My love of German flavors and ingredients was the original inspiration for this dish of Hearty German Meatballs with Caraway Mushroom Cream Sauce. It’s a delicious comfort-food recipe, with a German twist.
Today’s recipe for German Meatballs with Caraway Mushroom Cream Sauce is a “recipe re-do” from one I shared years ago which I called simply enough 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, and I added a bunch of fresh mushrooms and stone-ground mustard to pump up the flavor. Wunderbar!!
**Please Note – The printable recipe card with detailed instructions, complete ingredient measurements, and nutritional information for making German Meatballs with Caraway Mushroom Sauce is available at the end of this post.
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The ingredient list for making German Meatballs with Caraway Mushroom Cream Sauce;
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.
For additional German-inspired recipes please click on the following titles for;
*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
Below is the printable recipe card for today’s German Meatballs with Caraway Mushroom Cream Sauce.
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe and look forward to making it (or have already made it), I’d appreciate if you’d take a moment to give it some feedback by way of stars near the comment section at the end of this post.
Hearty German Meatballs with Caraway Mushroom Cream Sauce is my idea of pure German comfort food. They're easy to make and Wunderbar to eat!!
- 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 sliced mushrooms I used cremini (baby bella)
- 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
- 3/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish if desired
-
TO MAKE THE MEATBALLS:
-
Mix the first 10 meatball ingredients together in a large bowl.
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Make golf ball size meatballs with the ground beef mixture.
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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.
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TO MAKE THE SAUCE:
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Add the mushrooms and onions to the same skillet and saute for 3-4 minutes.
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Add the beef stock, cream of mushroom soup, apple cider vinegar, caraway seeds, sour cream, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
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Reduce the heat to low and add the meatballs back into the skillet turning them in the sauce coat.
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Cover the skillet and simmer the meatballs in the sauce for 15 minutes on low.
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To serve, spoon the sauce over the meatballs and garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
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Serve the meatballs over egg noodles, rice, or potatoes if desired. Or serve them as you would a meatball sandwich on a hoagie roll.
Tools and equipment:
large bowl, large skillet with a lid (or aluminum foil to cover), chef’s knife, cutting board, measuring spoons, measuring cups
I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed this recipe Hearty German Meatballs with Caraway Mushroom Cream Sauce as much as I’ve enjoyed bringing it to you.
This looks incredible!
I know you’ll love them, Carolyn. The sauce is everything!
Renée, thanks! This looks so simple to make, yet looking really satisfying and tasty!
You’re welcome, Alyssa! These are some of my all-time favorite meatballs! I hope you enjoy them!
I have never tried caraway…it sounds so intriguing I am adding this recipe to our weekly rotation to try it 🙂
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
Made this for dinner and it was a hit. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Glad to hear it, Ashley. Thanks for letting me know!
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!
Glad you like the recipe, Michele. It’s one of our favorites. Thanks.
Roughly How many meatballs does this recipe yield?
Hi, Hannah!
Approximately 16-18 golfball size meatballs.
If you make them smaller (appetizer size) then you’ll get even more bang for your buck, and they’ll cook a tiny bit faster.
Hope this helps.
Renee
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.
The addition of the pierogies to turn this into a casserole is brilliant, Dar!
I only wish I would have thought of it myself. LOL. Anyway, so glad you loved the recipe and made it your own!
Happy cooking!
Renee