The same dish served two ways, thick or thin. I prefer mine to have a soupier broth, so I can dunk crusty bread into it and sop up all that goodness. Steve likes a thicker consistency. I’ll explain how you can thicken the broth so the consistency is similar to chicken and dumplings. This is my Meatballs And Noodles.
Prep Time: 40 minutes (time includes making and cooking the meatballs)
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Yields: 6 to 8 servings
Equipment: 2 rimmed baking sheet pans, large mixing bowl, two 6-quart Dutch ovens with lids, parchment paper, cookie-dough scoop
Ingredients For Meatballs:
2 pounds of ground sirloin (yields approx. 50 walnut-size meatballs)
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
6 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs, Italian-style
1/4 cup of heavy cream
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Ingredients For the Soup:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter, unsalted
1 onion, diced
2 cups of carrots, diced
1 pint of cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 cup of celery, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of Kitchen Bouquet
4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 quarts of beef broth, unsalted
1 10.5-ounce can of beef consommé
3 1/4 cups of water (reserve 1/4 cup for *slurry)
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
1 12-ounce package of frozen egg noodles
2 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch
Directions For The Meatballs:
Preheat oven to 375-degrees F.
Start by lining two rimmed baking sheet pans with parchment paper, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl add all of the ingredients with the exceptions of the meat, mix to combine. Next, add the ground meat. Gently mix until all the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the meat. Using a cookie-dough scoop, scoop out the meatball mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet pan. Leave about 1-inch between meatballs. Once all the meatballs are made, liberally spray the tops with the non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
While the meatballs are in the oven, dice the carrots, celery, and onion. Clean and quarter the mushrooms, and mince the garlic. Transfer all the vegetables to a large plate and set aside.
Directions For The Soup:
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat together the butter and olive oil. Add diced onions, celery, carrots, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook until vegetables start to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Next, add the mushrooms and thyme, continue stirring, allowing the mushrooms to release their liquid and begin to brown, another 5 to 7 minutes.
Turn the heat to medium-high, add the beef broth, beef consommé, Kitchen Bouquet, water, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring up to a bubble, reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat.
Transfer the cooked meatballs from the oven adding them slowly into the pot where they’ll continue cooking for another 5 minutes allowing them to absorb that scrumptious broth.
Adjust the heat to medium, bring back up to a boil before adding the frozen egg noodles. Following the instructions on the package, cook for another 18 to 20 minutes.
At this point, the Meatballs And Noodles are ready.
Remember how I was saying that Steve likes his to have a thicker broth. To do this I divide the Meatballs And Noodles into two pots. One, of the two pots, cover and set aside. Place the other pot over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, add a *slurry of cornstarch and water, stir to combine. Continue to cook allowing the sauce to thicken, another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and cover.
You can see, from the pictures above, the difference in the consistency of the two dishes. One is more like a hearty soup, the other has the consistency like chicken and dumplings. Whether you like yours to be brothy or thick both are super delicious.
*Slurry: A thickening mixture that is made up of equal parts cornstarch/flour and water, that is prepared for use in making soups, stews, and sauces. Once the slurry is added the mixture should be thoroughly cooked for several minutes to eliminate the raw taste of the flour.
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