French Onion Gouda Stuffed Meatballs
The flavors of French onion soup and smoked Gouda cheese are combined to make the perfect French Onion Gouda Stuffed Meatballs. This recipe is also gluten-free!
There are a lot of things I just can’t go without and cheese and meatballs are a few of them. Here lately, I’ve been working on pairing dishes with whisky. French onion au jus stands out in this area and adding in smoked gouda cheese seals the deal.
Even though his recipe pairs perfectly with a great scotch whisky cocktail, if you’re not pairing this with an adult beverage, you’ll still enjoy this tasty take on a stuffed meatball recipe.
Cast iron skillets are great to use especially when your recipes call for multiple cooking methods. I have many recipes where I begin my preparation on the stove and finish it off in the oven. And because I use a mini cast iron skillet (paid link), my French Onion Gouda Stuffed Meatballs can be enjoyed alone or on date night.
Making the French Onion Gouda Stuffed Meatballs:
Season your beef and mix all ingredients then form your meatballs. To stuff them, stick your thumb into the meat and place a small block of Gouda cheese in the middle.
Note: To make my meatballs gluten-free, I intentionally left out breadcrumbs in this recipe. I use Cotija cheese as a replacement. You can also use Parmesan cheese as an alternative.
Don’t overcook your meatballs! Be mindful of how long you cook them before flipping them over.
You’re only looking to brown your meatballs a few minutes on each side. They’ll finish cooking when they’re placed in the oven for the final step.
Once the meatballs are browned, remove them from the cast iron skillet (paid link) and start to work on your French onion “with juice”.
Of course, you’ll need onions. Once you slice and caramelize your onions, you can begin to build your French onion au jus using Worcestershire, beef stock, and don’t forget the wine.
Once the sauce is made, add your meatballs back to the skillet.
Then cover your meatballs in cheese before baking them for an additional 7-10 minutes.
Your baking time really depends on the size of your meatballs and the internal temperature you prefer. If your meatballs are larger and you prefer them well done, bake them for 10 minutes. Adjust accordingly (up or down) to suit your taste.
Place your cast iron in the oven to melt all of that cheesy goodness.
If you want to do a Netflix and chill or just a night alone with a hearty meal, give my French Onion Gouda Stuffed Meatballs a try. Enjoy!
French Onion Gouda Stuffed Meatballs
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
The flavors of French onion soup and smoked Gouda cheese are combined to make the perfect French Onion Gouda Stuffed Meatballs.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1–1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 Large Organic Egg
- 1 cup Grated Queso Cotija Cheese
- 1 tbsp Rosemary Leaves
- 2 tbsp Oregano Leaves
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Ground Thyme
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan Salt
- 8 oz. Smoked Gouda Cheese Block
For the French onion au jus:
- 1 White Onion
- 2 cups Beef Stock
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup Cooking Wine
- 2 tsp Corn Starch
- 4 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/4 cup Cream of Mushroom
For covering the meatballs:
- 1 cup Gouda Cheese Shredded Cheese
- 1 cup Monterey Jack Shredded Cheese
Instructions
- Place your ground beef into a large bowl. Add egg, grated Cotija cheese, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, thyme, black pepper, and salt to bowl. Mix together using hands.Â
- Cut your Smoked Gouda cheese block into cubes. Stuff one piece inside your ground beef, enclose and form into meatballs.Â
- Heat your cast iron skillet (paid link) to medium/high heat and brown your meatballs for 2 to 3 minutes each side. Remove from heat and place to the side.
- Into the same skillet, add your chopped onions and cook until translucent.
- In a small bowl, add beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, wine, corn starch, minced garlic, ground ginger, and whisk (paid link) together. Add your beef stock mixture to the skillet and cook until it begins to bubble.
- Add your cream of mushroom. Stir until blended then add your meatballs back to the skillet covering with sauce. Cover with shredded cheeses.Â
- Bake at 400 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes.
Notes
The recipe makes a total of 12 meatballs — 6 in each mini cast iron skillet (paid link).
This recipe is gluten-free as no breadcrumbs are used in making the meatballs.Â
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Comfort Food
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 652
- Sodium: 917mg
- Saturated Fat: 20.2g
- Carbohydrates: 5.7g
- Protein: 68g
- Cholesterol: 269mg
Turned out amazing….. thanks for this . I let the meatballs simmer with the soup for about 30 minutes the second time I did this and it seemed to increase the flavor a lot
Awesome! Thanks, Ray!
Excellent! I served it over egg noodles or mashed potatoes with vegetable 😋
Nice! It is great with mashed potatoes!
This was exceptional! I love carbs so I had it over grits and later with pasta. Might try tucking the leftovers into sliders.
I nearly skipped the cheese stuffing because I was low on cheese but that would have been a huge mistake, because the meatballs wouldn’t have had time to fully cook in only 10 minutes. Anyway the garlic and herbs are just bliss with the tendrils of onion in that creamy sauce.
Sending love and warmth to y’all in Texas from Southern California. I hope your family and your home are as ok as possible after the disastrous storms and blackouts.
Thanks for this awesome feedback, Sasen! This does sound great with grits. We are finally back to normal after the winter storm. Thanks for the positive thoughts for our family during these difficult times.
Just a question. You do not specify the amount of ground beef, but I’m assuming a pound. Am I correct? Sounds delicious!
Hello Diane! Thanks for catching this. For the recipe, you’ll need 1-1/2 pounds of ground beef. The recipe card has been updated as well. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