These Country Pork Meatballs are flavoured with the classic combination of onion, sage and thyme, and they taste like the country sausages at my local butcher. Smothered with a rich onion gravy, it’s just cosy, downright tasty, homemade comfort food!
Country Pork Meatballs with Onion Gravy
In the interest of full disclosure, there’s nothing officially “country” about these meatballs. I’ve just christened them as such because I think the combination of flavours has a wholesome, country-style comfort food vibe. 😊 The meatballs are flavoured with sage and thyme (don’t skip the sage!) and actually, they do remind me of the country pork sausages from my local butcher.
The onion gravy is made using the drippings from browning the meatballs, with a lovely hint of garlic. To me, it tastes like the sort of hearty, homestyle meal you’d expect at a country pub or farmhouse table.
So, let me have the name! Serve it over mash with a side of peas and tell everyone dinner tonight is Country pork meatballs with a rich onion gravy, farmhouse mash and garden peas. 😇
Ingredients in Country Pork Meatballs
Here’s what you need to make these cosy meatballs.
1. For the meatballs
Just in case you missed it above – don’t skip the sage! You can skip the thyme, you can even skip the onion or paprika. But not the sage – it adds a warm, earthy flavour that’s the signature taste of these meatballs and gives it the unmistakable country pork sausage flavour.
Pork makes such soft meatballs, softer than beef and juicier than chicken. I use regular pork mince – not lean, not extra fatty, though you could if you want. The meatballs will also work great with beef, chicken or turkey, though if course the flavour of the meat is different. Also note that chicken and turkey are much leaner so the meatballs will not be quite as succulent inside.
Panko breadcrumbs – Breadcrumbs make meatballs softer and lighter than using just meat alone. I prefer panko because the larger flakes create a softer, more tender texture inside the meatballs, but regular breadcrumbs work too if that’s all you’ve got.
Country spices – Sage is the secret ingredient here that makes these pork meatballs taste like country sausages! You can find ground sage at regular grocery stores. Paprika adds a little warm colour (I use regular/sweet though smoked would also work, onion powder adds savoury flavour, and thyme brings a lovely earthy, herby note.
Garlic – For flavour!
Green onion – This brings a little freshness into the meatballs as well as some little green flecks, which I like!
Egg – This is what binds the meatballs and keeps them together.
2. for the onion gravy
And here’s what you need for the onion gravy.
Butter (oops! missing from photo 🙂 ) – Used to cook the onions and adds richness and flavour to the gravy. It also combines with the flour to form the thickening base that gives the gravy its lovely silky texture.
Beef stock / broth – You need stock rather than water to get sufficient body in gravy. I prefer to use low sodium so I can control the amount of salt.
Flour – This is what thickens the gravy.
Onion and garlic – This adds more flavour to the gravy which is particularly helpful with cook-cook gravies like this made with store-bought stock.
Worcestershire sauce – A little slosh of this adds extra flavour into the sauce. If, by chance, you are using a homemade beef stock, a) I want to be you; and b) you can skip this! 🙂
Dark soy or gravy browner (OPTIONAL!) – Dark soy sauce is a cheeky trick I’ve been using for years to deepen the colour of gravies that end up a little paler than I’d like. In the UK you can buy gravy browner, a product made specifically for this job, but it’s not nearly as common in Australia. Dark soy does the trick beautifully.
It won’t make the gravy taste Asian-y – you can’t taste it at all. It’s only there to give the gravy a richer, deeper brown colour.
How to make Country Pork Meatballs with Gravy
Confession: I detest rolling meatballs. You’ll never catch me visiting RTM on a meatball day – imagine making meatballs for 600 people!! 😩 (Yet, the amazing team at RTM do!!)
But I love eating them. So I roll, because it’s worth it, then conveniently forget all about it when dinner’s on the table!
Meatball mixture – Put all ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to mix them together thoroughly. You really want to make sure the spices are mixed through well – nobody wants to be the one to hit an unseasoned patch!
Roll the mixture into 20 meatballs (2 tablespoons each). I use an ice cream scoop with a lever to portion and shape 70% of the way, then finish rolling with my hands. The size #30 is 2 tablespoons which I don’t have, so I just use my #24 and fill it slightly under.
Brown the meatballs in a pan. I usually rotate them to cook 3 or 4 sides, using 2 tablespoons to roll them without de-forming (too much). The inside doesn’t need to be cooked through – in fact, we want to keep the inside raw so it finishes cooking in the gravy.
Once the meatballs are browned, removed them back onto the tray (or whatever you had the raw meatballs on) using a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind.
Cook onion and garlic – Add the butter and let it melt, then cook the onion until softened, adding garlic towards the end (that way, the garlic won’t burn).
Add flour and stir until you can no longer see any white flour.
Adding stock slowly – Then, as you are stirring, slowly pour in half the stock and mix until it turns into a paste / quite a thick sauce that sticks to the onion. Then add the rest of the stock and mix until the paste dissolves into the stock – lump free!
