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Creamy Bacon & Beef Meatballs

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Delicious 50/50 Ground Bacon and Ground Beef combine to make tender juicy meatballs loaded with flavor, nestled in a delicious fresh mushroom and white wine cream sauce, served over egg noodles, topped with bacon crumbles and gorgonzola cheese.

Creamy Bacon & Ground Beef Meatballs in a creamy mushroom sauce over egg noodles on a white serving platter with parsley as a garnish.

This past weekend, “Mister Nest” and I took a little jaunt to the next town over. (Let me be clear…we rode in his truck! That’s how we “Jaunt”. I don’t want y’all thinking I’m suddenly a “runner”! O Lawd NO!) A follower had told me about a Ranch owned Meat Market on Main Street that had the most amazing Beef!

I loved the idea of a local Ranching family selling their own products…plus it was Mother’s Day weekend and the thought of a REALLY fresh steak sounded so good!

We found Dry Lakes Ranch Beef on Main Street in Parowan, Utah! We were greeted before we ever entered the store by Kacie, her Mom, and Daughter. That’s right…the awesome women in this Ranching family run the Butcher Shop. The men take care of raising the cattle. It’s 100% family owned. A super Cute, Country Friendly, Shop…with all the meats a carnivore, like myself, dreams about. The BIG Plus… I love supporting small town businesses and Ranching/Farming families.

We made several purchases including an entire Beef Tenderloin that I cut into Filet Mignons! (Honestly the BEST steak I’ve ever eaten in my life!) If the amazing cuts of meat weren’t enough… The wonderful ladies at Dry Lakes gave us a free pound of their newest product. 50/50 ground bacon and ground beef! WHAT??? That’s genius! (Honestly can we have a moment of silence for this!)

All the way home I thought about different meals I could make with our gift of 50/50! Ground beef mixed with ground bacon…made me so happy! I kept dreaming of a marriage between Swedish Meatballs and Beef Stroganoff!

So, that my friends, is how we ended up here…with my newest recipe and one I know you’ll want to make!

How To Make Creamy Bacon & Beef Meatballs

Tip: If you can’t find 50/50 Bacon and Ground Beef at your local grocery store, no worries. You can use Ground beef and Ground Sausage mixed together, plain ground beef, and/or you can ground your own bacon and mix it with the ground beef.

In a large bowl crumble 1 pound of 50/50 Bacon with Ground Beef. Add 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, 1 large egg, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard, 1/8 teaspoon white ground pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Large glass bowl with ground 50/50, bread crumbs, eggs, seasonins and milk to make meatballs.

Using your hands…yes your hands, those things attached to the bottom of your wrists…dig in there and mix all the ingredients until well combined. (I’m a country girl…we are very “hands-on” when it comes to meal prep!)

Now if you can’t handle touching raw meat…you can wear gloves. (Food handling gloves…not snow gloves! They don’t work well for this particular project!) You can also mix everything together with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Mixing meatball ingredients with hands to combine all the ingredients.

Form the meat mixture into 2 inch meat balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

TIP: Using a small scoop, like a cookie scoop, makes the perfect size meatball. Just be sure to roll them by hand as well as using the scoop. This will give you a nice tight ball that won’t fall apart during cooking.

Meatballs on parchment lined baking sheet.

In a large skillet, or deep dish pot, over medium-high heat, brown 3–4 strips of bacon. I like to cut my bacon into small bite size pieces. Cutting the bacon into smaller pieces allows the bacon to cook more quickly, and it’s already crumbled.

TIP: I have found that cooking bacon in a deep pot, rather than a skillet, prevents splatters and keeps you and your stove top grease free!

Bite size piece of bacon browning in a skillet.

Once the bacon is cooked, carefully remove the cooked bits from the pan with a slotted spoon, and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Set aside to use later.

Bacon on a paper towel lined plate.

CAREFULLY Remove the bacon grease to a heat safe dish, so you can use the same pan.

How To Cook Meatballs

Reduce the heat to medium. Add 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil. Preheat pan for 1–2 minutes. Add prepared meatballs. Cook until golden on one side…

Meatballs in large pot browning.

Turn the meatballs, using long handled tongs, when golden brown on one side. Continue cooking until the meatballs are brown on all sides. About 10–15 minutes. Remove the meatballs and place on a plate. DO NOT DRAIN the Pan juices!

NOTE: Meatballs will not be completely cooked. Don’t worry though…they will continue to cook later in the cream sauce. Also, please note that because this is a 50/50 blend, with bacon, the meatballs may look a tad pink inside rather than the darker brown of just ground beef.

Meatballs cooking in large skillet.

Add 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms and 1 minced scallion. Sautee in pan juices. Stirring occasionally.

Sliced mushrooms and scallion in pan.

Add 2–3 cloves minced garlic. Continue to sautee until mushrooms become tender and scallions are translucent. The mushrooms will absorb all the pan juices.

Mushrooms cooked in pan.

Place meatballs back into the pan. Reduce heat to simmer. Add 1 1/2 cups beef broth.

Adding beef broth to pan with meatballs and mushrooms.

Add 1/2 cup white cooking wine, or additional beef broth, and 1 Tablespoon dried parsley. Cover and simmer 10 minutes until broth reduces to half. About 10 minutes. This will allow the meatballs to continue to cook.

TIP: I do recommend using cooking wine in this recipe. It adds a depth of flavor you can’t get any other way. In addition, it helps tenderize the beef even more.

