot them with the butter.
Add the frozen meatballs, sprinkle the soup mix over them, and pour in the broth and Worcestershire.
Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or high for 2½ hours, until the onions are soft and the meatballs are hot all the way through.
Timer: 270 min
Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
the cornstarch into the water, stir it in, cover, and cook on high 15 minutes, until the gravy .
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Timer: 15 min
While the gravy , bring a large pot of water with the salt over high, and cook the noodles 6 to 7 minutes, until tender. .
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 6 min 30 sec
Lay the Swiss slices over the meatballs, cover, and let them , about 5 minutes.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 5 min
Spoon the meatballs, onions and gravy over the noodles and scatter parsley on top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