I find this method to be an effective way of making gravy without ending up with little flour lumps, and no need to use a whisk (bit tricky to whisk with all that onion).
Meatballs back in – Bring the mixture up to a simmer then add the meatballs into the sauce, along with any juices that have accumulated on the tray.
Simmer the meatballs for 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce thickens into a gravy consistency and the meatballs are cooked through, then you’re done!
Don’t let the gravy get too thick as it thickens quite fast as it cools, by the time it goes from the pan into your bowl, to the table and into your mouth! You will be surprised how fast gravy thickens.
Serve over mash, or rice or pasta.
I also had a vivid dream of stuffing these inside warm crusty French sticks, kind of like meatball subs, except with gravy.
I was very disappointed that I woke up before I got to eat it. But now I fully intend to make this dream a reality. – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Country Pork Meatballs with Onion Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
MEATBALLS:
- 500 g/ 1 lb pork mince (ground pork), or any other meat
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs , or regular breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg (~50g/2oz in shell)
- 2 green onion stems , finely sliced (or 1/2 onion, grated using box grater)
- 1 garlic clove , finely grated or crushed using a garlic press
- 1 tsp ground sage (don't skip this! Key flavour)
- 1 tsp onion powder (substitute garlic powder, or 1 garlic clove finely grated)
- 1/2 tsp paprika ,regular/sweet (or smoked, not spicy)
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
ONION GRAVY:
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter , or olive oil
- 2 small onions , halved then cut into 8mm / 1/3" wedges (or 1 1/2 large onions)
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 3 tbsp flour (all purpose / plain)
- 2 cups beef stock , low sodium
- 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce or gravy browner – for colour, it won't tasty Asiany! (Note 2)
SERVING:
- Mashed potato , pasta, rice or cauliflower rice (low carb)
- Finely chopped parsley , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Meatball mixture – Put the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix well with your hands until combined.
- Roll – Portion and roll into 20 meatballs, 2 1/2 tbsp each (I use an ice cream scoop to portion onto a tray, then roll with hands to finish).
- Brown outside – Heat the oil on medium high in a large non-stick pan. Brown the meatballs – I usually do 3 to 4 sides, rolling with 2 spoons, taking about 6 to 7 minutes. Keep the inside raw as we will finish cooking in the gravy. Remove meatballs out back onto the tray.
- Sauté onion – Add the butter and let it melt. Turn the heat up to high and add the onion. Cook for 3 minutes or until floppy, then add the garlic and cook for another 1 minute (it smells amazing!).
- Thicken gravy – Add the flour and stir for 1 minute. While stirring, slowly pour in half the stock. As the flour mixture dissolves in and the stock heats up, it will start to thicken and become like a paste coating the onion. Then pour in the remaining beef stock, salt, pepper and dark soy or gravy browner (if using). Mix to combine.* This method helps to ensure your gravy is lump free! *
- Simmer with meatballs – Return the meatballs into the gravy and bring it to a simmer. Let it cook for 5 minutes until the gravy thickens into a thin gravy consistency, rolling the meatballs every now and then. The gravy will thicken more as it cools, while serving and waiting to eat, so don't take it too far now.
- Serve the meatballs over mash, sprinkled with a pinch of parsley if using.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More meatballs!
Don’t make me pick a favourite….
Life of Jaffle
Jaffle had his first trip to the dog beach on the weekend! I arranged to meet up with his mum and two of his siblings. He hasn’t seen any of them since I picked him up 6 weeks ago!
Here’s Jaffle and his mum, Clem, dashing over to greet Taggart (his brother) and Beatrice (his sister) when they arrived!
Giving his brother Taggart a “hug” before tumbling along the beach with him!
And there was an attempt at a family photo ….. “attempt” being the operative word here!
It was so nice being back at the beach after 6 months.
I look forward to many years of sandy, wet, play sessions with Jaffle! 🥰
A beautiful family and I particularly like the photo of the brotherly hug! They both have the big doggy smiles!
Here’s how this recipe inspires me:
Do you ever wonder why the meat is shaped into balls, when shaping into patties (like falafel) would make it easier to cook them or stuff them into bread for sandwiches? I suppose they wouldn’t need as long a cook time,
Whenever I make “Bombs” (my Bubbie’s matzoh balls baked in an onion gravy), my onion gravy uses ~16-20 sliced onions cooked down in ~1/4-1/3 c. chicken stock, with sweet smoked paprika and ground white pepper. I’ll either make it that way or your way, or just caramelize a lot of onions in schmaltz w/ the smoked paprika and white pepper, but add sage — that’s the key IMO for the “country” flavor.
For this gravy, though, I think I’ll use all leeks instead, finely shredding the dark leek greens (Alison Roman taught me to always use the entire leek, and she is so right); they’ll melt into lusciousness in the schmaltz. And my homemade chicken stock is so full of collagen that I’ll use it instead of store-bought beef “stock” — honestly, I’ve never considered anything out of a can anywhere near a proper stock, and chicken stock is so utterly simple to make yourself: use a combination of a bones from a carcass + lots of wings and feet, and a neck or two, along with the usual vegetables (but don’t peel the onions; their skins are a natural darkener, if you care about the color).
