How to cook delicious meatballs with gravy. How to cook meatballs with gravy

  • 19.10.2019

Meatballs are a unique dish that can be prepared with any sauce. Any meat is suitable as a base; mixing two types is not prohibited.

Most recipes use rice; it is this product that makes the meatballs tender and also allows for a loose texture.

The sauce is the key to success: during cooking, the dish is saturated with this component, absorbing most of its taste and aroma.

Meatballs with gravy - step-by-step recipe with photos

Meatballs - very healthy and tasty dish, which everyone likes, regardless of age. Fragrant meat and rice cutlets with delicious gravy many of us remember from kindergarten.

So why not cook one of your children's favorite dishes now? Moreover, the whole process is not particularly difficult and will take about an hour.

Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Quantity: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • Beef meat: 600-700 g
  • Rice: 1/2 tbsp.
  • Egg: 1 pc.
  • Carrots: 1 pc.
  • Bow: 1 pc.
  • Sweet pepper: 1 pc.
  • Tomato paste: 1 tbsp. l.
  • Salt:
  • Pepper, other spices:

Cooking instructions


Variation of a dish with chicken and rice

One of the simplest recipes for making meatballs with rice and gravy.

For the meatballs with rice and gravy you will need the following Ingredients:

  • minced poultry meat – 0.8 kg;
  • onions – 4 pcs.;
  • rice cereal – 1 cup;
  • chicken egg – 1 pc.;
  • small apple – 1 pc.;
  • salt and pepper to taste.
  • carrots – 2 pcs.;
  • tomato paste – 4 tbsp., l.;
  • flour – 1 tbsp., l.;
  • cream – 0.2 liters;

Preparation:

  1. The rice is thoroughly washed and cooked until almost done, after which it must be allowed to cool and mixed with minced meat, chopped onion and apple, coarsely grated carrots, beaten egg, salt and pepper - all ingredients are mixed until smooth.
  2. Meatballs are formed from the resulting mass and rolled in flour.
  3. To prepare the gravy, chopped onion is fried in a hot frying pan, after some time finely grated carrots are added to it, all this is fried over low heat for about another 5 minutes. After that, flour, tomato paste, cream are added - all products are mixed, and water is added until the required thickness is obtained. Bring the gravy to a boil, add seasoning and salt to taste.
  4. The meatballs are placed in a deep frying pan and poured with gravy. The dish is simmered over low heat for about half an hour. After cooking, serve with any side dish.

Recipe in the oven

Meatballs cooked in the oven are much healthier than simply fried in a frying pan. By using simple recipe you can create a delicious and healthy dinner with a stunning aroma that awakens an incredible appetite.

Ingredients:

  • minced chicken – 0.5 kg;
  • 2 small onions;
  • garlic – 4 cloves;
  • 1 carrot;
  • rice groats – 3 tbsp., l.;
  • 2 chicken eggs;
  • sour cream – 5 tbsp., l.;
  • sunflower oil – 4 tbsp., l.;
  • salt, pepper and spices to taste;
  • water.

As a result, you will get about ten servings of delicious meatballs with gravy.

Preparation meatballs with gravy in the oven.

  1. Rice cereals must be thoroughly rinsed in a colander several times, and then cooked over low heat until half cooked.
  2. Then drain the water and let it cool, then rinse again and mix with the minced chicken.
  3. Add eggs to the mixture, a teaspoon each of salt, pepper and spices. The resulting mass must be thoroughly mixed so that a continuous, homogeneous consistency is obtained.
  4. Then we make small balls from the workpiece - meatballs and place them on the bottom of some dish, the main thing is that it is deep, for baking.
  5. In a greased frying pan sunflower oil, chopped onions and coarsely grated carrots are fried.
  6. As soon as the vegetables have softened, mix them with 200 ml of water, sour cream, salt and spices - all this is cooked until it boils.
  7. The meatballs, which are in a baking dish, are filled to the middle with ordinary boiled water. Next, the gravy is added, and finely grated garlic is sprinkled on top. As a result, the sauce should completely hide the meatballs underneath.
  8. In an oven preheated to 225 degrees, place a baking dish tightly wrapped in foil with meatballs for 60 minutes.
  9. After 30 minutes, you can taste the sauce and, if necessary, add salt, pepper or some boiled water.
  10. Ready-made meatballs are served for lunch or dinner with a side dish at the discretion of the hostess.

How to cook them in a frying pan

To prepare the meatballs and gravy, you will need the following ingredients:

  • minced poultry meat – 0.6 kg;
  • half a glass of rice cereal;
  • small onion;
  • one chicken egg;
  • salt to taste.
  • boiled water 300 ml;
  • 70 g medium fat sour cream;
  • 50 g flour;
  • 20 g tomato paste;
  • Bay leaf.

Preparation

  1. Rice must be boiled until half cooked and mixed with minced meat.
  2. The onion is fried until transparent and, together with the egg and salt, is added to the prepared rice with minced meat - all this is whipped until smooth.
  3. Meatballs are formed from the resulting mass and sprinkled with flour.
  4. Then the meat balls must be fried on both sides in a hot frying pan, total about 10 minutes.
  5. As soon as the meatballs are browned, fill them halfway with boiling water, add tomato paste, salt and throw in a bay leaf. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 25 minutes.
  6. After this, add a mixture of flour, sour cream and half a glass of water, it should be homogeneous - without lumps. After pouring all this into the meatballs, cover them again with a lid and shake the pan so that the mixture is evenly distributed in the dish.
  7. Now simmer the meatballs for 15 - 20 minutes until fully cooked.

Multicooker recipe

Among housewives it is believed that preparing this dish is a very troublesome and time-consuming task; a device such as a multicooker can make the task easier. To do this you will need the following set of products:

  • minced meat – 0.7 kg;
  • steamed rice – 200 g;
  • 1 onion;
  • 2 chicken egg yolks;
  • 300ml boiled water;
  • 70 g ketchup;
  • 250 g sour cream;
  • 5 teaspoons vegetable oil;
  • 2 tablespoons flour;
  • salt and pepper to taste;
  • Bay leaf.

