Very soft and flavorful, meatballs in white sauce are a delicious twist on the traditional meatballs, one of the great classics of homemade cooking. In my family, they are among the most loved main courses, and I often prepare them, usually in the classic version of meatballs in tomato sauce, which is always a success. Recently, however, I wanted to change things up a bit and experiment with a more delicate cooking method, without tomato: and so these meatballs in white sauce were born, cooked simply with vegetable broth. To make them more appealing and achieve a creamy and enveloping sauce, before cooking, I coat the meatballs in flour (all-purpose or gluten-free rice flour works): a little trick that makes a difference, making the cooking base thick and tasty. There is also another trick to achieve a soft texture: instead of the classic soaked bread crumbs, I add directly mashed boiled potatoes to the ground meat. A simple yet effective idea that makes the meatballs very soft without altering their flavor – and it is perfect for those who need to cook for celiacs but do not have gluten-free bread available. Ready in a few simple steps, these meatballs in white sauce will give you a main course that’s different from the usual and full of flavor, great for varying the daily menu.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economical
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 328.27 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 18.34 (g) of which sugars 0.86 (g)
- Proteins 29.31 (g)
- Fat 16.40 (g) of which saturated 4.57 (g)of which unsaturated 1.41 (g)
- Fibers 1.54 (g)
- Sodium 1,797.26 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for about 20 meatballs in white sauce
To prepare the gluten-free meatballs I used rice flour instead of all-purpose flour. Check that it has the label “gluten-free”.
- 1.1 lbs beef (ground)
- 9 oz potatoes
- 1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
- 1 egg (medium)
- 2 tbsps all-purpose flour (or gluten-free rice flour)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
- 1 tsp lemon zest (grated; optional)
- 1 clove garlic (optional)
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 7 oz vegetable broth
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Potato Masher
- 1 Garlic Press
- 1 Pan large, with lid
- 1 Spoon
How to Prepare Very Soft Meatballs in White Sauce without Tomatoes
To prepare the meatballs in white sauce, start by boiling the potatoes: after washing them thoroughly, place them whole and with their skins in a pot full of cold water, turn on the heat, and count 40 minutes from boiling point (in a pressure cooker, it will take 20 minutes from the whistle). To save time, if you have a microwave oven, you can boil the potatoes in the microwave using the method explained here.
Once cooked, mash them with a potato masher (1) and let them fall into a bowl. Let them cool, then add the ground meat (2) and season with a good pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, and if you like, some nutmeg and a bit of grated lemon zest. Briefly mix everything with your hands, then add a crushed clove of garlic (3). If you don’t have a garlic press, you can finely chop it with a knife.
Also add the Parmesan (4). Mix all the ingredients well, and finally add the egg (5). Work the mixture thoroughly with your hands to evenly distribute the egg throughout the mixture. In the end, you should obtain a firm and homogeneous mixture (6).
Form about 20 meatballs, trying to make them all the same size (7) and place them on a tray. Put a couple of tablespoons of flour in a bowl and roll the meatballs in it, fully coating them (8). Shake them off to remove excess flour and place them on a tray. In a large non-stick pan, heat the oil well, and when it is hot, place the meatballs in the pan (9).
Let them brown over high heat for about a minute, then turn them over (10) and let them brown on all sides. Increase the heat and deglaze with the hot vegetable broth (11). Lower the heat again, cover with a lid, and cook the meatballs in white sauce for 15-20 minutes over low heat. After the cooking time, remove the lid and let the cooking base thicken briefly (12).
Serve the meatballs in white sauce immediately, drizzled with their sauce.
Storage
You can store the meatballs in the refrigerator for 3 days, in a glass container.
Tips and Variations
For a richer flavor, you can replace the vegetable broth with meat broth. The ground beef can be replaced entirely or partially with ground meat of another type: pork, chicken, turkey, veal, etc.
