Description
These Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Meatballs are a comforting, hearty dish featuring tender, flavorful meatballs simmered in a rich mushroom and onion gravy. Perfect for an easy, hands-off meal served over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (Use gluten-free breadcrumbs for a gluten-free option.)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Gravy
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 packet (1 ounce) onion soup mix
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (Optional, for thickening.)
- 2 tablespoons water (Optional, for thickening.)
Instructions
- Prepare Meatball Mixture: In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, finely chopped onion, minced garlic, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Form Meatballs: Shape the mixture into meatballs approximately 1 inch in diameter and set them aside for cooking.
- Brown Meatballs: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides for about 5-7 minutes, creating a golden crust. Then transfer the browned meatballs to the slow cooker.
- Sauté Mushrooms: In the same skillet, add sliced mushrooms and sauté for 3-4 minutes until they soften and release their flavor.
- Make Gravy Base: Add beef broth and onion soup mix to the skillet with mushrooms. Stir well and bring the mixture to a simmer, cooking for about 2 minutes to blend flavors.
- Add Gravy to Slow Cooker: Carefully pour the mushroom and broth mixture over the meatballs in the slow cooker to cover them evenly.
- Slow Cook: Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 6 hours, or until the meatballs are fully cooked and tender.
- Thicken Gravy (Optional): If a thicker gravy is desired, mix cornstarch with water until smooth and stir it into the crockpot during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Serve: Deliver the Salisbury steak meatballs and mushroom gravy over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles for a satisfying meal.
Notes
- For a gluten-free option, substitute regular breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- To save time, you can skip browning the meatballs, but browning adds flavor and texture.
- The onion soup mix adds a convenient depth of flavor but can be replaced with your own blend of onion powder, beef bouillon, and dried herbs if preferred.
- Use lean ground beef to reduce fat content.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker, Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 4 meatballs with gravy)
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 680 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
Keywords: Salisbury steak, meatballs, slow cooker recipe, mushroom gravy, comfort food, easy dinner