Preparation

  1. Chop the onion very finely, mix with steamed rice, yolks and prepared minced meat until smooth. Add salt and pepper.
  2. Mix 200 ml of boiled water with sour cream, ketchup and flour. Stir the mixture thoroughly so that there are no lumps.
  3. Form meatballs from the minced meat and place them in a multicooker container in one layer.
  4. Select the frying program on the device, add the available vegetable oil and fry the meatballs until a crust appears.
  5. Turn off the multicooker. Pour the prepared sauce over the meatballs, add bay leaves and spices to taste.
  6. Set the multicooker to stewing mode for 40 minutes - this is enough for complete readiness.

Meatballs with the taste of childhood “like in kindergarten”

To prepare a tasty and healthy dish from childhood, you don’t need anything supernatural. A simple set of ingredients and a little patience and meat balls are on your table:

  • minced meat – 400 g;
  • 1 small onion;
  • egg;
  • half a glass of rice;
  • 30 g flour
  • 50 g sour cream;
  • 15 g tomato paste;
  • 300 ml boiled water;
  • salt;
  • Bay leaf.

Preparation

  1. Cook the rice until almost half done and mix with the prepared minced meat and egg.
  2. Chop the onion very finely and bring it to a state of transparency in a hot frying pan, mix with the previously prepared mass to a homogeneous consistency.
  3. Roll the dough into small ball-shaped cutlets and roll them in flour. Fry in a hot frying pan for about 3 minutes on each side to form a crust.
  4. Mix a glass of boiling water with 15 grams of tomato paste, add salt, pour the resulting mixture over the meat balls, add a bay leaf, add salt and leave under a closed lid over low heat for a quarter of an hour.
  5. Mix one hundred milliliters of water with 50 grams of sour cream and 30 grams of flour so that there are no lumps, and add to the meatballs. Shake the pan thoroughly so that everything is thoroughly mixed, and simmer for about a quarter of an hour until done.

Is it possible to cook them without rice? Of course yes!

Most recipes for this dish include rice among the ingredients, but there are also those that allow you to do without this product and get no less delicious meatballs. One of these methods is below.

Meatballs are a dish of minced meat in the form of balls. Almost every cuisine in the world has a similar dish, so the preparation of meatballs is varied. At the same time, it is believed that the recipe for meatballs first appeared among the Turkic peoples; it is not for nothing that the Turkic dish “kyufta” still exists in the East.

Over time, the name changed to “meatballs”; the cooking recipe changed over the centuries, from people to people. Today, the recipe for meatballs differs from the recipe for cutlets, first of all, by the addition of various cereals and vegetables to the minced meat. For example, meatballs with rice are widely known.

The most common are meatballs, such as meatballs made from ground beef. In addition, they make fish and chicken meatballs. As a rule, meatballs are prepared with gravy or in sauce: meatballs in sour cream sauce, meatballs in tomato sauce. Sauce for meatballs or gravy for meatballs can be spicy, sour, even sweet - it’s a matter of taste.

There is very a large number of recipes for making meatballs. But we offer you six of the most common recipes for making meatballs:

1. Meatballs with gravy

A delicious combination of dense beef meatballs with a spicy garlic and mushroom gravy.

Ingredients:

lean ground beef - 0.5 kg
onion – 1 pc.
egg – 1 pc.
water - 100 ml
sour cream - 2 tbsp. l.
breadcrumbs - 2 tbsp. l.
dry dill

Gravy:

mushrooms - 200 g
garlic - 3 cloves
flour - 2 tbsp.
water - 1.5 tbsp.
salt
frying oil

Cooking method:

Mix sour cream with breadcrumbs, water and mix with other products for meatballs. Knead the mixture thoroughly and then beat it. Form small balls and fry them over high heat. The purpose of frying is not to bring it to readiness, but to get a crust, even if they remain raw inside. Place them in a mold and bake. This will take about 15 minutes at 200 C.

Prepare the gravy. Crush the garlic, but make sure it holds its shape. You can flatten it with the side of a knife. Fry it for a few minutes, then remove it, add it to the oil and fry the mushrooms, cut into slices, and a little later add the chopped onion. Add the oil left over from frying the meatballs, add flour and brown it. Then add water, add salt and simmer for a few minutes until the gravy thickens. You can garnish the meatballs with boiled rice and potatoes.

2. Meatballs with rice

More often, such meatballs are called “hedgehogs” because of the boiled rice sticking out of the ball. Children love them very much. In order for the “needles” to stick out, you need to use raw rice. It’s better to take not a round one, but a long one, like basmati. You can also put it boiled, it will be just as tasty, it’s just that the meatball will turn out smoother, without “thorns.”

Ingredients:

minced meat - 0.5 kg
rice - 0.5 tbsp.
salt
onion – 1 pc.
ground black pepper

salt
sour cream - 200 g
water
tomato paste - 1 tbsp. l.

Cooking method:

Chop the onion. Either boil the rice until half cooked or soak for an hour. Mix rice, minced meat, onion, salt, pepper. Make balls (about 4-5 cm in diameter) and place in a frying pan greased with sour cream.

Mix the ingredients for pouring, add water, maybe a glass, maybe a little more. You want the sauce to cover the meatballs almost completely. And simmer over medium heat for about thirty minutes.

3. Meatballs in tomato sauce

You can make regular meatballs and simmer them in regular tomato sauce with tomatoes and tomato paste. It will be tasty, but a little boring. What if you create an explosion of emotions and prepare a dish that is quite simple, but tasty and extraordinary? Easily. The minced meat itself, where cottage cheese is added, and the sauce, which has a simply indescribable taste, will turn out to be unusual.

