Caramelized Onion Meatballs and Potatoes
These caramelized onion meatballs and potatoes cooked in a tomato based sauce are my ultimate comfort meal. The meatballs are tender and flavorful, and are cooked with yellow potatoes in a sweet, spiced tomato sauce.
This is the perfect one-pan dish to serve over rice for a holiday meal or for a cozy night in. It’s a great recipe to make ahead and enjoy all week long.
Growing up, there was always hearty pot of something cooking when we got back from school. Living away from family, I always look to childhood favorites of mine when I’m missing home, and this dish reminds me so much of my mom’s and grandma’s cooking.
The caramelized onions are an added step that add so much flavor to the meatballs, and the combination of warm spices give these meatballs a middle eastern twist.
How to make caramelized onion meatballs
Here’s what you’ll need for the meatballs:
- Ground beef
- Egg
- Diced onion, carmelized in olive oil
- Grated zucchini, to keep them moist
- Unseasoned breadcrumbs
- Parsley and cilantro
- Spices: paprika, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, salt & pepper
For the tomato-based sauce, here’s what you’ll need:
- Golden potatoes, peeled and sliced
- Yellow onion
- Grated tomatoes, or crushed tomatoes
- Date syrup
- Spices: paprika, turmeric, salt & pepper
- Olive oil
- You’ll start by caramelizing the diced onion in olive oil for 10-15 minutes, until browned.
- Next, prep the meatballs by combining the ground beef, onions, herbs, spices, eggs and breadcrumbs. Form them into meatballs, flattening them gently so they cook evenly.
- Start your sauce. Saute the sliced onions in olive oil, then add in the sliced potatoes, spices, date syrup and crushed tomatoes. Mix well
- Pour in the water, then nestle the meatballs into the sauce.
- Cover the pot and bring it to boil, then reduce and let the meatballs simmer for about 45 minutes. I like to set the pan under the broiler at the end for 2-3 minutes to brown.
As usual, I used my favorite braiser pan, which is my go-to baking dish for these types of recipes. It’s the perfect pan to serve from straight out of the oven, and makes this recipe that much simpler to make.
How to serve
I typically serve this dish over white basmati or jasmine rice, or pearled couscous. You can serve it warm over your favorite grain, or with a side of roasted vegetables for extra fiber.
Here are a few recipes that would pair well with this dish-
I love serving this for shabbat, holidays, or as a cozy weeknight dinner over a bowl of jasmine rice. The leftovers are even better the next day, and truly hit the spot when you’re craving a home-cooked meal.
Other hearty one-pan dishes:
Lemony Chicken Veggie Meatballs
Spiced Peas and Meatballs
Glazed Chicken Drumsticks with Sweet Potatoes
Caramelized Onion Meatballs and Potatoes
Ingredients
Caramelized Onion Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 cup grated zucchini liquid squeezed out
- 1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Tomato based sauce
- 5 golden potatoes peeled and sliced into rounds or wedges
- 1 yellow onion sliced
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup tomato sauce, or sub 2-3 grated roma tomatoes
- 3 tbsp date syrup, plus more to top
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- Fresh parsley, to top
Directions
Prepare the meatballs
- Heat a large pot or braiser pan on medium heat with 2 tbsp of olive oil- I recommend using the same pot you plan to cook the meatballs and potatoes in. Add the diced onions to the pan, and cook them for about 10-15 minutes until they brown, stirring together every couple of minutes.
- Add the caramelized onions to a bowl with the ground beef, grated zucchini, parsley, cilantro, egg, breadcrumbs and spices. Mix well, then roll into gently flattened meatballs, you should get about 16-20 meatballs. Set aside while you prepare your sauce.
Start the sauce
- In a small bowl, combine the grated tomatoes, date syrup and spices. Whisk together and set aside.
- To the same pan you used for the onions, add 1/3 cup of oil. Once hot, add in the sliced onions. Stir together for about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the meatballs back into the pan over the onions, then layer the potatoes in between the meatballs. If you have leftover zucchini, you can cut it into rounds and layer them between the potatoes.
- Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs and potatoes, then pour the water into the pan. Top with a light drizzle of date syrup.
- Cover the pan and bring the sauce to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 60 minutes. If the sauce is too runny, you can cook for an additional 20 minutes with the lid slightly ajar. Optional, but I like to set the pan uncovered under the broiler for 3 minutes at the end to brown the tops.
- Garnish with chopped parsley when serving.
This dish will be in regular rotation in my household.
I added a few additions to elevate the flavor a little further and subbed others.
1) Garlic. 2-3 cloves (grated) added to the meatballs and another 4 cloves (smashed/rough chop) in the sauce.
2) Deglazed with a little red wine. After sauteing the onion for the sauce, I threw in a little red wine and cooked it off before adding the potatoes and other ingredients. Next time I will add a tablespoon of tomato paste and cook a few minutes to achieve a richer sauce before adding the syrup and grated tomatoes.
4) Subbed large yellow potatoes for baby yellow potatoes because I had them on hand.
3) Subbed the date syrup with agave syrup. Again, an ingredient I already had.
The method used to caramelize the onion resulted in more of a fried onion. Next time, I would use a slow and low method to produce a sweeter caramelized onion.
One last note, this dish pairs well with garlic rice for extra heartiness. Can you tell I like garlic? Lol