One last observation: I don’t like mashed potatoes except as an ingredient in, e.g., a knish stuffing or as a filler for some kind of patty or croquette. So my country pork patties will be served with garlicky smashed baby potatoes, along with a “salad” of rice, mint, and lemon, rolled in grape leaves.
Will be making these for sure. BUT…… gotta put some fennel seeds in the pork!!!
Hi Nargi,
I have used Parisian Essence as a browning agent all my life. It has no flavour at all and browns amazingly. It’s a Queen brand product. FYI I have no connection to Queen products.
I just looked it up, how have I never heard of that before??? So useful!
What a beautiful doggie family photo. Just like humans, impossible to get everyone looking at the camera at the same time. These sound delicious. I’ll try them when the weather gets a bit colder. We’re in Summer mode in Ireland now!
I took 20 photos and that was the best!! I heard it’s unusually warm over in Ireland this year, I hope you enjoy it! – N xx
Pork meatballs look delightful ,very much like the British faggot although i believe has liver in it aswell
You beat me to it, saying faggots. Faggots do also have some liver in them but not much. I love them
I bet Stephen makes great faggots, I’ll have to get him to make them for us for a team lunch one day!!
I had to look that up! JB was actually using caul fat the other day for a recipe 🙂
Don’t have sage powder can I use fresh have some in my garden
Thanks
Sure can Grammy! Use 1 tablespoon finely chopped 🙂 – N x
Grammy….if you have a good amount of sage in your garden, you can dry the leaves in the oven on lowest heat for 1 hour. Once dry, put them in a fine strainer and using a spoon rub them through the strainer. Instant rubbed sage….you can store it in a clean spice jar and use all. year long.
Go Jaffle ! He is very golden 🧡 ….you feel about meatball rolling about how I feel about crumbing schnitzel’s!! i make sure I do as many as I can and freeze them …rotten job
Ba ha ha!!! I am actually ok with schnitzel! Want to swap? You roll my balls, I’ll crumb your schnitzels!!
Every 6th ball goes to the dog though 🐾😅
Hi Nargi just wondering if I can use fresh sage rather than ground.
Sure can Julie! The flavour is different but sage goes SO well with pork, fresh sage will make this even more special I think! Use 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh sage leaves 🙂 – N x
This looks great Nagi!
My partner and his family darken their gravy using Marmite, just a small amount, about a teaspoon (add more if needed) and it works a treat! You can’t taste it at all.
Yes! That’s another trick people use!!! – N xx
Hi Nagi, I noticed in the video there is garlic in the meatballs and the gravy, but it’s not listed in the ingredients for the recipe, same with paprika is shown and mentioned, but not listed. How much of these should we use? Really keen to cook this one soon, perfect winter dinner
Yikes. Want a job as an editor? 😅 Thanks so much for picking those up Christine! I’ve updated the recipe card. – N xx
Cube your meatballs and maximise your browning surface!!
I would be on board with that!!!
Looks delicious! Keen to try it. I’m wondering whether I can substitute the onion for leek for the gravy? Jaffle is just so adorable. Am loving watching his and your story unfold. Xx
Hi Helen, I cook for dietary needs and have to substitute leek tops and shallot or green onion tops for people with FODMAP issues, not an issue with flavour.
Hi Helen – Leek would be terrific in place of the onion! Don’t let the cute Jaffle pics fool you. He is a very, very naughty boy 😅
Can I make the day before? But then how do I reheat everything? Thank you – not a very good cook so for friends for lunch would like to make the day before.
Hi Mac! This reheats great, keep the meatballs in the gravy and reheat it together. I like using the microwave, not just for ease but it also keeps the meatballs nice and juicy. – N x
Instead of Breadcrumbs could you use some bread thats been soaked and then the water squeezed out?
Hi Nina! You sure can 🙂 As long as it’s soft enough to mix through the meat evenly that’s fine! – N x
Can you use fresh sage in this recipe..😊
Hi Susan, you sure can. Use 2 teaspoons of finely chopped sage. Just know that the flavour is different because dried sage is kind of a warm savoury flavour and that is the flavour you’ll find is reminiscent of pork sausages at butchers. But fresh sage is so wonderful with pork! In fact, forget 2 teaspoons, I’d go with a tablespoon! 🙂 – N x
Gorgeous catch-up. Beautiful family! Oh yeah, now I’ll read the recipe…. Thanks Jaffle and Nagi. ( you were mention on Melbourne radio today with a best food-site call-in- well done.
I’m honoured!!! 🙂 Yes, the catch up was terrific fun. Cold, but fun!!!
Love the family photos! Jaffle has grown so much. He’s such a sweet pup.
Can’t wait to try these meatballs.
Sue T
HE WON’T STOP GROWING!!! 😅
This looks delish – going to be on my weekend to do list 💕
Hope you get a chance to try it Ingrid! – N x