Minced meat - 0.4 kg
Cottage cheese - 100 g
Egg – 1 pc.
Onion – 1 pc. large
Garlic - 2 cloves
Bread - 2-3 slices (100-150 g)
milk or cream - 2 tbsp. l.
greenery
ready mustard - 1 tsp.
salt, spices

Tomato - 2 pcs. large
onions – 2 pcs.
sweet pepper – 2 pcs.
carrots – 1 pc.
ketchup - 3 tbsp. l
tomato paste - 2 tbsp. l
starch and sugar - 1 tbsp. l
salt
greenery
ground black pepper
garlic - 2 cloves
water or broth - 300 ml

Preparation:

Grind the onion and garlic (on a grater, using a blender). Add minced meat and bread soaked in water (or milk) and squeezed out. Knead. The next step is to add the egg, cottage cheese and mustard. Chop the greens, pour in the milk and knead again. At the final stage, add salt and pepper. You can limit yourself to this, or you can add other spices - nutmeg or Provençal herbs, for example. Roll into meatballs of your favorite size. Can be like cutlets or smaller. The main thing is to get round little bells. Dip them in flour, fry and set aside for a while.

Prepare the sauce. It is important for him to chop or grate the ingredients as finely as possible. So, heat the oil. Lightly fry the onion in it, add grated carrots, fry for a couple more minutes, put bell pepper and tomatoes and fry a little more. Next add sugar, salt, ketchup and tomato. Simmer the vegetable mixture for three minutes.

Dilute the starch in 50 ml of water and pour into the sauce. Stir, add water or broth (you can use a cube), chop the herbs and add chopped garlic. Cover the sauce with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. The crucial moment comes: the meatballs are immersed in the sauce. They need to be completely covered with it. Cover this almost finished dish with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with any side dish - rice, vegetables, potatoes.

4. Meatballs in sour cream sauce

The meatballs turn out very soft, with a delicate taste. Any meat is suitable for them. You can take ready-made minced meat or grind whole pieces through a meat grinder. If desired, the onion can be pre-fried, this will give the meat balls an original taste.

Ingredients:

Minced meat - 0.5 kg
stale White bread— 150 g
onions – 2 pcs.
eggs - 2-3 pcs.
salt pepper

Sour cream – 200 g
Flour - 2 tsp.
Salt
water or meat broth - 100 ml

Preparation:

Soak the bread in water (milk), squeeze lightly. It will taste better in milk, but it can also be tasted in water. If you are going to grind the meat through a meat grinder, also pass soaked bread and onions – fried or raw – along with it. Beat the eggs and add them to the minced meat. It is the beaten eggs that make the meatballs tender and juicy. Add salt and pepper. Knead the minced meat thoroughly and beat it a little for airiness. Roll into balls, roll in flour and fry. They are small in size, so they are fried until fully cooked. Transfer the meatballs to a cauldron.
For the sauce, mix sour cream, broth (or water), salt, and flour. Pour this mixture over the meatballs and simmer for five minutes.

5. Meatballs in the oven

Delicious meatballs with added cheese. It makes the meatballs more tasty, and the tomato mixture in which they are stewed – more juicy.

Ingredients:

minced meat - 0.5 kg
cheese - 150 g
egg – 1 pc.
onion – 1 pc.
salt pepper

Tomatoes - 4-5 pcs. large,
Sugar - 1 tsp.
salt pepper

Preparation:

Chop the onion very finely and grate the cheese. Mix everything with minced meat, salt and pepper.
Remove the peel from the tomatoes and finely chop the pulp. You can do it faster - cut the tomato in half and grate it. The pulp gradually wears off, but the skin remains in the hands. Add a little salt to the tomato mass and add sugar. Here you need to try. If the tomatoes are sweeter, add a little less sugar, and vice versa. You need to rely on your taste. You can add herbs or allspice. Pour the seasoned tomato mixture into a mold and place in the oven, or simmer on the stove for 10 minutes to release the juice. Yes, this is an interesting turn of events.

While the tomatoes are releasing their juice, form meatballs with wet hands and plunge into the stewed tomato mixture. Bake for 30 minutes until done (200 C).

6. Meatballs in a slow cooker

Cooking in a slow cooker is pure pleasure. All you need to do is load the groceries; she does the rest herself. There is no need to monitor the process, nothing will burn or run away. And after a certain time, all that remains is to pick up the delicious finished dish. Like, for example, meatballs.

Ingredients:

Minced meat - 0.5 kg
salt
egg-1
ground pepper
rice - 0.5 tbsp.
onion – 1 pc.

bay leaf, salt, spices.
water or broth - 400 ml
flour, mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup (tomato paste) - 2 tbsp. l.

Cooking method:

Boil the rice. Chop the onion and mix with other ingredients for the meatballs. Form balls and place in a bowl.
In a bowl, thoroughly mix all the ingredients for the sauce and pour it over the meatballs. Turn on the “Extinguishing” mode for 1 hour.

Meatballs - useful tips experienced chefs:

The meatballs will turn out tastier if you don’t use purchased minced meat, but cook it yourself from meat. It turns out more juicy, because... it retains the meat juices.

To make the meatballs juicy and fluffy, soaked bread is added to the minced meat - it absorbs the meat juice, preventing it from escaping. It is better to use stale bread, because... fresh gives the meatballs a not very pleasant stickiness.
When writing this article, materials from the site http://zhenskoe-mnenie.ru/ were used

Gulhayo Rakhimova

Meatballs with rice is a simple and satisfying dish made from minced meat and rice, which occupies a leading position in large families. Cooking requires simple, affordable ingredients and not a lot of time.

Meatballs are prepared on the stove, in the oven and in the slow cooker - there are many variations. In addition to rice, add onions and carrots. Meatballs are prepared with gravy, sour cream or tomato sauce. We offer several recipes for homemade and delicious meatballs with rice. It is important to know that the rice in this dish is always pre-boiled, but not completely. You can use different minced meat: with chicken and turkey, the dish will turn out to be more dietary, with pork it will be more satisfying.

