I don't really know the origin of this recipe as it has been posted on several message boards, my guess is that it was probably invented in the kitchens of the French's company. I am seriously addicted to French Fried Onions, that is why I seldom buy them because once I pop that top they rapidly disappear. After you sample a couple of the large pieces of the onions, grind the rest in your food processor. Form the meatballs into whatever size you like, I fit around 22 meatballs in my 12 inch oven and baked them for 25 minutes with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom and 18-20 on top. There is something about the way meatballs bake in a dutch oven, they brown beautifully but are still so juicy they almost taste steamed in the inside. You would think they would be overpowered by the onion flavor but they are actually quite mild. The cool, creamy ranch dressing makes the perfect dipping sauce for these savory meatballs. Serve them as an appetizer or main course, it might be worth making a double batch because they are going to fly right out of your dutch oven.
French-Fried Onion Meatballs
1 (2.8 ounce) can French-fried onions
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 envelope brown gravy mix
2 eggs
1 (8 ounce) bottle favorite ranch salad dressing
Lightly oil or spray a 12 inch or larger dutch oven.
Crush French Fried Onions in a food processor until they resemble bread crumbs.
Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Add gravy mix and mix thoroughly. Add the onion crumbs and ground beef; mix well.
Form the mixture into 1-2 inch meatballs (depending on how large you like them and how many you want to serve) and place in bottom of prepared dutch oven.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the meatballs are brown and cooked through.
Serve with ranch dressing as a dipping sauce.
Makes 24-36 meatballs, depending on size.
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Recipe makes just enough to fit in the bottom of a 12 inch oven  |
This is a meatball that my friends will love. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love your site! I have a question - my husband hates ranch and anything that resembles it or anything creamy. Have you tried this with any other sauces? Maybe a red sauce? He wouldn't even like the "brown" sauce you normally do with swedish meatballs. I can't even think of anything that would compliment the onion/brown gravy, so I am at a loss. We hope to try these next week for our monthly camping trip!
ReplyDeleteHi Megan, thanks for stopping by and for your nice comments. You could definitely use your favorite tomato or spaghetti sauce or even ketchup. You could try a spicy or honey mustard, BBQ sauce or horseradish would be good too. Maybe just browse the shelves in your grocery store and pick out a couple of sauces or dressings that are ready made and would be easy to take camping. If there's something your husband likes with meatloaf, maybe go with that. In any event, have a great trip, hope you like the recipe! Liddy
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