Comforting Cajun Meatball Stew
A satisfying Cajun-style Meatball Stew of moist, tender, meaty meatballs cooked in a dark, rich gravy surrounded by diced carrots and potatoes. Serve them over hot rice, and this meal will meet all of the criteria of classic Southern comfort food.
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Like most farm families in Cajun country, we grew our own beef and rice and enjoyed a regular helping of rice and gravy made with steak. So what can a Mama do to feed her hungry family when the freezer is full of ground beef? She finds a way to make a tasty stew using the abundance from the last butchering. Yes, you can make a stew with meatballs!
This is the perfect comfort meal. It satisfies the hunger with endearing thoughts of Mama's cooking. It's much like this: Rice and Gravy, a Cajun Staple made with roast beef. The gravy comes from browning the meat rather than from a roux.
Another popular Cajun recipe with gravy is Chicken Fricasse, also made with a dark roux. A fricassée is a stew in Cajun French.
For more New Orleans-inspired recipes, check out 24 Mardi Gras Food Recipes.
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Ingredients For This Cajun Meatball Stew recipe
- Oil - a few tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil.
- All-purpose flour - to brown in the oil for a dark roux.
- Onion - chopped fresh white or yellow onion.
- Celery - chopped fresh ribs.
- Garlic cloves - pressed into little bits for even distribution of flavor.
- Beef stock - canned or homemade.
- Ground beef - ground chuck has the correct percentage of fat and is the best ground meat for meatballs.
- Onion powder - to flavor the ground beef for meatballs.
- Garlic granules - granules or garlic powder.
- Chopped parsley - fresh leaves, not the stems; they can be tough and taste bitter.
- Salt - kosher, sea salt, or regular table salt to enhance all the flavors.
- Cayenne pepper - a fiery red pepper.
- Plain bread crumbs - for tender meatballs.
- Whole egg - a large egg holds the meatballs together.
- Potatoes - fresh, unpeeled, diced red potatoes hold their shape in cooking better than white potatoes.
- Carrots- sweet sliced medallions.
Instructions For Cajun Meatball Stew
First, we make a roux! That's a common phrase in Cajun cooking.
It's simple. Just pour the oil into a large Dutch oven or cast-iron pot, then heat it over medium-high heat. Then add the flour and brown the flour mixture until it reaches the color of chocolate syrup, resulting in a typical dark brown roux.
Be sure to stir the bottom of the pot continuously, taking care not to burn. Burning causes a very bitter taste. For more instructions, check out A Roux Lesson, where I explain just how easy it is to brown flour in oil. That's what a roux is!
Cook the onions, celery, and minced garlic cloves in the roux until soft. Add beef stock and simmer on medium-low heat.
While the gravy simmers, add all the ingredients to the ground meat in a large mixing bowl and mix with your hands. Then, loosely form them into 2-inch meatballs. This makes tender, moist meatballs for the stew.
After the gravy has simmered for 30 minutes, add the meatballs and cook for 5 minutes, then turn them over. It is safe to put raw meatballs in the sauce to cook.
Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Add some sliced carrots and cubed potatoes. Serve the Cajun meatballs over a bed of hot white rice, garnished with fresh-sliced green onions or fresh parsley.
HINT: Ground venison or chicken may be substituted for ground beef in this Cajun meatball stew recipe.
Top Tip
The secret to tender, moist meatballs is rolling them loosely in your hands. It really makes all the difference in how they're rolled!
How do you make Cajun meatball stew?
To make a Cajun meatball stew recipe, first, you make a roux and cook it with onions and other vegetables, beef broth, and meatballs. Season with Cajun seasoning blend.
What is a Cajun meatball?
A Cajun meatball is hallmarked in a meatball stew with rich beef flavor and spicy Cajun seasoning, usually the size of a golf ball, and stewed in a brown gravy or tomato sauce.
What is in a Cajun stew?
A Cajun stew is any meat or seafood cooked in a sauce, sometimes made with a roux and the Cajun holy trinity, and it's always seasoned for a flavorful, spicy finish.
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📖 Recipe
Comforting Cajun Meatball Stew
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 min Utes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: stewing
- Cuisine: Cajun
Description
A satisfying Cajun-style meatball Stew of moist, tender, meaty meatballs cooked in a dark, rich gravy surrounded by diced carrots and potatoes.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- .25 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- 4 cups beef stock
- 1.5 pounds of ground beef
- .5 teaspoon onion powder
- .5 teaspoon garlic granules
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- .5 teaspoon salt
- .125 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more
- .75 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 whole egg
- 2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 cups carrots, sliced
Instructions
- Pour oil into a large, heavy pot and heat, then add flour and brown until it is the color of cocoa powder.
- Add onions and celery and cook for 10 minutes, then add garlic and stir for a minute.
- Pour beef stock into the roux and simmer on medium-low heat for half an hour.
- While the gravy is simmering, add all of the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl and mix by hand, then loosely form them into 2-inch meatballs. Don't roll them; this makes a tender and moist meatball.
- After the gravy has simmered for 30 minutes, add the meatballs and let them cook for 5 minutes, then turn them over.
- Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add carrots and potatoes, cooking them until they are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Serve over a bed of hot cooked rice and garnish with fresh sliced green onions.
Notes
- Ground venison or chicken may be substituted for ground beef.
- The secret to tender, moist meatballs is rolling them loosely in your hands. It really makes all the difference in how they're rolled!
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"A God wise enough to make me and the world I live in is wise enough to take care of me."
Philip Yancey
Waiting for cool weather & a day to simmer this. Yum.
Sounds nice!
You show an egg in the photo, but it is not on the ingredient list. Did you use only one egg in the meatball mixture?
Yes, 1 egg. Thank you for pointing that out. I have made the needed adjustments to the recipe ingredients. Have a nice day!
Thanks! Plan on making this Friday!
You’re welcome! Sounds good!
Your photo shows breadcrumbs and eggs and parsley too, but it is not listed in the recipe. What are the measurements?
Goodness! Thanks for letting me know and please forgive the misprint. I just updated the recipe.
For health reasons need recipes high in protein and low to no sodium.
I hope this helps you on your path to good health.
I'm excited to have found this recipe! It may allow me to recreate my paternal Quebecoise Meme's "frico" (invented name, short for fricassee) that she taught to my Polish-German mother. It was a family favorite, definitely comfort food. I didn't learn how to make it and have learned that the roux is the secret to its unique and satisfying flavor. They're all gone now, and I long to try your recipe! Merci!
This is so sweet! Worth writing the whole blog for! I’m happy to help and please let me know how it turns out. Thank you!