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Slow-cooked Meatball Bourguignon
Slow-cooked meatball bourguignon is my twist on a French classic, swapping beef chunks for juicy, homemade meatballs. I let them simmer in a rich red wine gravy with garlic, herbs, mushrooms, and pearl onions until everything is deeply savoury and tender. It’s elegant comfort food that feels like it took hours (because it did) but without the stress. Serve it over mash, pasta, or buttery polenta – perfect for dinner parties or a cosy night in.
Ingredients
- 340g meatballs
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 150g shallots, finely diced
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 375ml red wine (shiraz or merlot)
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 100g butter mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 50g butter
- 50g plain flour
- 2 bay leaves
- a few sprigs of thyme
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and sear meatballs for about 30 seconds on each side, until browned on all sides. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high, and then add the flour. Whisk for 4-5 minutes, or until the roux has turned a deep, rich golden brown colour. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil over low-medium heat in a large pot, and then cook shallots, carrots and celery for 5-6 minutes or until shallots are soft and transparent.
- Add garlic and cook additional 1-2 minutes.
- Stir through the red wine, and increase heat to medium. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the wine has reduced by half.
- Add the beef stock, dijon mustard, roux, herbs, and stir through until well combined. Return to a simmer.
- Next, add the meatballs and cover with a lid.
- Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, and simmer additional 20 minutes or until sauce is thick and dark.
- Stir through the mushrooms, and simmer an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve with buttery mashed potatoes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 608Total Fat: 46gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 979mgCarbohydrates: 19gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 15g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
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Slow-Cooked Meatball Bourguignon
A Cosy Winter Favourite
Meatballs are my ultimate midweek meal – cover them in sauce, throw them in the oven and they’re done and ready to serve within 20 minutes. However, the other week I was curious to see just how tasty the humble meatball could be if slow-cooked in a rich sauce. And that’s how I came about with my Slow-Cooked Meatball Bourguignon. It’s everything I want in a dinner this time of year: comforting, aromatic, rich with depth, and best of all, it fills the whole house with the sort of smell that makes you exhale and relax after a long day.
The meatballs absorb so much flavour as they slowly cook and become melt-in-your-mouth tender and soft. Honestly, it’s a bit of a revelation. You expect a meatball to be firm, hold its shape, do its little job on your plate. But here, they just sort of collapse beautifully into each bite, and the sauce? I mean, come on. Deep, winey, rich, and velvet-smooth – it’s the kind of sauce you want to mop up with half a baguette (which I may or may not have done).
Although there is only just over a month left of winter, the snow is still falling here in Scotland, and the peaks in the distance are white-capped. However, I am craving the sunshine of back home in Australia, and can’t wait to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin once more. For now though, it’s stews and slow cooks, slippers and thick socks, and watching Maia paw at the window from the warmth of inside. Cosy meals are how I’m surviving this final stretch of cold, and this slow-cooked meatball bourguignon is absolutely pulling its weight.
A Touch of France in a Meatball
Again, I was drawn to French flavours with this classic burgundy sauce made with red wine. There’s something timeless and elegant about the way French cuisine approaches stews – it never feels rushed, and this is no exception. The meatballs nestle into the sauce like they belong there. It’s deeply savoury with just the right hint of sweetness from the wine and vegetables, and I swear it tastes even better the next day, if you manage to have leftovers.
I usually go for a shiraz or merlot, nothing too bold or overpowering. Something that sits well with the thyme and bay leaf, and doesn’t try to steal the spotlight from the meat. If you’ve got a bottle open, that’s probably the right one. That’s the general rule in my kitchen, anyway – unless it’s a really expensive bottle, in which case I’m hiding it at the back of the pantry and using the cheap stuff instead.
The sauce base is the kind of thing you just know is going to be good. Onion, garlic, a bit of tomato paste, that classic French trio of carrot, celery and herbs – and then a generous glug (or three) of wine. Let it simmer gently, tuck the meatballs in, and just leave it to do its thing. You don’t have to hover or stir or fuss. You just get to sit back, maybe make a cup of tea, and enjoy the aroma creeping through the house.
Between Winter and the Light
Plus, come spring and summer come salads and lighter dishes – although always creating an air of cosiness and comfort. Until then, we have this gorgeously rich slow-cooked meatball bourguignon to keep us warm against the snow and storms, as the fire crackles and cackles away in the hearth. I always say, food is seasonal not just in ingredients, but in energy. This is food that holds you.
It’s also food that freezes beautifully, which is no small thing when you’re working full-time and still trying to make meals that feel like home. I’ve stashed away a container or two in the freezer for the nights I can’t be bothered to do more than boil some pasta or mash a few spuds. And the thing is, it doesn’t feel like leftovers. It feels like a favour I did for myself.
Even Maia seems to agree. She quietly watches from her perch near the window, occasionally flicking her tail as the scent of bourguignon fills the kitchen. She never actually gets any, of course, but I like to think she appreciates the magic of a slow-cooked sauce. Either that or she’s just hypnotised by the warmth and the smells. Same, to be honest.
Ingredients Breakdown
This one starts with the meatballs, of course. I use a pack of good-quality store-bought ones, or you could absolutely roll your own if you’re feeling it. Brown them first in a bit of olive oil to give them that golden crust and extra flavour before they go for a long, luxurious bath in the sauce. It’s that initial sizzle that locks in the joy, and from there it’s all downhill into deliciousness.
The base of the sauce is a classic mix of finely diced shallots, garlic, carrots and celery. It’s soft, savoury, and smells incredible the second it hits the pan. I throw in a heap of roughly chopped mushrooms too, which soak up the wine and add a gorgeous meatiness. Once everything’s softened, in goes the red wine and beef stock along with a bit of Dijon for punch, bay leaves and thyme for that herby depth, and salt and pepper to bring it all to life.
And then – my favourite bit – a good old butter and flour combo to thicken the sauce into that rich, velvety texture we love. I make a quick roux on the side and stir it through, which makes the sauce cling to the meatballs like it was always meant to. Once everything’s in the pot, you let it slow-cook until the meatballs are impossibly tender and the sauce is glossy and thick. It’s heaven in a bowl, and it tastes even better the next day.
This looks so yummy dear!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
This recipe is so hearty and amazing! So delicious! Loved by all of my family, including the picky ones.
I had to get rid of my slow cooker when I moved to the US ? I almost want to buy another one to make this, this looks so good!!
I love that you have added meatballs to bourguignon. It looks amazing.
I love how your turned store bought meatballs into an amazing sophisticated recipe!! Pure delicious and pure comfort food!
This burgundy sauce sounds and looks divine. I love the pairing of it with meatballs.
This meatball bourguignon recipe looks and sounds mouth-wateringly good. I have never slow cooked meatballs but am really enthusiastic about trying this recipe out!