French Onion Meatballs combine caramelized onions, the best homemade meatballs, and ooey gooey cheese that are sure to satisfy your comfort food craving! They can be enjoyed as a side dish or as the main entree. For the same delicious flavors with potatoes, try my French Onion Roasted Potatoes, too!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Meatballs: If you are looking for the best homemade meatballs, I have you covered! They are perfect for all of your recipes that call for meatballs, including this one!
- Onions: Yellow onions are often used for sautéing in butter in recipes like this one because they have a balanced flavor profile that combines both sweetness and a mild pungency. You could also use white onions or sweet onions like Walla Walla or Vidalia.
- Beef Broth: Beef broth and a little bit of flour create a thickened, flavorful sauce for the meatballs.
- Mozzarella Cheese: A whole cup of shredded mozzarella cheese is added to the tops of the meatballs with Gruyere cheese. Grate a block of cheese (rather than buy shredded cheese) for the best results.
- Gruyere Cheese: Gruyere cheese has a nutty flavor that you will love! You can use a French Comte cheese if you can’t find Gruyere. Regular old Swiss cheese you find in masses at the grocery store may be substituted, but beware! The texture is different, and it may not give you that taste that stands out from the crowd.
Can I Use Frozen Meatballs?
Sure! To save time, you can certainly use frozen meatballs. Simply prepare them according to package instructions before adding them to the French onion sauce. (But, I highly recommend making your meatballs if you are able! Store-bought has come a long way, but nothing compares to homemade.)
Can I Make French Onion Meatballs Ahead Of Time?
Yes! You can get parts of this recipe made ahead of time so it’s easy to put together when you are ready. After sauteing the onions, first, let them cool completely. Next, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last up to 3-4 days. When ready to finish the sauce, reheat the onions in an oven-safe skillet and continue with the recipe. You can also make the meatballs in advance. (They freeze very nicely for up to 3 months.) When you’re ready to make your French Onion Meatballs, simply reheat the meatballs in the oven, microwave, or on the stovetop until they are hot and ready to be combined with the sautéed onions and other ingredients.
How To Store French Onion Meatballs
Once the French onion meatballs have cooled to room temperature (within two hours of making them), store them in an airtight container. They will last in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat the meatballs in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in the oven.
Can I Freeze These Meatballs?
Sure! Once the meatballs have cooled to room temperature, store them in a freezer-safe container. They can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Keep in mind that freezing can affect the texture and quality of the meatballs and the cheese topping.
This post has been updated to include homemade meatballs as of 9/23/24. Instructions for frozen meatballs are above.
French Onion Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs*
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ½ cup (100 g) parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup (122.5 g) whole milk
- ½ cup (54 g) fine dry breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- ¼ cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
French Onion Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced into half-moon shapes
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (16 ounces) beef broth
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup (113 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup (113 g) Gruyere cheese, shredded
- parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
Meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, beaten egg, cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix together until just combined.
- In a medium bowl, combine the milk, breadcrumbs, garlic, and onion.
- Add milk mixture to the meat mixture being careful not to overwork ingredients.
- Form into desired size meatballs, greasing hands before starting to keep the meat from sticking, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add oil. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the meatballs in batches, ensuring they don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook the meatballs, turning occasionally to brown all sides, until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F (8-10 minutes).
- Remove the cooked meatballs and set them on a plate. Repeat with the remaining batches.
French Onion Meatballs
- In a large oven-safe, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter.
- Once melted, add the onions and sauté for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are very tender and caramelized to a rich golden brown color.
- Sprinkle flour over the onions. Stir to combine.
- Add beef broth, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Cook for 7-10 more minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Nestle the cooked meatballs into the sauce in the skillet.
- Evenly sprinkle mozzarella and Gruyere cheese over the meatballs.
- Preheat the oven broiler.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melting and bubbling.
- Garnish with parsley. Serve warm.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
Wow! These were so delicious! I loved the buttery and sweet flavor from the caramelized onions. I was a big fan of the cheese combo of mozzarella and gruyere on top too. I would definitely make this at home!
Elizabeth
These are fantastic! The caramelized onions and two kinds of cheese add so much flavor! Yum!
Annabelle
These meatballs are great! Perfect as an appetizer or a meal of its own!
Bella
The meatballs soak up the savory French onion sauce. Every bite is juicy and delicious!
Rachael
French onion on these meatballs is a fantastic twist to a meatball. Served as an appetizer or with dinner would both be wonderful.
Selena
These are so delicious. I love the subtle sweetness from the onions and the gooey cheese on top is perfection.
Has anyone added mushrooms to this recipe? Could you share details?
Please feel free to deny or delete, just wanting to apologize for not proofreading beforehand! Unfortunately, I do not see an “edit” option. Regardless, thank you for sharing such wonderful dishes with all of us. Yummmy. 💝
I am so excited to make this for family dinner. It is most definitely a dish that even my kids will devour! The recipe added a nice twist to my already-a-fam-fave, quick and easy weeknight dinner and took it to a whole new level. I am so happy to say I have finally found you!! I’ve lost a lot of recipes over the years and tend to rely solely on memory but it has become limited by my picky eaters! All of your recipes look amazing and I’m click happy over here, saving so many delish looking meals! Thank you for your insight and a nice spin on so many classic dishes! Keep em coming, Amanda!! These will surely end up hand-written and be a nice addition to my recipe book of all-time-favorites! (Was always taught you have to Starr by writing it down in order to be able to pass it along!). Seeing my Grandmother’s hand writing brings back the best of the best memories, like baking alongside her..nothing like Grandma’s kitchen! 😊
Your recipes always look delicious but I’m unable to make many of them as you never put the complete nutrition information. You put calories and serving size but you never put protein and carb count (my daughter, due to a medical condition, is a very rigid diet and I cannot feed her anything without having that information). Is it possible that you can add this to the nutrition info?
Sorry I meant to add I did make this for my New Eve party and everyone loved them (they were the star of the food show), but I wish I could make them for dinner for my daughter to enjoy.
HI Val –
I don’t add the nutritional information because the tool that calculates that for me (and most bloggers) is notoriously inaccurate. I would rather provide no information than bad information. If your daughters medical condition means you need accurate nutritional information you may want to look at an independent app that will calculate everything for you. Just google “best nutritional information apps” and there are many options.
Do you serve with pasta or bread
You can serve meatballs with whatever you’d like.
Just curious what you paired it with if it was a main course? I am not sure what to make as side dish?
Any vegetables will be great, rice, noodles, rolls, salads, (like a wedge). We like to serve it with rolls and the kids make sandwiches.
Everything looks absolutely great!
I absolutely loved this recipe! French onion meatballs is so easy to make and the flavors are yummy in every way ❤️
Family favorite…
WOW. Amanda: your recipes are amazing and during these Holidays it has help me take my game of cooking to an elite level.