Meatball stew is a hearty fall and winter favorite in South Louisiana. It’s good, old fashioned Cajun comfort food and a staple on our family’s holiday spreads. Serve with toothpicks as a casual appetizer, or over rice dressing as a meal.
My grandmother’s sister, Nanny Bird, perfected the recipe. And we haven’t changed it one bit.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground veal
- 3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 2 green bell peppers, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons dark roux (store-bought or see Turbo Roux recipe)
- water
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground meat, breadcrumbs, eggs, bell peppers, celery, garlic, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and 2/3 of the diced onions. Set the remaining onion aside.
- Once thoroughly combined, form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Arrange meatballs on a sheet pan.
- Brown in the oven at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes. Rotate the balls once during baking.
- In a large dutch oven pot, heat 2 tablespoons of dark roux and the remaining onions over medium heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Place the meatballs in the pot and add just enough water to cover.
- Simmer on medium heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- While cooking, season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Yummy