A Mouth Party

A version of these vidalia onion meatballs have been served at Christmas Eve with my family for decades. The smell of them immediately makes me feel festive and anyone from my family will let you know that it’s one of the first things to run out during the Christmas Eve party. They’re so tangy from the onion dressing, creamy enough that they feel festively indulgent, and are a one to two bite app, making it easy to have just one or an entire plate-full.

For my version of this recipe, I’ve taken the basis of the original recipe and added a few extra layers to make this extra special. Homemade, juicy meatballs have a great beefy flavor,  plus sweated onions and garlic amp up the onion flavor. These extra steps take a few more minutes, but these extra saucy meatballs are worth it.

Tips For Making These Vidalia Onion Party Meatballs

If you plan on making this festive meatball appetizer, here are a few tips to make them extra delicious:

• When making the meatballs, mix them thoroughly but be careful to not overmix them. If you keep handling the meatballs past the point of just mixed, you may end up with a tougher meatball.
• When browning the meatballs, there are two tips I recommend to save yourself a headache: Preheat your pan appropriately and wait to flip the meatballs until they easily release themselves. By preheating your pan for 3-4 minutes, you’ll have a pan that’s completely warmed and will let the meatballs sit on top without sticking. If you’re pan is appropriately heated, the meatballs will easily flip once they’re browned on one side. If you try to pick up the meatball and it isn’t easily coming up, give it another 30-60 seconds before trying again. Otherwise, some of the meatball may stick to the pan.
• Never purchased vidalia onion dressing before?  You should be able to easily find it in the salad dressing section of major grocery stores. My favorite brand is Ken’s Steak House which you can purchase on Amazon (affiliate link) if you can’t find it at the store in person.
• It’s crucial to let the onions cook low and slow. That’s the best way to get really soft, jammy onions. If your pan it too warm, you can end up with crispy onions. While crispy onions are delicious in the right dish, it’s not for these saucy meatballs.

Recipe Details

To begin this recipe, you’ll start with the star of the show. The meatballs. I’ve opted for a simple, homemade beef meatball that’s made with ground beef, egg, and breadcrumbs. The egg helps bind the meatball together and gives it a richer flavor, while the breadcrumbs bulk up the meatballs and makes them extra moist. These ingredients are mixed with a bit of salt and pepper until just mixed and then formed into bite-sized meatballs.

Over the stovetop, you’ll brown the meatballs in a large skillet until they’re browned and caramelized on all sides. After removing the meatballs from the pan, you’ll turn the heat way down and cook the onions with a bit of olive oil and a splash of water. Adding the splash of water will help cool the pan down faster and the bit of steam will encourage the onions to soften, rather than fry. Once the onions are super soft, you’ll add in a bit of garlic until it’s fragrant. The softened onions, garlic, and the browned meatballs are added to the bowl of a slow cooker. Cover the meatballs with the vidalia onion salad dressing, gently stirring it in, and then letting the meatballs slow cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened and stuck to the meatballs.

30 minutes before you’re ready to serve the meatballs, stir in sour cream to thicken up the sauce. Let the sour cream warm up on low and then serve to your party guests with crostini or crusty bread. Be sure to keep the meatballs in a bowl where the meatballs and sauce can stay warm and your guests can help themselves to servings throughout the party.

If you like the sound of this recipe, you should also check out these festive appetizers:

• Pistachio Pesto and Cranberry Puff Pastry Pinwheels
• Prosciutto-wrapped Bleu Cheese Dates with Herby Burnt Honey
• Baked Cheesy Crab Toasts

Be sure to tag @laura.loves.to.cook on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook to let me know how your recipes turn out. I hope you love it as much as I do!

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Christmas

Vidalia Onion Party Meatballs

Author: Laura Wilkins Cooking Method: Simmered Cuisine: American Courses: Appetizer

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 35 mins Cook Time 2 hrs Total Time 2 hrs 35 mins

Servings: 36

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Dietary:

N Nut Free

Description

A tangy, creamy meatball appetizer perfect for any party. A bit of prep work to start, including forming beef meatballs and sweating some onions and garlic, and then you let the slow cooker do the remainder of the heavy lifting to make these crowd-pleasing bites. Paired with some crusty bread and you won’t be able to eat just one.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 2 lb ground beef
• 2 eggs
• ¹⁄₂ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 32 oz Vidalia onion dressing (about 2 containers)
• 1 cup sour cream
• Crostini or crusty bread for serving

Instructions

Form the Meatballs

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, sea salt, and black pepper. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together until evenly combined. 

2. Divide the meat mixture into 32 meatballs, about 1 heaping tablespoon each, and place on a tray until you’re ready to brown them on the stove.

Brown the Meatballs and Cook the Onions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Brown the meatballs on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side until they easily release from the pan, working in batches to not overcrowd the pan. Don’t worry if the meatballs are cooked through, they’ll finish cooking in a later step.  Set aside.

2. Reduce the heat in the pan to low and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the onions and a teaspoon of water and let the onions sweat and caramelize until they become really soft, about 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, using a flat bottomed wooden spoon to scrape up stuck on pieces from the meatballs as the juices from the onion release.

3. Add the minced garlic to the onions, and let cook until they become very fragrant. About 1 minute.

Slow Cook the Meatballs and Serve

1. Add the onions, garlic, and browned meatballs to the bowl of a slow cooker. Add the vidalia onion salad dressing and gently stir to combine.

2. Cook on high for 1-3 hours, or low for 3-4 hours. In the last 30 minutes before serving, stir in the sour cream and turn the heat to low, if it isn’t already. 

3. Serve the meatballs party-style directly from the crockpot or transfer to a plate that will keep the meatballs and sauce warm.  Include crostini or crusty bread on the side to soak up any extra sauce. Enjoy!