Classic meatballs with rice recipe

Classic meatballs with rice served with a side dish. The most common and tasty option- This mashed potatoes.

Taste Info Meat main courses

Ingredients

  • Rice – 400 g;
  • Minced meat – 1 kg;
  • Carrots – 1-2 pieces;
  • Onion – 2 large onions;
  • Tomato paste – 3 tablespoons;
  • Sour cream – 200 g;
  • Water – 2 glasses;
  • Vegetable oil – 1 tablespoon;
  • Salt, pepper - to taste.


How to cook classic meatballs with rice and minced meat

To prepare meatballs according to the classic recipe, you need to start with rice. If you want to cook the meatballs not today, but the next day, pour boiling water over the rice overnight. By morning it will swell and will not require pre-boiling. Otherwise, the rice needs to be boiled. Pour water over the rice until it covers a little. Place on the fire, bring to a boil, and reduce the heat. We wait for the water to boil away. Cool the cooked rice to room temperature.

In the meatball recipe, the rice is always boiled; the rice is not boiled when preparing “hedgehogs” with rice - this is similar to meatballs, but is prepared a little differently.

Peel the carrots and grate them on a fine grater. Chop the onion as finely as possible. Fry on vegetable oil onion, then add carrots to it. Fry them together for 5 minutes.

Now let's get to the minced meat. If you cook it yourself, pay attention to the freshness of the meat. Fatty meat is not suitable for this dish. If you use store-bought minced meat, pay attention to the fat content. Fatty meatballs will disintegrate.

Combine minced meat, half-cooked rice, and fried onions and carrots in a bowl.

Mix the mass well. Salt and pepper the future meatballs to taste.

We form balls from the mass. Place them in a pan in one or two layers. Use a thick-bottomed pan so that the meatballs do not burn during cooking. If there is no other pan, then place cabbage leaves on the bottom, they will protect the meatballs from burning, but if there is no cabbage, then make a pillow of grated carrots for the meatballs.

In some recipes, the meatballs are pre-fried; this can be done to ensure that the meatballs do not fall apart. In this recipe they are not fried, they turn out whole and soft.

Dissolve tomato paste in a glass of water. Add sour cream and remaining water, mix well. You can add a little salt.

Pour the sauce over the meatballs. The sauce should cover the meatballs 2/3. If there is not enough, add some water directly to the pan.

Place the meatballs on low heat and cook covered for 35-40 minutes according to the recipe. Serve classic meatballs with rice and minced meat with a vegetable side dish or mashed potatoes. You can serve them as an independent dish.

Teaser network

Meatballs with rice in sour cream sauce

Thanks to sour cream, the meatballs are very tender and soft. Meatballs with rice and gravy only take 45 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:


Preparation

  1. To prepare delicious meatballs with rice in sour cream sauce, prepare the minced meat yourself. Twist 200 grams of pork pulp and 200 grams of beef pulp. Stir. If you cook meatballs in sour cream sauce for children, it is better to use dietary meat: turkey and rabbit.
  2. Rinse the rice well until the water becomes clear, place in a saucepan, add a glass of water and add salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the gas to low and cover the pan with a lid. Cook the rice until all the liquid has evaporated. Don't worry, if the rice is not completely cooked, the meatballs will then undergo further heat treatment. To prepare the minced meatballs, the rice will need to be cooled.
  3. Add 100 ml of water, salt and spices to the sour cream, mix.
  4. In a bowl, mix the minced meat, squeezed garlic, salt, and add a little ground black pepper. Mix the minced meat with rice and form meatballs. It is desirable that they be the same size, so it is better to shape them with a tablespoon. Perfect size for meatballs - about the size of a walnut.
  5. Roll the finished meatballs in flour or breadcrumbs, fry for five minutes in butter or vegetable oil.
  6. Then pour the meatballs sour cream sauce, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the saucepan with a lid and simmer the meatballs in sour cream sauce for 20 minutes.
  7. Sprinkle the finished dish with finely grated cheese and finely chopped fresh herbs.

Meatballs with rice like in kindergarten

Remember that magical taste of kindergarten meatballs? Let's try to reproduce it. It will take 60 minutes to prepare, you will get 6 servings of meatballs with rice as in kindergarten.

Ingredients:


Preparation

  1. Add cooled rice to the minced meat and add salt. Peel the onion and finely chop it, add it to the minced meat along with the eggs, pepper and mix.
  2. Form the meatballs small size. To make them smooth and beautiful, place a plate with cold water and wet your hands with it. Meatballs are prepared like in kindergarten without breading, so you have to use water.
  3. Take a deep frying pan or saucepan, heat the vegetable oil and fry the meatballs, stirring, on all sides until golden brown. Fry over medium heat; there is no need to cook the meatballs until done.
  4. Mix half a glass of water with tomato paste and salt. When the meatballs are fried, pour the resulting sauce and wait until it boils. As soon as the meatballs boil, immediately reduce the gas to minimum, cover the saucepan with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. Mix sour cream with flour, add 100 ml of water and pour over the meatballs. Close the lid again and simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve with any side dish.

Meatballs with rice in the oven

Meatballs made from fatty minced meat will definitely fall apart if they are not cooked in the oven. This recipe is perfect for meatballs made from fatty minced pork.

Ingredients:


Preparation

  1. Rinse half a glass of rice thoroughly until the water is clear. Place in a saucepan with a thick bottom and pour a glass of boiling water. Cook over low heat, covered, until all the water has evaporated. Leave the rice to cool. It should only be added to the minced meat when it has cooled.
  2. Rinse the minced meat, grind through a meat grinder with half an onion. Grate the carrots on a fine grater and divide into two parts. Add one half to the minced meat, leave the other half for gravy. Soak the bread in milk, knead it and add to the minced meat. Add cooled rice and egg. Salt, add spices for meat, form meatballs.
  3. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan, a little less than half the amount indicated in the ingredients. Roll each meatball in flour and fry until golden brown.
  4. Fry grated carrots and chopped onions in vegetable oil. Add 4 tablespoons of tomato paste and 1 liter of purified water. When the sauce boils, add salt, reduce heat and simmer covered for five minutes.
  5. Place the meatballs in a baking dish and pour hot tomato sauce over them. Cover the baking dish with foil and place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes, serve with fresh herbs.

