Beef Bourguignon Meatballs (Boulettes de Boeuf Bourguignon)

Overhead horizontal photo of a black cast iron skillet of Beef Bourguinon Meatballs (Boulettes de Bœuf Bourguignon).

5 from 2 votes

Beef Bourguignon Meatballs (Boulettes de Boeuf Bourguignon)

Want to feel a little fancy without breaking the bank? These make-ahead Beef Bourguinon Meatballs are outrageously delicious easy to put together, work well for entertaining and will make an ordinary day quite special!

Prep Time40

Cook Time35

Total Time1 15

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: French, French-American

Keyword: Beef Bourguinon Meatballs

Servings:

Calories: 315kcal

Author: Chris Scheuer

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 pound lean ground beef 90%
1 large egg
⅓ cup milk
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 medium shallot finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence

For the veggies and sauce:

2 slices smoky bacon
8 ounces carrots
8 ounces mushrooms I like crimin but regular button mushrooms will also work
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter I use salted
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon butter I use salted
1 medium shallot finely chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
3 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth divided
8 ounces frozen pearl onions optional
2 medium bay leaves
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup thawed baby frozen peas optional

For serving:

mash potatoes or polenta or pasta of choice (pappardelle is delicious)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the meatballs:

Line a sheet pan with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. With a large sturdy spatula or your hands, mix the mixture until combined. Don’t over-mix.
Form the ground beef mixture into 16 portions, about 1½ ounces (45g) each. (I like to use a retractable ice cream scooper to portion out the meat.)
Roll the portions into round balls between the palms of your hands. It’s easier to roll the meat mixture into nice balls if your hands are slightly wet. Place the round balls on the prepared pan.
Refrigerate the meatballs while you cook the bacon and prep the other ingredients. (You can prep the meatballs to this point and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours before continuing with the recipe. No need to cover them unless it will be more than an hour.)

While the meatballs are chilling:

Preheat the oven to 375˚F (195˚C)
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until golden and crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon to a small plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.
While the bacon is cooking, cut the carrots into ½-inch thick slices (on a slight angle. Finely chop the shallots. Set aside.
Once the bacon is cooked and removed from the pan, cut the mushrooms into ½-inch slices and transfer them to the large skillet that you cooked the bacon in (don't worry about cleaning the skillet) and add 1 cup of chicken broth.
Bring to a boil and cook for 6-8 minutes (uncovered), stirring occasionally until the mushrooms have released their water and most of the liquid has been evaporated. Reduce the heat to low and add 1 tablespoon of butter, the balsamic vinegar and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until nicely browned then remove them from the pan and set aside.

For roasting the meatballs:

Bring the meatballs out of the refrigerator. Drizzle them lightly with olive oil to coat then bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.

For the sauce:

While the meatballs are roasting, prepare the sauce. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the same pan that you cooked the mushrooms in (again, don't wash the pan). Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the shallots and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste darkens slightly in color.
Add the red wine, increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil rapidly for 3-5 minutes until the wine is reduced down to almost nothing - it will have a thick, syrupy consistency.
Add 3 cups of the chicken broth (reserve the remaining half cup), the sliced carrots, cooked bacon, pearl onions, bay leaves, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of chopped rosemary, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
Add the 2 teaspoons cornstarch to the reserved ½ cup of chicken broth. Stir until smooth.
Uncover the pan and stir in the broth/cornstarch mixture until well combined. Allow the sauce to simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the mushrooms, meatballs, peas and remaining teaspoon of chopped rosemary to the sauce and stir gently. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes until everything is heated through. Remove the bay leaves, serve and enjoy!

Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.

If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.

Nutrition