When we think of the ultimate comfort food, our Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes recipe comes to mind. Tender and juicy meatballs sit atop fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes and are topped with savory gravy and fresh herbs. Your search for tonight's simple, family-friendly dinner recipe ends here!
Meatballs are our go-to when we want to make a cozy dinner. There are so many side dish options, but our favorite has to be Yukon gold mashed potatoes, smothered in a velvety gravy. We also love to double this recipe and pop it in the freezer for a quick to-go meal on a busy weeknight.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Variations
- How to Make Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes
- Meatballs:
- MASHED POTATOES:
- Recipe Tips
- More Main Dish Recipes You Will Love
- Storage Instructions
- Serving Suggestions
- Frequently Asked Questions About Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes
- More Recipes You Will Love
- Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes
This meatball recipe pairs well with our Idahoan Mashed Potatoes or Sautéed Green Beans with Shallots.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Comfort Food: The combination of meatballs, mashed potatoes, and gravy feels like a warm hug in a bowl.
- Flavorful: Fresh herbs and garlic make for a mouthwatering, tender meatball.
- Versatile: Our meatball recipe can be served with a variety of sides like your favorite pasta, vegetables, rice, or even on a bun or a wrap.
- Family Friendly: This dish is kid-approved!
- Meat Variety: You can use ground beef, pork, and veal (or a combination of all) for additional versatility and flavor.
Ingredients
See below for everything you will need to make this delicious dinner recipe.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
- Ground Meat: The ground meat(s) of your choice acts as the base of this recipe.
- Eggs: Acts as a binding agent.
- Parmesan Cheese: We love adding parmesan for a cheesy flavor.
- Breadcrumbs: Helps to hold the meatball's shape.
- Milk: Adds moisture to your ground meat mixture.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: We love the golden color and smooth texture of Yukon Gold.
- Whipping Cream: Gives your mashed potatoes a velvety texture.
- Gravy: The finishing touch that adds delicious savory flavor.
Grab yourself a large baking sheet, mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, 2 ½-tablespoon cookie scoop, potato peeler, large pot, strainer and a potato masher to make this recipe.
Variations
- Herbs: Fresh herbs add the best flavor, but dried ones work too! Use less if dried, and mix and match your favorites to make it your own.
- Dairy-Free: Skip the parmesan and swap in non-dairy milk for an easy dairy-free version.
- Size: Make these as an appetizer and roll them smaller. Just shorten the bake time a bit so they stay juicy.
- Cauliflower Mash: Lighten things up by swapping mashed potatoes for cauliflower mash, still creamy and delicious!
How to Make Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes
Check out how quick and easy it was to make these Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes in just a few simple steps.
Meatballs:
Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a large baking sheet.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, keeping your breadcrumbs and milk until last. By hand, mix until well combined.
Using a 2 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, make medium sized meatballs and lightly shape into a tighter ball, then place on a prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160F.
Cool on the baking sheet until ready to serve.
Hint: When rolling out your meatballs, try to seal any cracks in the uncooked meat before baking to seal in moisture. You can do this by pinching the meat together then lightly re-rolling into a ball shape.
MASHED POTATOES:
Add peeled and cubed potatoes to a large pot and cover with water at least 2 inches over.
Boil on high for 20-25 minutes or until very fork tender (the more tender, the easier to mash).
Strain and set back in the pot.
Add butter and start to mash.
Add whipping cream, salt and pepper and continue to mash to desired texture.
Cook gravy according to package directions and serve over meatballs and mashed potatoes.
Hint: Potatoes mash best right after draining. Letting them cool too much can make them gluey.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t Overmix: Gently combine the ingredients until just mixed. Overworking the mixture can make your meatballs tough instead of tender.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: This helps portion the meatballs evenly so they cook at the same rate and look uniform.
- Add Flavor to the Water: Salt the potato water generously, just like pasta water. It makes a huge difference in taste.
- Finish Strong: A sprinkle of fresh herbs or a drizzle of olive oil over the top adds freshness and color right before serving.
If you love cozy, comfort meals, you have to try our Meatball Parmigiana.
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Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: Once cooled, store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: To freeze meatballs (cooked or uncooked), arrange them on a baking sheet na drop them the freezer until solid, about 2-4 hours. Transfer to a freezer bag and store for up to 6 months. I like to double-bag them and press out as much air as possible, or use a vacuum sealer — my FoodSaver from Amazon is a favorite. Mashed potatoes can also be frozen once cooled; store in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 1 month.
- Reheating: Thaw in the fridge, then warm on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
Serving Suggestions
- Flavorful Vegetables: Serve alongside many veggie options like our Maple Brussel Sprouts, Sautéed Green Beans with Shallots or Honey and Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots. You can also dip them in our Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions About Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes
We suggest a combination of beef and pork, or even veal for the best flavor. With that being said, meatballs are very versatile and can be made with any meat of your choice. If you are looking to make a leaner meatball, you can try ground turkey or ground chicken.
Your meatballs are fully cooked when their internal temperature reaches 160F (for a beef meatball) or 165F (for a chicken meatball). We recommend investing in a meat thermometer to make checking on this as easy as possible.
Yukon Gold and Russet potatoes are the most popular choices for making a mash. Due to their starch content, they will produce a more fluffy texture.
Packaged gravy is a great shortcut in a pinch, but you can absolutely make your favorite homemade gravy recipe to top your meatballs and mashed potatoes.
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Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Large Bowl
- Baking Sheet
- Potato Peeler
- Large Pot
- Strainer
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef, pork and veal
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 4 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ - ½ cup whole milk as needed
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 ½ sticks butter unsalted
- 1 cup whipping cream
- ½ tablespoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- packaged gravy
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a large baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, keeping your breadcrumbs and milk for last. By hand, mix until well combined.
- Using a 2.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, make medium-sized meatballs and lightly shape into a tighter ball, then place on a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160F.
- Cool on the baking sheet until ready to serve.
- To make the mashed potatoes: Add peeled and cubed potatoes to a large pot and cover with water at least 2 inches over.
- Boil on high for 20-25 minutes or until very fork tender (the more tender, the easier to mash).
- Strain and set back in the pot.
- Add butter and start to mash.
- Add whipping cream, salt and pepper and continue to mash to desired texture.
- Cook gravy according to package directions and serve over meatballs and mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Try to seal any cracks in the uncooked meat before baking to seal in moisture. You can do this by pinching the meat together then lightly re-roll into a ball shape.
- Using whipping cream in your mashed potatoes is highly recommended — it will give them the creamiest, smoothest texture.
- If you don't have Yukon Golds on hand, you can make your mashed potatoes with Russets.
Nutrition
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Eva Filer says
We love making this as a lighter meal in the colder months. It is such a warm and comforting dish.