You can cook meatballs with rice in the oven every day, varying the recipes a little.

Meatballs with steamed rice

For steamed meatballs, you will need sauce. You can take the sour cream or tomato recipe given above.

Ingredients:


Preparation

  1. Wash the round rice and cook in a glass of water. Add salt during cooking. There is no need to cook until done, the main thing is that the water boils away. Gas after boiling to a minimum.
  2. Soak the loaf crumb in milk, leave for about five minutes to swell. Mix the loaf with cooled rice, add eggs. Grind the onion in any convenient way: grind in a meat grinder, chop with a blender, grate or cut into cubes. Add chopped parsley or dill.
  3. It is better to use dietary minced meat for steaming meatballs: turkey, rabbit, chicken breast.
  4. Mix all the prepared ingredients, add salt and pepper and roll into small meatballs.
  5. You can sprinkle the cutting board with brittle and freeze the meatballs for future use.
  6. Place fresh meatballs in a steamer tray and steam for 30 minutes. Steamed meatballs with rice are ready! Serve with stewed vegetables and any side dish.

Meatballs with rice and cabbage

Juicy and tender meatballs with cabbage in tomato sauce are incredibly tasty. This dish resembles cabbage rolls; it is also called lazy cabbage rolls.

Ingredients for 6 servings:


Preparation

  1. Wash the cabbage, remove the top leaves, cut out the tough veins. To prepare meatballs we need 250 grams.
  2. Finely chop the cabbage and peeled onions.
  3. Grate the peeled carrots on a coarse grater.
  4. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry the carrots, onions and cabbage over medium heat until the cabbage and carrots become soft.
  5. Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water becomes clear. Pour 2 cups boiling water and cook over high heat for 8 minutes. Then place the rice in a sieve to drain and cool.
  6. Add cooled rice to the minced meat, cooled vegetable stew, egg, salt, add spices and knead.
  7. Roll the meatballs and place them in heated vegetable oil. Fry on all sides until golden brown. You will have to fry in batches, because you get a lot of meatballs.
  8. If you don’t want to cook all the meatballs, then fry as much as you can in a frying pan, and put the rest in the freezer. Place the meatballs in a cauldron and pour boiling water so that it covers them halfway.
  9. When the water boils again, add tomato paste and salt, stir, cover the cauldron with a lid and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
  10. Add sour cream mixed with 100 ml of water and pour into the meatballs. Mix carefully, as they are almost ready, and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Tips for housewives:

  • Meatballs with rice and minced meat can be prepared for future use. Roll the balls and place them on a board or tray in one layer. Freeze in the freezer for several hours. As soon as they begin to “knock” against each other, transfer them to a bag or container. You need to cook such meatballs without defrosting them, simply placing them in boiling sauce.
  • Don't buy parboiled rice for meatballs. It's best to take a round one.
  • It is very convenient to boil rice in bags for meatballs. You can also boil rice in a large amount of water, and after the rice is ready, drain the water.
  • You can use any minced meat for meatballs, as long as it is low-fat. Dietary options are chicken, turkey, rabbit. It is advisable to twist the minced meat yourself, at least you will know what it is made of.

Migrated from Asian to European cuisine different dishes. For a couple of centuries, some seemed like a curiosity, but in today’s realities, finding many among the dishes of a home menu or cafe is commonplace. Recipes include choosing minced meat to taste, cereals, vegetables, gravy, but how to make meatballs tasty?

Cooking meatballs

The juicy meatball in the photo beckons with its appetizing appearance. Some people want to feel the delicate taste, while others prefer meat balls with a crispy crust, but not many people know how to cook meatballs so that they turn out like that. The classic recipe involves a combination of minced meat and rice, forming the resulting mass into balls and then simmering them in sauce. You can do this on the stove, in the oven or in a slow cooker; it is better to choose a low saucepan or frying pan from the dishes.

Ground meat

This is the main component that directly affects the taste of the finished dish. Classic recipe stipulates that the minced meat for the meatballs is taken from meat (pork, beef), often these types are mixed in equal proportions. For the dietary version of the famous second course, choose chicken or turkey. How to cook meatballs with original taste, but useful? Take minced fish, for the preparation of which inexpensive types are suitable (pollock, hake).

Sauce

This second main component has its own special mission. If you choose and prepare the sauce for the meatballs correctly, the finished dish will turn out juicy, tender, and appetizing. The gravy will turn them into an independent hot main course or allow you to choose any side dish to your taste: mashed potatoes, spaghetti, vegetable stew. A common sauce option is sour cream or tomato, but the most delicious meat balls are obtained by mixing these types.

Meatballs - recipe

The methods of preparing a well-known dish are not very different from each other. In order for the meat balls to look as appetizing as in the photo of the culinary resource, you will have to strictly observe the proportions of the ingredients. Any step by step recipe cooking meatballs contains descriptions and recommendations that reveal culinary secrets so that the “hedgehogs” turn out soft, with a crispy crust, and do not fall apart. Among the options, it won’t be difficult to find a recipe with an original taste that will surprise your guests.

Meatballs with gravy

Juicy, with a delicate taste and always with a golden brown crust - this is what ideal balls with meat and rice look like. How to cook meatballs with gravy in a frying pan without them falling apart? First you need to fry them: to do this, take a frying pan without a lid, carefully turn the balls over a couple of times, and then transfer them to another deep container, pouring them with sauce.

