These Russian Meatballs with Gravy is a comfort food enjoyed by Russians for generations. Beefy meatballs cooked with Russian gravy, mushrooms and red peppers. Comfort food that's kid friendly and delicious.
Russian Meatballs - Kotleti
These Russian meatballs aren't the traditional style of Ikea meatballs with gravy. In Russian, they are called Kotleti, and are mix between meatballs or rissoles. They look like rounded meat patties. Technically they are beef cutlets that are usually pan fried. Every Russian kid loves eating Kotleti. You can use any ground meat you like; beef, chicken, pork or even ground turkey.
How to Make Russian Meatballs
- Mix together ground beef, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, 1 egg, parsley and seasonings
- Form the meat into oval or round patties and flatten with your hands
- Lightly coat in flour (shake off excess flour)
- Fry in oil for about 2-3 minutes per side until lightly golden. They will continue to cook in the gravy.
- Alternatively, you can heat oven to 375°F/190°C and bake them for about 30 minutes.
Podliva - Russian Style Gravy
If you're expecting to make regular gravy, like the type you make when roasting a turkey, this Russian gravy is made slightly differently. While both gravies are made with a roux, the meatballs are partially cooked in the gravy sauce. They aren't made separate to compliment each other, but are cooked separately, then together. This gravy get's its color from tomato paste.
- Caramelize onions in butter and set aside.
- Make a roux with butter and flour (no lumps). Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes
- Mix in the onions, 2½ cups of water or stock and a bay leaf. Simmer until the gravy thickens
- Place your cooked meatballs in a stock pot. Pour the gravy over the meatballs and simmer together for about 10 minutes
Extra Vegetables in your Meatballs with Gravy
While many Russian Meatballs with Gravy recipes are made with only the meat and gravy sauce. My mom's recipe has extra vegetables. Of course she did! 🤣 Russians love mushrooms and add them wherever they can, and red peppers add flavor and color to this saucy recipe. The mushrooms and red peppers are cooked separately, and added to your pot on top of your meatballs. They gravy is poured over, and everything is simmered together.
What to serve with Meatballs with Gravy?
We always ate this recipe with spiral pasta like a Rotini. Mom says the spirals in the pasta allow the gravy and onions to get stuck around them better. You can serve this recipe with any carbs you like, here are my suggestions.
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Rotini or your favorite pasta
- Rice
- Buckwheat
- Quinoa
Russian Recipes You'll Love
- Creamy Chicken Stroganoff
- Instant Pot Russian Cabbage Soup
- Veal Orloff - Potato and Meat Casserole
- Russian Pan Fried Potatoes
- Blini Russian Crepes
Russian style Meatballs and Gravy, or Kotleti with Podliva is a tasty recipe from my childhood. Cooked in a rich tomato based gravy, the flavors won't disappoint. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Ingredients
Russian Meatballs - Kotleti
- 2 pounds /1kg ground beef
- 2 small onions grated or finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup flour for coating meatballs
- oil for frying vegetable or sunflower oil
Vegetables
- 1 medium onion diced
- ½ pound /250g mushrooms sliced
- 1 large red pepper cubed 2" pieces
- oil for frying
Russian Gravy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 2½ cups hot water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pound /500g spiral corkscrew pasta
Instructions
Russian Meatballs - Kotleti
- Mix together ground beef, grated onion, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Form the meat patties using your hands. Make them into a tight ball (like a snowball), and slightly flatten with your hands into a rounded patty, keeping the edges rounded and width uniform throughout. Put on a plate or tray, ready for frying.
- Lightly coat the meatballs in flour before frying. Gently shake off excess flour.
- Heat oil into a frying pan until hot on medium-high. Fry meatballs until they are lightly golden cooked on both sides. (approx 2-3 minutes per side). They will continue to cook in the gravy.
Vegetables
- Caramelize onions in 1 tablespoon of oil. Set side.
- Saute the sliced mushrooms until the juices are release and they turn golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. Set aside.
- Quickly flash fry the red peppers for about 1-2 minutes, maximum. Don't overcook the peppers or they will become mushy in the gravy. Set aside.
Russian Gravy Sauce
- Melt butter in frying pan. Add flour and mix until smooth. Cook flour mixture for 2 minutes on medium-low heat constantly stirring. Careful not to burn the roux. Mix in tomato paste and cook for another minute.
- Add the caramelized onions to the roux. Slowly whisk in 2½ cups of hot water (or broth). Keep stirring until lump free. Add a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for about 5 minutes until thickened. Add salt and pepper. If sauce is too thick, add more water.
- Place the cooked meatballs in a large pot. Add the mushrooms and peppers over the meatballs. Pour the gravy covering the the meatballs, bring to a low simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Serve over spiral pasta, or with mashed potatoes.
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