Every family has favorite recipes that are special and unique to them. Whether they have been handed down for generations or a recipe your mom saw on the The Pioneer Woman that quickly became a go-to staple. I have food memories of visiting other homes and being served one of their special dishes. My uncle always made beef stroganoff or scalloped potatoes. My friend would serve fried rice for breakfast. In my family, meatballs supreme over rice was a staple we served for ourselves and guests.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Meatballs over rice? Meatballs are served with spaghetti right? Well, not exactly. In fact, pasta and meatballs are kept separate in Italy. Think first course and second course. Virtually every cuisine around the world has a recipe for meatball. My family recipe is a pan fried meatball with a tomato based sauce that is served over rice. I have never seen or read a reproduction of this recipe anywhere. I did read that some Polish and Croatian recipes call for a thickened tomato sauce served over rice, but upon doing a little research, I couldn’t actually find a recipe. Whenever I serve it I tell people to trust me, it’s delicious. All that being said, let’s dive in to the recipe!
These meatballs supreme are so easy to make but they are absolute comfort food to me. They also freeze and reheat really well, which makes them a great dish to bring as a housewarming or to someone in need which leads me to why I made my latest batch. We have a new niece in our family and I made a double batch of these meatballs to bring to the new parents (well one batch for them and one for me 😉 ).
I love how this recipe is originally written. “Mix thoroughly the first 11 ingredients. Roll into small balls.” Can it be any more simple? That first step to be more specific is actually mix the ground beef with the egg, milk, cornmeal and spices. Then roll the meatballs into about 2-inch round balls.
Next, melt your shortening in a large pan and place the meatballs about 1-inch apart. For my size pan, I usually cook 10 meatballs at a time. Do not substitute butter for the shortening. Shortening has a higher smoke point than butter. The butter will burn.
Brown for about 3-5 min and then begin to turn gently over and brown the other side.
When all sides are evenly browned, remove the meatballs to an 8×8″ baking pan. For easy clean up, line with foil.
Once all the meatballs are cooked, add flour to the drippings and whisk until flour is completely blended in and browned.
Add flour to drippings 
Whisk until flour is cooked
Slowly add the tomato juice and whisk until a smooth sauce is formed.
Pour the sauce over the meatballs, cover and bake for 45 min at 350 degrees. If you’re gifting to another family like I did, just simply cover the meatballs and place in the fridge or freezer until time to deliver. Tell your lucky recipient to continue heating in the oven.
After the meatballs come out of the oven, serve over rice and enjoy! the meatballs are tender and juicy. The sauce is simple, but full of flavor and the rice soaks it up beautifully. It is truly a perfect combination.
This is a recipe that is so easy to double or triple and stock up your freezer. I definitely had a freezer batch ready for when I brought home my own newborn. Enjoy!
Meatballs Supreme
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef can substitute ground turkey
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2 Tbsp shortening
- 2 cups tomato juice
Instructions
- Mix thoroughly the first 11 ingredients. Roll into small balls about 2-inch diameter.
- Melt shortening in a large pan and place the meatballs about 1-inch apart. For my size pan, I usually cook 10 meatballs at a time. Brown for about 3-5 min and then begin to turn gently over and brown the other side. When all sides are evenly browned, remove the meatballs to an 8×8" baking pan.
- Once all the meatballs are cooked, add flour to the drippings and whisk until flour is completely blended in and browned. Slowly add the tomato juice and whisk until a smooth sauce is formed. Pour the sauce over the meatballs, cover and bake for 45 min at 350 degrees.
