Crockpot Meatballs & Gravy

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil (for frying the meatballs)

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tbsp worcestershire

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp butter (for the onions)

1/3 cup butter (for the roux)

1/3 cup flour (for the roux)

1 large yellow onion (roughly sliced)

3 ½ cups beef stock ()

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp brown sugar

handful fresh thyme

bay leaf

fresh parsley (topping, optional)

Directions

Begin by adding all of your meatball ingredients to a large bowl (except the oil, as this will be used to fry your meatballs), and mix well. Squeeze the meatballs in your hands to hold shape, and roll into 1/2 inch balls.

To a large frying pan, set to medium/high heat, add your oil. Add your meatballs, working in batches if you need to avoid crowding the pan, and fry on each side until golden brown. About 1-2 minutes per side.*Tip: Don't worry about fully cooking the meatballs, this is just to add additional flavour to the dish, as the meatballs will finish cooking in the crockpot.

Once you have finished pan frying the meatballs, add them to a large baking sheet and pop in your freezer while you prepare everything else. *Tip: Adding the meatballs to the freezer will allow them to harden slightly to hold their shape, avoiding them from breaking/falling part when adding them to the crockpot.

To the same pan you used to fry your meatballs, add your butter (1 tbsp), sliced onions and brown sugar. Sauté for about 15 minutes on low/medium heat, stirring often.*Tip: You want the onions slightly caramelized and rich in color, as this is going to add a ton of flavour to the dish.

To your crockpot add your caramelized onions, meatballs, beef stock, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking, prepare your roux by adding your butter and flour to a small saucepan set to low heat. Whisk continuously until the butter and flour have been combined and you have a buttery and smooth consistency. This should take about 3 minutes to achieve. *Tip: watch my video linked above to see how your roux should look.

Add your roux to the crockpot, mix to combine and cook for an additional 30-40 minutes, or until sauce becomes slightly thickened.

Remove the lid from the crockpot, turn off the heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes to allow the gravy to thicken a bit more.

Dish up over mashed potatoes, rice, noodles, or polenta and sprinkle on fresh parsley if using.

Enjoy!