Marsala Meatballs
Marsala Meatballs in a sauté pan with thick marsala sauce and mushrooms. Serving spoon for serving with or without spaghetti.

Marsala Meatballs

Marsala Meatballs take a classic Italian meal and make it so easy with ground veal. These little veal meatballs are packed with all the flavor of a classic veal marsala recipe. Rich and traditional like we are used to, these marsala meatballs are even more family friendly using ground veal instead of cutlets. These meatballs can be prepared ahead, thrown in the freezer, easily doubled, and served with spaghetti for a great family meal.
This thick marsala sauce delivers all the flavor you need in a perfect dinner. This great recipe was created by Holly of Taste and See blog. She did a great job packing the flavor in these bite sized marsala meatballs. Check out her other veal recipes here! Don’t miss some of our other great meatball recipes as well.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground veal
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 of a medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 5 cloves minced garlic
  • ½ cup almond flour, almond meal, or breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 16 ounces white button or cremini mushrooms
  • 11/4 cup sweet marsala wine
  • 1 cup beef or chicken stock
  • ¼ teaspoon salt & pepper
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of cold water
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients: ground veal, egg, onion, garlic, almond flour, fresh chopped parsley, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix until everything is combined.
  3. Form meatballs using a 1 ½ in. cookie scoop. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart.  Bake for 12-13 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 160F tested with an instant read thermometer.
  4. Once the meatballs are cooked, begin preparing the sauce. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet as well as any leftover meaty bits from the baked meatballs to add flavor.
  5. Next, add the mushrooms and sauté on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes. Until they are nicely browned, and their moisture has evaporated.
  6. Pour the Marsala wine and chicken stock into the pan, add the salt and pepper and bring to a simmer, allow it to cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in the cornstarch and water mixture and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until the sauce has thickened.  Then stir in the butter.
  7. Next, fold in the baked meatballs to the sauce and cook for 5 more minutes.
  8. Sprinkle with the parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with parmesan cheese if desired.

NOTE: If the sauce gets too thick add more beef/chicken stock or water.  If the sauce seems too thin add more of the cornstarch/water mixture. You can also freeze these meatballs after they are baked and cooled and prep the sauce when you pull them out of the freezer!