About This Recipe
This wonderful dish for Meatball Stew en Casserole is another old family recipe. My mom used to make it often, and especially for company (with Oatmeal Carmelitas as dessert). Yum.
The recipe as we used to prepare it was so difficult. You had to make the meatballs from scratch, brown them, and make sure they were cooked through, and peel and cook potatoes, then mash them for the topping. Now, I make it and the recipe tastes exactly the same, but I use frozen precooked meatballs (natch) and refrigerated mashed potatoes. I substitute baby carrots for the sliced carrots, because they are convenient and sweeter. So easy!
This casserole is honestly the ultimate in comfort food. Keep the ingredients on hand so you can make it at a moment’s notice, especially when you know the weather is going to be bad and everyone has to stay home from school. Your kids will love it.
One of the best things about this recipe, which is really a type of Shephard’s Pie, is that the potatoes are dolloped around the casserole instead of being spread evenly over the top. The means everyone gets a mound of crispy, browned, creamy mashed potatoes on their serving of rich sauce, meatballs, baby carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and peas. Can’t you just taste it?
How to make the best Meatball Stew en Casserole
- Make sure that the meatballs are thawed before you put the casserole into the oven.
- You can use potato flakes in place of the refrigerated mashed potatoes. Don’t sneer – those flakes are actually a really good product and are real potatoes. Just add the Parmesan cheese when they potatoes are hot.
- You can add any other veggie you’d like, including green beans, wax beans, sliced summer squash or zucchini.
Why this recipe works
- The rich sauce envelops tender meatballs and veggies, and the potato topping has crisp edge and is cheesy and melty inside.
Steps
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1
Done
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. |
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2
Done
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In a very large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook and stir for 2 minutes. |
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3
Done
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Add the mushrooms; cook and stir for 3 minutes longer. Then add the baby carrots and the meatballs and cook and stir for 5 minutes. |
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4
Done
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Add the soup, milk, and marjoram and stir until a sauce forms. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the meatballs are hot and the carrots are tender. Stir in the baby peas, sour cream, and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. |
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5
Done
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Pour the meatball mixture into the prepared pan. |
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6
Done
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Prepare the mashed potatoes as directed on the package and stir in the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Spoon dollops of the mashed potatoes around the edge of the casserole. |
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7
Done
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Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are browned on the edges and the casserole is bubbling in the center. Serve. |
