Weeknight Sauerbraten Meatballs

Our traditional holiday meal is sauerbraten and gravy, butter-sauteed homemade egg noodles, potato balls, sweet and sour red cabbage, and freshly cooked apples. A lot of work, but worth it once a year! This is a quick recipe to enjoy the sauerbraten flavor without waiting 5 days for a beef roast to marinate. And you'll have plenty of gravy to spoon over your buttered egg noodles and potatoes.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 418 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup water
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• ½ cup minced onion
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons raisins
• 2 cups beef broth
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon white sugar, or more to taste
• ⅓ cup gingersnap cookie crumbs
• ½ cup gingersnap cookie crumbs
• 2 tablespoons gingersnap cookie crumbs, or more as needed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a baking rack on top. Spray the rack with cooking spray.

Step 2

Combine ground beef, onion, gingersnap crumbs, water, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Shape into 24 meatballs using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking rack.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball reads 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), 18 to 20 minutes.

Step 4

While the meatballs are baking, whisk beef broth, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons gingersnap crumbs, vinegar, and sugar together in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until gravy thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Add more gingersnap crumbs for a thicker gravy, or some water for a thinner consistency.

Step 5

Stir cooked meatballs and raisins into the gravy. Cover and simmer until flavors combine, about 10 minutes.