Grandma's Applesauce Meatballs

Adding a little applesauce to a savory meatball dish with gravy is one way to keep the meatballs moist and tasty. You won't taste the applesauce.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 441 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
• nonstick cooking spray
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic, or to taste
• 0.5 cup milk
• 0.5 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 0.25 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 0.5 cup evaporated milk
• 0.66666668653488 cup applesauce
• 1.5 cups herb seasoned croutons

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Step 2

Whisk together milk and egg in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in croutons and let sit to allow croutons to soak up milk mixture, about 2 minutes. Lightly stir in applesauce, Cheddar cheese, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix in ground beef with your hands until thoroughly combined. Form mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and place into the prepared baking dish.

Step 3

Add condensed soup and evaporated milk to the same bowl; whisk until well combined. Pour sauce over meatballs in the baking dish.

Step 4

Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until sauce is bubbling and thickened and meat is no longer pink in the center, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese 15 minutes before the end of baking and bake until cheese is melted and beginning to brown. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).