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Meatballs without rice in a pan with gravy

Rice-Free Meatballs in Skillet Gravy

Tender, soft, juicy, and so good — an easy any-night dinner. These rice-free skillet meatballs work with any ground meat you like. A tomato-and-soy sauce soaks into the meat and gives it a really interesting flavor. Perfect for a family lunch or dinner.

Maria

Recipe author

Meatballs without rice in a pan with gravy

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Ground pork

400

Onion

Egg

Breadcrumbs

Parsley (2 sprigs)

Vegetable oil

Ground black pepper

Flour

Water

200

Tomato sauce

100

Soy sauce

Ground black pepper

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 27 % 9 g

Fats 39 % 13 g

Carbohydrates 33 % 11 g

186 kcal

GI: 36 / 18 / 45

Cooking method

Cooking time: 30 min

Step 1:

How do you make rice-free meatballs in skillet gravy? It's easy! Start by gathering all your ingredients. Use whatever ground meat you like — pork, beef, chicken, or even fish. I'm using lean pork. Beyond salt and pepper, feel free to add any spices you like.
Step 2:

Peel the onion and cut it into small cubes. If you or your kids aren't fans of onion in a dish, you can leave it out entirely.
Step 3:

Wash the herbs, pat them dry, and chop them finely. If you like, swap in or add other herbs — cilantro, dill, or a mix.
Step 4:

In a bowl, combine the ground meat, onion, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, and pepper. If you like, add a clove of garlic pushed through a press.
Step 5:

Knead the mixture thoroughly by hand until smooth, then slap it against the bowl a few times to work it into a cohesive ball.
Step 6:

Roll the mixture into even, round meatballs a little larger than a walnut.
Step 7:

For dredging, put a little flour in a bowl. You could also coat the meatballs in breadcrumbs instead.
Step 8:

Roll the meatballs in the flour on all sides and shake off the excess.
Step 9:

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and fry on all sides until golden brown, then lower the heat to its lowest setting.
Step 10:

While the meatballs fry, make the sauce. You can swap the tomato sauce for tomato paste or chopped canned tomatoes in their juice.
Step 11:

Stir the tomato sauce together with the water and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix until smooth. I didn't add extra salt, since the sauce was already salty enough.
Step 12:

Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, turning them occasionally, until cooked through.
Step 13:

Stir in the fresh chopped herbs and turn off the heat.
Step 14:

Cover the pan and let the meatballs rest for 10 minutes.
Step 15:

Serve the meatballs with any side dish. Enjoy!

Important! The wrong pan can ruin even the best recipe. For all the details on choosing the perfect pan for different dishes, read here.
Every oil is only good up to a certain point — its smoke point, where it starts to burn and form harmful compounds, including carcinogens. For how to gauge frying temperature and pick the best oil for the job (and which to skip entirely), see here.
Keep in mind that soy sauce is fairly salty, so cut back on the added salt or you'll risk over-salting.