These baked pork meatballs are tender and juicy on their own and when you add them to a rich, earthy and fragrant cream sauce it takes it to the next level of deliciousness! An easy and oh so delicious pasta dish to enjoy any day of the week.
These meatballs are so flavourful with the added spices and herbs and ground pork adds a lot of flavour and juiciness. When using ground pork in meatballs, hamburgers or meat loaf, it offers lots of flavour and I always use lean ground pork, and I don’t need to be concerned about the meat drying out and tasting bland. Pork pairs well with beef and I have always used the two together in my recipes.
Ingredients for these delicious easy baked meatballs:
- ground pork: is the only ground meat you need for this recipe and pork is a flavourful meat to add to any recipe
- garlic and onion powder: both add lots of flavour and just make sure they are fresh; just to note, always replace every year
- paprika: adds colour and a smoky flavour
- oregano and thyme: both of these are from Crete, Greece and picked wild so they fragrance and flavour are phenomenal
- egg and bread crumbs: help to bind the meatballs
- parsley: use fresh and I always add parsley to my meatballs, burgers and meatloaf.
- salt and pepper
Ingredients for the Creamy Mushroom Garlic Herb Sauce:
- shallot: is mild onion flavour
- garlic: sometimes I can’t get enough of this root vegetables, it’s pungent and unique in it’s flavour
- butter and flour: need to create a roux
- paprika: adds smoky flavour and colour to this dish
- chicken broth: needed to create a sauce, vegetable broth can be substituted
- cream: by making a roux, 10% half and half cream is all you need to create a creamy sauce
- herbs: thyme is subtle where rosemary is more fragrant with intense flavour
- spinach: one of favourite greens to add to my recipe for it’s nutritional value and vibrant colour and it’s so versatile
- seasonings: salt and pepper
- parsley: to garnish
When Making this recipe:
Meatballs: I chose to bake the meatballs instead of pan-frying. They turn out perfectly, crispy and juicy plus the clean-up is easy which is bonus. Line the baking sheet with either parchment paper or aluminum foil, but make sure you coat the foil with olive oil.
When adding ingredients to a medium bowl, break the pork apart so the ingredients blend well throughout and no need to over mix. Shape into meatballs keeping in mind the size. Golf ball size tends to be the standard size, however, there is no rule says you can’t make them larger or smaller. Bake for 20 minutes, long enough for the meat to cook internally and turn them halfway to get that crispy texture. Note: if you keep them in too long, they will dry out.
Creamy Mushroom Garlic Herb Sauce: When making the sauce, sauté the shallots and garlic in butter for a couple of minutes, then stir in flour and paprika, this will create a paste, or roux. By adding the liquids and fresh herbs, this will allow the aromas and flavour from the herbs to release and the sauce will start to thicken creating this lovely rich sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
What stands out in this recipe are the ingredients. I used Organic 10% half and half cream from Harmony Organic Dairy. It’s a locate dairy farm that I have purchased all my dairy products from. They have high standards and sustainable practices that offer high quality dairy products.
The dried thyme and oregano I used in the meatballs are the most fragrant and flavourful I have ever tasted! They are from the island Crete, Greece and are grown wild and picked by hand with no use of pesticides or processing in any form. The Greeks harvest these herbs with care and pride and it shows.
There are so many options on how to serve these meatballs
- Appetizers: on their own as an appetizer with cheddar cheese, cherry tomatoes, and some veggies.
- Pasta dish: they would compliment most pasta dishes from Spaghetti, simple tomato or blush sauce and in this case a cream sauce
- Meatball Sliders or Sub: add to your favourite ciabatta bun and top it with a tomato sauce
- Meatball stew: by adding the meatballs to a vegetable stew with a broth or sauce
- Meatball casserole: add these to a casserole with cheese and pasta
- Pizza: why not apt up your pizza with meatballs, and sprinkled with mozzarella
- Stir-fry: add them to a stir-fry and rice
I used a pappardelle egg noodle for this recipe and it was a perfect choice. It coats the pasta just the way we love it! Another option is fettuccine.
Creamy Pork Meatballs in Mushroom Garlic Herb Sauce
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- skillet or cast iron pan
- medium sauce pot
Ingredients
Pork Meatballs: approx. 18
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp thyme
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Mushroom Garlic Herb Sauce:
- 6 oz egg noodles, pappardelle (fettuccine can be substituted)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup organic half and half cream
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3 tbsp parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F or 204°C.
- In a medium bowl, combine and mix together ground pork, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, thyme, egg, bread crumbs, parsley, salt and black pepper. Shape the meat balls and place on a baking sheet lined with foil lightly greased with olive oil or lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink in the centre, turning them over halfway through. The outer surface on the meat balls should be a little crispy. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring water to a boil, in a medium sauce pot, add salt and pasta. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package or until al dente. Reserve about 3-4 tablespoons of pasta water.
- In a medium skillet or cast iron pan, over medium-low heat, melt butter, add shallots and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, then stir in mushrooms; sauté for approximately 3-4 minutes. Stir in flour and paprika until well combined and a paste forms. Add the broth, cream, thyme, rosemary, spinach, salt and pepper. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add the meatballs to warm and if the sauce becomes too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water. and gently toss in the pasta.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, and thyme leaves. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
How to make these meatballs:
In a medium bowl, combine and mix together ground pork, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, thyme, egg, bread crumbs, parsley, salt and black pepper. Shape the meat balls to the size of golf balls or smaller. Sometimes, people like them larger or smaller, a personal preference.
Once they are shaped then place on a baking sheet lined with foil lightly greased with olive oil or lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink in the centre, turning them over halfway through. The outer surface on the meat balls should be a little crispy.
In a medium skillet or cast iron pan, over medium-low heat, melt butter, add shallots and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, then stir in mushrooms; sauté for approximately 3-4 minutes. Stir in flour and paprika until well combined and a paste forms.
Then add the broth, cream, fresh sprigs of thyme, rosemary and spinach then season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
While the sauce is thickening or almost to the point when it’s creating a lovely creamy texture, add the meatballs to warm.
As it thickens you will notice the change in colour from the paprika and meatballs. It has this gorgeous creamy rich colour and the flavour is outstanding!
Serve this delicious meatball recipe with a Cream Sauce as shown above or Marinara Sauce. I have had it both ways and they are both exceptional. The Marinara Sauce offers a lighter version with these meatballs.
I cooked it and it was wonderful. The recipe was easy to follow and the result is rich, creamy, juicy and delicious. I usually modify recipes to better fit my taste, but I didn’t change a thing in this one. All ingredients came together in a perfect harmony. This will be one of my go to meals, it is not only tasty but easy to make and not time consuming.
Hi Darina,
I am so thrilled you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for much for your wonderful comments.
I really appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Rose
I apologize Lesley, I added 1 cup of mushrooms. I have now included it in my recipe.
Rose
This recipe was so savory and creamy. I followed the instructions exactly but didn’t see where to add the spinach. I saw it in the pictures so added it at that time. It was very very good and will make again.
Hi Cat,
I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe! We did too!! Thank you for your feedback and kind comments!
Sincerely,
Rose