Meatballs and broth simmering in large pan.

TIP: If you are serving this recipe over egg noodles this is the perfect time to begin preparing them. You could also serve this over rice or mashed potatoes.

How To Make Easy Cream Sauce

Ever wonder how to get a nice thick cream sauce without creating a roux? Here’s my secret tip…mix cornstarch in with the heavy cream before adding it to the broth. It works perfectly every time!

For this recipe you’ll need 2/3 cup Heavy Cream. To the cream add 2 heaping Tablespoons of cornstarch. Using a wire whisk mix until all the lumps are gone, and the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Heavy Cream in a glass measuring cup with cornstarch.

Slowly add cream to the meatball and broth mixture over medium heat.

Adding cream mixture to meatball mixture in pan on stove.

Stir continuously until mixture begins to thicken, about 4–5 minutes. Sauce should be slightly thickened, but not a thick paste consistency. This is where this recipe resembles beef stroganoff, or a Swedish meatball sauce minus all the spices. I’m not a huge fan of nutmeg or allspice in cream sauces with meat. It just throws me off.

Tip: Use a rubber spatula to prevent scrapping of your non-stick pans.

Stirring cream into meatballs with orange spatula.

Once the mixture is thick, turn the heat off and allow to rest 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes too thick, add additional beef broth to thin the cream sauce to desired consistency.

TIP: If you want a stronger flavored cream sauce you can add the Gorgonzola cheese to the cream mixture and stir until melted.

Meatballs in thickened cream sauce resting.

Serving Creamy Mushroom and Meatballs

Place your prepared noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes on a large serving platter. If preparing noodles, I recommend cooking them a little past al dente, but not too soft. Follow the directions on the package for the perfect cook time.

Egg noodles arranged on a large serving platter.

Spoon the meatballs over the noodles. Pour the warm mushroom cream sauce over the top of the noodles and meatballs.

Top with cooked bacon crumbles, 1-2 Tablespoon Gorgonzola cheese crumbles, and 2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley.

Doesn’t that look amazing!!! That’s because it is! The meatballs are so tender they melt in your mouth! The smokey bacon mixed with the ground beef add so much flavor. The subtle hints of mushroom, shallots and wine in the cream sauce is scrumptious! Lip licking scrumptious! I love the addition of crispy bacon and the bite of the Gorgonzola.

Overhead shot of the creamy bacon and beef meatballs and noodles.

Don’t let this main course dish fool you. This Dinner of Creamy Meatballs and noodles comes together in about 45 minutes from start to finish! Including making the meatballs. It’s a very easy, yet filling dish! A comfort dish for sure.

Serve this dish with a salad. I recommend my Caesar Wedge Salad and a loaf of my Easy Homemade Soft French Bread for a wonderful complete dinner the whole family will love.

Creamy Meatballs on a dinner plate.

Family Favorite Dinner Time Recipes

Thanks so much for stopping by today and visiting my nest! I hope you and your family enjoy this fun new family recipe as much as we do! The free printable recipe is below!

Happy Nesting,

Photo of Norine and her signature.
Yield: 6 servings

Creamy Bacon & Beef Meatballs

Creamy Bacon & Ground Beef Meatballs in a creamy mushroom sauce over egg noodles on a white serving platter with parsley as a garnish.

Delicious 50/50 Ground Bacon and Ground Beef combine to make tender juicy meatballs loaded with flavor, nestled in a delicious fresh mushroom and white wine cream sauce, served over egg noodles, topped with bacon crumbles and gorgonzola cheese.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground 50/50 ground bacon and beef, or 1 pound ground beef.
  • 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon white ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 4 slices of bacon, cooked, crumbled
  • 1-1/2 cups beef broth
  • 1/2 cup White cooking wine
  • 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 Cup sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 1 scallion, minced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tablespoon dried Parsley flakes
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Gorgonzola crumbles
  • Fresh Parsley for Garnish
  • Cooked Egg Noodles, or Rice to serve with Meatballs.

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl crumble 50/50 bacon and ground beef, or straight ground beef. Add bread crumbs, egg, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard, white pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix until well combined. Using a small scoop form 14-15 meatballs, making sure to hand roll into a ball, in addition to the scoop, and place on parchment lined baking sheet.
  2. In a deep large skillet over medium high heat, cook bacon until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate. Set aside for garnish. Drain grease into heat safe dish until cool and ready to dispose.
  3. In the same skillet you cooked bacon in, add 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil. Heat over medium heat. Add meatballs and cook on all sides until golden brown. About 10-15 minutes. Remove and place on plate. DO NOT DRAIN juices!
  4. Add mushroom and scallions into pan and saute until tender and scallions are translucent. Add garlic. Place meatballs back into the pan.
  5. Add beef broth and cooking wine. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer an additional 10-15 minutes, meatballs will continue to cook, or until broth reduces by half.
  6. In a measuring cup add heavy cream. Stir in 2 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch into heavy cream and mix until smooth.
  7. Slowly add heavy cream and cornstarch to meatball mixture, stirring constantly, until thickened. Turn off heat and allow mixture to set for 5 minutes. If mixture is too thick add a little more beef broth until you reach the desired consistency.
  8. Place prepared egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes, on a serving plate and top with meatballs, pour the sauce over the top of the meatballs. Sprinkle top with bacon crumbles, Gorgonzola cheese, and chopped parsley.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6 servings

Serving Size:

2 cups

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 654Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 173mgSodium: 965mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 38g

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