This Meatballs & Mashed Potatoes meal is straight up comfort food. The rich gravy brings it all together for one satisfying meal.
» You might also like Easy Smoked Meatloaf or Easy Taco Pizza.
When you’re running low on time to get dinner on the table, or just looking to use up some of your pantry staples, this meal is a great solution. The meatballs and potatoes cook at the same time, so it’s ready in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Potatoes – I use russet potatoes, peeled and cubed.
- Ground beef – We are using 1 pound of ground beef chuck with 15% fat content. The higher fat content gives the meat more flavor.
- Breadcrumbs – Use a plain breadcrumb mix or panko.
- Milk
- Brown gravy mix – A gravy mix such as this will speed up the cooking process. You could make your own gravy as well.
Another way to save time with this recipe is to purchase pre-formed meatballs. If you can get good meatballs and you want to skip making them yourself, it’s a viable option.
To make them yourself, you just need ground beef and a binder to hold them together. This recipe uses breadcrumbs and milk.
Some recipes use egg as a binder. I don’t like to use eggs, whenever possible, because I have a sensitivity to them, but I also don’t think they need it. I’ve never had meatballs fall apart without the egg.
How to Make Meatballs & Mashed Potatoes
Fill a large pot halfway with water. Add the cubed potatoes and cook at a gentle boil until tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the breadcrumbs and milk to a bowl and allow to soak until it turns into a paste. Combine the ground beef with the paste and mix together thoroughly with your hands.
Form evenly sized meatballs, around 1 1/4 inch in diameter, compacting the meat into a sturdy ball. Add the meatballs to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Allow them to brown on one side before turning them over. Attempt to evenly brown the balls on each side. This process takes about 10 minutes.
How to Make Gravy
To make this recipe as easy as possible, I’ve used a packet of brown gravy mix. It’s the easiest ingredient and you might just have a packet in your pantry to use.
However, if you don’t have a packet of gravy mix and would like to make gravy on your own, you can do so very easily.
To make your own gravy, you’ll need:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup beef stock
After the meatballs are done cooking, remove them from the pan. Drain off most of the excess oil from the pan. You’ll want a bit of pan grease and the browned bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan to add flavor, so don’t remove it all.
Add the butter and flour and whisk together with the grease in the pan to form a paste. Cook on medium heat for 1-2 minutes, whisking occasionally.
Add the beef stock and whisk well until combined. Cook the gravy over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until thickened and reduced. If the gravy becomes too thick, add a little water and whisk. Salt and pepper, to taste.
When the potatoes have finished cooking, drain the water. Mash the potatoes with a masher or hand mixer. Add butter and milk and stir well to combine. Serve meatballs with mashed potatoes and gravy over top.
You can use this same gravy recipe to make beef gravy for pork roast.
Tips and Notes
- Make your meatballs all the same size so that they all cook at the same rate.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when cooking the meatballs. You want to have room to turn them over and you want them to brown nicely.
- Meatballs can be made ahead of time to save time. You can refrigerate them for up to 2 days until you are ready to cook them or cook them and freeze them for up to 3 months for use later on.
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Meatballs & Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes cubed
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 packet brown gravy mix
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Fill a large pot halfway with water. Add the cubed potatoes and cook at a gentle boil until tender, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the breadcrumbs and milk to a bowl and allow to soak until it turns into a paste.
- Combine the ground beef with the paste and mix together thoroughly with your hands.
- Form evenly sized meatballs, around 1 1/4 inch in diameter, compacting the meat into a sturdy ball.
- Add the meatballs to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Allow them to brown on one side before turning them over. Attempt to evenly brown the balls on each side. This process takes about 10 minutes.
- When finished, remove the meatballs from the pan. Add water to the pan and whisk in the brown gravy mix. Simmer until slightly thickened.
- When the potatoes have finished cooking, drain the water. Mash the potatoes with a masher or hand mixer. Add butter and milk and stir well to combine.
- Serve meatballs with mashed potatoes and gravy over top.
Nutrition
Other Potato Main Dish Recipes To Try
- Pulled Pork Gnocchi
- Creamy Chicken & Potato Pasta
- Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
- Rich & Delicious Instant Pot Stew
- Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
- Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Creamy & Delicious Gnocchi Carbonara
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Laura is a home cook who loves making new recipes and finding new favorite things to eat, whether at home or abroad. She also runs a popular travel blog and spends a lot of her time traveling for food.
Yummy! A new family favorite!
Looks fantastic! My family loves meatballs. I will give your recipe a try.
It was an awesome meal. Definitely will be making it again. Easy to make.