Ingredients:

  • minced meat (pork, beef) – 800 g;
  • egg – 1 pc.;
  • boiled rice – 150 g;
  • onion - head;
  • sour cream – 3 tbsp. spoons;
  • tomato paste – 3 tbsp. spoons;
  • spices, herbs - to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. Combine boiled rice with fried onions and minced meat.
  2. Place in a bowl, add egg, rice, stir.
  3. Form balls and spread in an even layer.
  4. Prepare the gravy by mixing tomato paste with sour cream and spices.
  5. Pour in the sauce and simmer for half an hour.

Even more cooking recipes.

In the oven

With this culinary recipe it is very easy to learn how to cook a dish familiar from childhood. How to cook juicy meatballs? Before forming the balls, the minced meat should be “beaten”, i.e. pick it up, pick it up, throw it on the table, repeat this several times. Helps you avoid unpleasant surprises step by step description process, and making meatballs in the oven tender in taste - useful tips.

Ingredients:

  • minced meat – 800 g;
  • egg – 1 pc.;
  • rice – 100 g;
  • sour cream – 100 g;
  • tomato juice– 0.5 cups;
  • flour – 1 tbsp. spoon;
  • spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. Mix cooked rice until half cooked with minced meat and onions.
  2. To prepare the gravy, take tomato juice and dilute with sour cream.
  3. Form into balls, roll in flour, fry in a frying pan
  4. Pour in the sauce and simmer for 30 minutes in the oven.

With rice

The classic recipe for preparing a dish well known from childhood assumes that, in addition to minced meat, its second component will be this cereal crop. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking, you can serve this nutritious dish. How to cook minced meatballs with rice? First, select large grains, boil and cool, and then proceed to the main process.

Ingredients:

  • minced meat – 500 g;
  • rice – 200 g;
  • water – 400 ml;
  • egg – 1 pc.;
  • onion – 1 head;
  • garlic – 2 cloves;
  • cream or sour cream - 2 tbsp. spoons;
  • tomato paste – 1 tbsp. spoon;
  • spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. Mix the egg with the minced meat, add salt, finely chopped onion, garlic, and boiled rice.
  2. Form into balls and fry in a frying pan. Transfer to a saucepan.
  3. Make the sauce: dilute cream (sour cream), tomato paste hot water, pour meat balls with rice.
  4. Simmer the dish covered for a quarter of an hour.

In a slow cooker

Useful and convenient kitchen appliance ideal for preparing a delicious second. Any type of minced meat will do, you can choose pork or turkey, a good option– assorted. It is better to mix it with coarse white rice, and the remaining products should be added strictly according to the recipe to prevent the formed balls from falling apart. It's time to get down to business and learn how to cook meatballs in a slow cooker.

Ingredients:

  • minced pork – 500 g;
  • egg – 1 pc.;
  • rice – 120 g;
  • water – 200 ml;
  • onion – 2 heads;
  • sour cream – 2 tbsp. spoons;
  • ketchup – 1 tbsp. spoon;
  • flour – 2 tbsp. spoons;
  • spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. Chop the onion, add minced meat, egg, thoroughly washed rice, salt.
  2. For the gravy, combine sour cream, ketchup, flour, stirring until smooth. Then pour in a glass of water and whisk the sauce again.
  3. Form into balls and fry for a few minutes.
  4. When a crust forms, pour in the sauce and set the “Stew” mode, which will take about half an hour.

From minced chicken

Poultry meat is considered dietary, representing an easily digestible protein. A well-known dish will also be low-calorie, but how to cook meatballs so that they turn out tender? To do this, it is better to take the breast, and before preparing the minced meat, marinate it for a couple of hours in mustard or kefir. If you want to make the dish spicy, then you should cook chicken meatballs in the oven with curry or a mixture of peppers.

Ingredients:

  • minced chicken – 600 g;
  • boiled rice – 200 g;
  • onion – 1 head;
  • garlic – 2 cloves;
  • egg – 1 pc.;
  • sour cream – 2 tbsp. spoons;
  • tomato paste (ketchup) – 1 tbsp. spoon;
  • breadcrumbs - 2 tbsp. spoons;
  • spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. Finely chop the onion and garlic, fry, add to the minced meat with rice.
  2. Beat the egg separately, pour the egg mixture into the mixture, stir.
  3. Form into balls and fry in a frying pan.
  4. Make the sauce by mixing sour cream with tomato paste and pour into a saucepan.
  5. Simmer until done for no more than 15 minutes.

From ground beef

Another version of a dish familiar from childhood, which proves how nutritious the combination of meat with rice, pearl barley or buckwheat can be. How to cook beef meatballs so that they retain a delicate taste and are soft? It is better to make the minced meat yourself, then beat it well, and any cereal should be boiled first.

Ingredients:

  • minced beef – 500 g;
  • rice (buckwheat, pearl barley) – 100 g;
  • onion – 1 head;
  • garlic – 1 clove;
  • water – 1 glass;
  • sour cream – 200 g;
  • spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. Finely chop the onion and garlic, pour into the minced meat, add rice. To stir thoroughly.
  2. Form balls, roll in flour, fry in hot vegetable oil until golden brown.
  3. Place in a saucepan, pour in sour cream, add water.
  4. Simmer for about 40 minutes on low heat.

In sour cream sauce

The taste of this dish, melting on the tongue when prepared, will immediately captivate you. Especially the chicken meatballs cream sauce Children will like them, and adults can add mustard or ketchup to make the taste more piquant. How to cook chicken meatballs? Involve your child in this process; he will definitely enjoy mixing products and sculpting meat “hedgehogs” with his own hands.

Ingredients:

  • chicken fillet– 600 g;
  • egg – 1 pc.;
  • cheese – 200 g;
  • onion – 1 head;
  • sour cream – 300 ml;
  • garlic – 2 cloves;
  • spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. Finely chop the onion, combine with the minced meat, add the egg, and stir.
  2. Squeeze the garlic into the sour cream under pressure and mix well.
  3. Form “hedgehogs”, place in one layer on the bottom of the dish, put in the oven for a quarter of an hour.
  4. Pour the grated cheese into the sour cream and garlic, dilute with hot water, pour over the dish, and leave for another 20 minutes.

