German Meatballs in Mustard Cream Sauce
These savory German-style meatballs are made with a unique soft-pretzel binder and simmered in a rich, mustard-cream sauce with peppers and onions. It’s a hearty, comforting twist on classic comfort food that pairs perfectly with spaetzle.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 cup soft pretzel torn into small pieces or pulsed in a food processor
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 1 small onion minced
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 tsp stone ground mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp caraway seeds optional
- 1 Tbsp oil for browning
- 1/3 cup beer, white wine, or chicken broth
For the sauce:
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1 green pepper sliced
- 1 1/2 cups cream
- 1 1/2 cups half & half
- 2 Tbsp stone ground mustard
- 1 tsp dried sage
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
For the meatballs:
- In a medium bowl, mix together pretzel and milk. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or more, while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
- Add ground pork, ground beef, onion, egg, mustard, salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg, and caraway seeds (if using) to the pretzel/milk mixture. Using your hands, mix all ingredients until combined. Scoop into 1 - 1/2" meatballs.
- Heat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium-high heat in a deep-sided pan. Place meatballs into pan and sear on all sides until browned - about 8 minutes total.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add liquid (beer, white wine, or chicken broth). Cover and simmer for 10 minutes - checking to make sure it does not completely evaporate.
- Remove lid and allow the liquid to reduce until almost evaporated. Remove the meatballs to a plate & keep warm.
For the sauce:
- Melt butter and oil in the meatball pan over medium heat. Add onion and green pepper. Saute until onion is translucent and pepper is softened - 5 minutes.
- Add cream and half & half to the pan. Stir and scrape the bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Gently boil until the cream is reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in mustard, sage, salt and pepper. Add meatballs and parmesan cheese to the sauce. Simmer another 5 minutes or so to heat through.
Notes
This is wonderful served over pasta or mashed potatoes. But for a more authentic German experience, serve over spaetzle in browned butter with fresh sage.
Great news! You can now find frozen spaetzle in some grocery stores!! Look for it in your freezer section where you find egg noodles and dumplings.