My love of German flavors and ingredients was the original inspiration for this dish of German Meatballs with Mushroom Caraway Sauce. It's a delicious comfort-food recipe, with a German twist.
Make this a full German-inspired meal by enhancing your menu with the following recipe for Homemade Rye Bread with Dill, Creamed Cabbage with Bacon and Caraway, and German Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich).
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How this recipe came to be:
Today's recipe for German Meatballs with Caraway Mushroom Cream Sauce is a "recipe redo" from one I shared years ago which I simply called German Meatballs in Cream Sauce.
This new version uses heavy cream in place of the evaporated milk I used back in 2012, does away with the beer entirely, and replaces it with beef stock. Plus, I added a bunch of fresh mushrooms and stone-ground mustard to pump up the flavor. Wunderbar!!
The ingredient list:
*Please note that the exact measurements along with a "shop the recipe" feature from Instacart and Walmart is available inside the printable recipe card.
While the ingredient list may seem long, they're items you most likely already have on hand in your pantry, fridge, and freezer.
- Ground Beef
- Heavy Cream or Half and Half
- Onion
- Caraway Seeds
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Breadcrumbs
- Salt and Pepper
- Oil (I use grapeseed or olive)
- Butter
- Button or Cremini Mushrooms
- Beef Stock
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Fresh Parsley
Can other ground meats be used to make German meatballs?
Sure! Why not use ground turkey, pork, lamb, or veal? You can also use any combination of ground meats you like.
Just make sure that when you're cooking the meatballs they're no longer pink in the center when you're ready to serve.
Can German meatballs with caraway mushroom cream sauce be frozen?
Yes! Add the cooked meatballs to a freezer-safe container, cover, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, thaw and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.
How to make German meatballs:
- In a large bowl, mix together two pounds of ground chuck, salt, pepper, caraway seeds, chopped red onion, Worcestershire sauce, stone ground mustard, garlic powder, dry breadcrumbs, cream, salt, and pepper.
- Form the meat into balls approximately the size of golf balls.
- Brown the meatballs on all sides in a large skillet over medium/high heat with 2 tablespoons of a light-colored oil, and two tablespoons of butter.
- Remove the browned meatballs from the skillet and add sliced red onion and mushrooms to the hot skillet.
- Saute for approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Add the beef stock to the skillet along with the cream of mushroom soup, apple cider vinegar, caraway seeds, and sour cream.
- Stir well to combine and turn the heat to low.
- Add the browned meatballs back into the skillet, turning once to coat.
- Cover and simmer the meatballs on low for approximately 15 minutes.
- To serve, spoon the sauce over the meatballs and serve with noodles, potatoes, or rice (if desired).
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Additional German-inspired recipes:
*German Bee Sting Cake (pictured below) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen
*Homemade German Pretzels from West Via Midwest
*German Pork Ribs and Sauerkraut for the Slow Cooker (pictured below) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen
*German Apple Strudel from House of Nash Eats
*Knockwurst Sandwich with Sauerkraut and Munster Cheese (pictured below) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen
*Hot German Potato Salad from The Good Hearted Woman
*Crescent Roll Wrapped Bratwurst Bites (pictured below) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen
When you make today's recipe (and I hope that you will), I'd appreciate it if you'd take the time to come back and give it a star rating along with a comment on why you rated as you did. Search engines such as Google appreciate comments and ratings and, in turn, will show my recipes to more people. Please look for the pink star rating box within the printable recipe card. Thank you!!
Printable Recipe Card
German Meatballs with Mushroom Caraway Sauce
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 2 pounds ground chuck
- ½ cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the cream sauce:
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms cleaned and sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced (approximately ½ cup)
- 2 cups beef stock or broth
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
- ¾ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish if desired
Instructions
To make the meatballs:
- Mix the first 10 meatball ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Make golf ball size meatballs with the ground beef mixture.
- Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the butter and oil and brown the meatballs on all sides. Remove the browned meatballs to a plate.
To make the mushroom caraway sauce:
- Add the mushrooms and onions to the same skillet and saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the beef stock, cream of mushroom soup, apple cider vinegar, caraway seeds, sour cream, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the meatballs back into the skillet turning them in the sauce coat.
- Cover the skillet and simmer the meatballs in the sauce for 15 minutes on low.
- To serve, spoon the sauce over the meatballs and garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
- Serve the meatballs over egg noodles, rice, or potatoes if desired. Or serve them as you would a meatball sandwich on a hoagie roll.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this recipe German Meatballs creamy mushroom sauce as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you.
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen on my site, please don't hesitate to reach out to contact me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with you just as soon as I possibly can!
Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you will come back and visit me often. Please know that there is always room for you around my kitchen table!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
Paula says
I am going to serve them as an appetizer this Octoberfest!
Renée says
Smart move!!
Can I come over?
🙂
Renee
Marianne says
How many will this feed ?
Renée says
Hi, Marianne.
I wrote the recipe to feed 6 people.
-Renee
Jackie Bouchard says
My mom made these when I was growing up and this recipe blew hers out of the water according to her and I have to agree. Yummy.
Renée says
LOL. I love this comment! It made me laugh. Thanks so much for the star rating and for writing to let me know how much you like the meatballs, Jackie.
I'm so glad.
Take good care,
Renee
Dar Fresco says
Great recipe! I needed a dish for a Potluck at church, followed your recipe as written, but wanted to make it like a casserole made a little extra cream sauce and some mini pierogies. It was a huge hit, it's definitely a keeper.
Hannah says
Roughly How many meatballs does this recipe yield?
michele says
I love the change up using heavy cream over the evaporated milk... thats going to add so much lovely richness... and the stoneground mustard? Brilliant!
Renée says
Glad you like the recipe, Michele. It's one of our favorites. Thanks.
Ashley says
Made this for dinner and it was a hit. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Renée says
Glad to hear it, Ashley. Thanks for letting me know!
Sandi says
I have never tried caraway...it sounds so intriguing I am adding this recipe to our weekly rotation to try it 🙂
Renée says
Caraway is hard to describe. If you like rye bread, then you'll enjoy caraway. It is almost an anise flavor, but not really. See? Hard to describe. LOL
I do hope you'll enjoy this recipe, Sandi.
Renee
Alyssa says
Renée, thanks! This looks so simple to make, yet looking really satisfying and tasty!
Renée says
You're welcome, Alyssa! These are some of my all-time favorite meatballs! I hope you enjoy them!
Carolyn Ingram says
This looks incredible!
Renée says
I know you'll love them, Carolyn. The sauce is everything!