From pork

Nutritious, but light on the stomach - this is what explains the popularity of this second dish. To make the minced pork meatballs with gravy fluffy, add soaked white bread. A vegetable stew is suitable as a side dish, and for dinner it is better to serve meat balls with gravy as an independent dish in combination with a salad (cabbage, greens, cucumbers, etc.).

Ingredients:

  • pork – 1 kg;
  • egg – 2 pcs.;
  • rice – 200 g;
  • tomato paste – 3 tbsp. spoons;
  • carrots – 2 pcs.;
  • onion – 1 head

Cooking method:

  1. Twist the meat and make minced meat.
  2. Boil rice, mix with minced meat, eggs, finely chopped onion.
  3. Form into balls, roll in flour and fry.
  4. Then pour in tomato paste, a glass of water, and add chopped carrots.
  5. Simmer covered until done.

From fish

This cooking option is inferior to the meat recipe, but it cooks faster and turns out healthy. How to cook fish meatballs? If you do everything correctly, it will be difficult to refuse the supplement. Delicate taste The gravy helps preserve it, and the finished dish will be to the taste of even those who are not particularly fond of healthy sea or river fish on a person’s menu.

Ingredients:

  • fish fillet – 800 g;
  • milk – 200 ml;
  • white bread – 50 g;
  • tomato paste – 60 g;
  • onion – 1 head;
  • spices - to taste

Cooking method:

  1. Crumble the bread, soak in milk, mince the fish along with the onion.
  2. Roll into balls, bread, and place in one layer.
  3. Fry the tomato paste with flour in a frying pan, pour in half a glass of water, and simmer.
  4. Pour the filling onto the fish balls and bake in the oven for half an hour.

Egg meatballs

The taste of the finished dish is almost no different from chicken cutlets. If you want to do it quickly dietary dish, then egg meatballs are perfect for this. It is better to serve them with vegetables, herbs, and boiled potatoes. This version of a familiar dish will complement the daily menu of fans healthy eating and is suitable for those who are watching their weight.

Ingredients:

  • eggs – 5 pcs.;
  • potatoes – 1 pc.;
  • bread –300 g;
  • onion – 1 head;
  • lard - 2 tbsp. spoons;
  • flour – 1 tbsp. spoon;
  • spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. Break 4 eggs, beat as for an omelette, add onion, fry.
  2. Pass bread soaked in milk and boiled potatoes through a meat grinder along with fried eggs.
  3. Add to the resulting mixture a raw egg, a tablespoon of flour.
  4. Form into balls and simmer until done.

Bake, stew, or fry minced meatballs is a matter of taste. In order for the meat balls to turn into a delicious treat reminiscent of a carefree childhood, you will have to get acquainted with some culinary tricks. Here are some practical advice from the masters, with the help of whom you can prepare an appetizing second dish that will not disappoint in either taste or appearance:

  • Before adding to the future dish, the cereal should be boiled.
  • To create a crispy crust, you can use wheat, rice flour, and breadcrumbs.
  • Use one pan for frying and the other for stewing, i.e. transfer the half-finished dish into it.

Video

Meatballs with gravy are perhaps one of the most delicious meat dishes. Particularly suitable for feeding children. Few people know that this dish is prepared in many countries, and in Sweden it is national. In each country it has its own special name. For example, in South Asia and the Middle East it is called kufta. Kufta is prepared very often and is a traditional food. In Sicily, fried meatballs using rice are called arancini.

At first glance, it may seem that meatballs are ordinary cutlets, but they are different dishes. The first difference is the shape. Meatballs are mainly made in the form of small balls, the size of which varies. Second hallmark is breading. If cutlets are breaded in breadcrumbs, then meatballs are breaded in flour (rice or wheat). The third and main difference is that foreign additives are always mixed into the meat. Most often these are cereals, for example, boiled rice. Sometimes small pieces of tomatoes and dried fruits are added.

Juicy and tender meat balls very quickly become the favorite food of children and adults. However, when meatballs with gravy are prepared for children, excessive addition of spices and onions should be avoided, especially if the child has not reached one year of age. If your offspring does not like to eat meat, then you should prepare meatballs for him. The child will like them immediately, and you won’t even be able to pull them off by the ears.

The main feature of the famous culinary masterpiece is that it is prepared and served directly in gravy, which is similar in consistency to sauce.

Meatballs are often eaten as an independent dish, without the presence of a side dish, which reduces cooking time and makes the housewife’s work easier. After all, they are served not only for the everyday, but also for the festive table.

It is also worth noting the usefulness of this appetizing dish, thanks to its vitamin and mineral composition (calcium, selenium, sodium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, as well as vitamins A and B). If the meatballs are steamed, they can be safely eaten by people on a diet or building muscle mass.

The most delicious recipes

A variety of recipes allows you to experiment with flavors and choose a favorite option for your household. After all, meatballs, like other meat foods, can be cooked different ways. They can be stewed, fried, baked or steamed. Cooking them at home is not difficult even for novice housewives.

Ingredients may vary, depending on your personal taste preferences. Buckwheat, rice, barley, flour, carrots, onions, eggs and various spices are often added to the main mass.

Minced meat can also consist of various types meat at the same time. Ready-made meatballs can be combined with porridge, vegetables or salads as a side dish, or served as an independent second course for lunch.

To prepare meatballs with rice and gravy in a frying pan, you need to take:

  • 500 g minced meat;
  • 100 g rice;
  • 1 egg;
  • 100 g sour cream;
  • 1 tbsp. l. tomato paste;
  • 1 PC. Luke;
  • 1 PC. carrots;
  • a little vegetable oil;
  • salt and ground pepper to taste.

First of all, you need to boil the rice, but leave it a little damp inside. Combine rice with egg and minced meat. Season with salt and pepper and then stir.

For the sauce you need to chop the onion and grate the carrots. Fry the mixture in oil for a couple of minutes. Add a little water, tomato paste and sour cream to the frying pan with the mixture. Boil all this over low heat for about 10 minutes. Don't forget to pepper and salt the sauce.

Make balls from the mixture of minced meat and rice and place them in a frying pan with the sauce. It is necessary to close the dish with a lid and continue to simmer for 40 minutes over low heat. If the sauce thickens, add a little water.

With tomato sauce

To prepare meatballs with tomato sauce, need to:

  • 500 g minced meat;
  • 2 pcs. Luke;
  • 125 g rice;
  • 1 PC. carrots;
  • 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste;
  • 4 things. bay leaf;
  • 1 tsp. Sahara;
  • 6 pcs. peppercorns;
  • 3 tbsp. l. wheat flour for breading and gravy;
  • salt, coriander and ground pepper to taste.

Boil the rice a little and rinse it with cold water. Add chopped onions, grated carrots and boiled rice to the minced meat. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. To make the balls more even and beautiful, wet your hands first. Then roll the meatballs in flour and fry.

To make the gravy, dilute half a liter of water with tomato paste and flour. Add sugar, spices and salt. Sometimes the flour on the meatballs themselves, which was used for breading, is enough to thicken the gravy. Pour the water, pasta and flour over the meatballs in the frying pan and simmer covered for a little over half an hour.

A very simple recipe for meatballs in sour cream sauce with garlic. Those who are not fans of this plant can omit it from the recipe. So, we will need:

  • 250 g each of minced pork and beef;
  • 1 egg;
  • 2 pcs. Luke;
  • 200 ml sour cream;
  • 250 ml cream;
  • 3 cloves of garlic;
  • 2 tbsp. l. flour;
  • salt and spices to taste.

Peel and finely chop the onion, and then fry in a frying pan. Mix two types of minced meat and add half the fried onion, egg and seasonings with salt. Make balls from the mixture.

Preheat the oven and set the temperature to 180 degrees. Place the meat balls in a deep and greased form and place everything in the oven for 6 minutes.

Prepare the sauce in a deep frying pan. First fry the flour, and then pour in sour cream and cream, add onions. Squeeze the garlic into the prepared sauce and add salt. The final touch is to pour sour cream sauce over the meatballs. Cook the dish for 30-40 minutes.

Meatballs without rice with gravy

Meatballs without rice with creamy sour cream sauce are very tasty and juicy. Required ingredients:

  • 500 g minced meat;
  • 3 pcs. Luke;
  • 2 cloves of garlic;
  • 5 tbsp. l. sour cream;
  • 5 tbsp. l. tomato paste;
  • 1 egg;
  • 2 tbsp. l. flour for breading;
  • 1 tbsp. water;
  • pepper and salt to taste.

Finely chop the onion and garlic and add them to the minced meat. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and add the egg, then stir. Roll the prepared meat balls in flour and fry in a frying pan.

For the sauce, mix tomato paste with sour cream and add water to the mixture. Add the resulting mixture to the meatballs and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Diet meatballs

Meatballs according to this recipe are suitable not only for women who are losing weight, but also for small children. Required ingredients:

  • 300 g minced chicken;
  • 0.5 pcs. Luke;
  • 0.5 pcs. carrots;
  • 50 g rice;
  • 1 tomato;
  • herbs and salt to taste.

Add finely grated carrots and onions to the minced meat. Boil the rice until almost done. Rinse it with cold water and add to the meat mixture. Add chopped greens to the mixture, add salt and mix.

Scald the tomato and remove the skin. After that, chop it finely and put it in a saucepan with a small amount of water. Simmer the mixture over low heat for 10 minutes. Salt the sauce and add herbs.

Place the formed meat balls on a tray and pour water into the steamer. Cook for 30 minutes. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can replace it with a saucepan with a colander in which to cook the meatballs.

For meatballs with cheese you need to take:

  • 500 g minced meat;
  • 1 egg;
  • 2 slices of white bread;
  • 200 g cheese;
  • 2 tbsp. l. wheat flour;
  • 1 tbsp. l. tomato paste;
  • herbs, salt, seasonings to taste.

Grate the onion and add to the minced meat. Add soaked bread, egg, seasonings and salt there. Cut the cheese into cubes. Form the meat mixture into tortillas and place a little cheese in the center. Then roll the tortillas into balls so that the cheese is in the center.

Place the meat balls with cheese on a greased baking sheet and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.

Time to make the sauce. Chop the onion and fry it. Add flour, tomato paste, seasonings and salt to the onion in a frying pan. Cook for three minutes and add the herbs at the end.

In order for the meatballs to always turn out tasty and juicy, you need to follow a few simple rules.

  1. In order for the meatballs to maintain their integrity and not fall apart, you need to immediately fill them with hot water.
  2. If you are still afraid that they will fall apart, then you should cook them immediately in the oven.
  3. If this or that cereal is present in the recipe, then the proportions must be strictly observed. After all, a large amount of cereal will be made from meat dish rice or buckwheat.
  4. When mixing several types of minced meat at once and adding cereal to them, you need to give the mixture time to brew so that the ingredients are saturated with each other’s aromas.
  5. To prevent the meat balls from sticking to your hands, the latter must first be moistened in water.
  6. It is better to put the molded balls in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes so that they become stronger.
  7. For greater cohesion of the ingredients, you should add an egg or grated potato to the mass.

Conclusion

There are no particular difficulties in how to cook meatballs with gravy. Keeping proportions and simple technique preparation, you can get this juicy and healthy dish the first time. The rich recipe allows you to experiment and choose the most delicious recipe.

The big advantage of the dish is that it is perfect for both adults and children. Meatballs also look good on festive table and fill the room with a pleasant meat aroma.

Mother of two children. I have been running a house for more than 7 years - this is my main job. I like to experiment, I try all the time various means, ways, techniques that can make our lives easier, more modern, richer. I love my family.