Traditional Hungarian flavors come together in these deliciously tender and succulent Hungarian Meatballs that are drenched in a lusciously rich and silky paprika sauce! Enjoy them over hot buttered noodles, rice, Spätzle, or potatoes. A great make ahead-meal and the meatballs can also be frozen so you can simply thaw them when you’re ready and make the sauce!
Friends, you simply have to make these Hungarian meatballs! Your taste buds will thank you over and over again. They may not state it verbally, but trust me, they’ll say it in a way that you’ll understand.
These luscious meatballs are inspired by the flavors of Hungarian cuisine, one of my favorites. They are easy to make and ready for the table in about 30 minutes. The rich flavors of this comfort dish are an absolute feast for the palate!
The smooth and creamy sauce is vibrantly red from sweet paprika with the wonderfully deep flavor of caramelized onions and mushrooms (yes, you can omit them if you don’t like them) with the zesty touch of dill and freshened up with the tangy taste of sour cream. Simply put, they’re irresistible.
This dish also makes a nice time-saver: Make and freeze the meatballs in advance and then plop them in the simmering sauce at the appropriate stage. These meatballs are also great as leftovers: Simply thin the sauce out a bit with some broth, milk or cream if it’s become too thickened. The flavors will be even better once they’ve had time to meld.
Before we get started, an important note about paprika. There are many options out there to purchase, a tiny fraction of which actually come from Hungary. We cannot emphasize enough what a massive difference quality Hungarian paprika makes. We recommend this genuine Hungarian paprika from the Kalocsa region of Hungary. It has a wonderfully rich flavor and an exceptionally vibrant red color. Many of our readers have tried this paprika, written back and agree that quality Hungarian-imported paprika makes all the difference.
Hungarian Meatballs Recipe
Be sure to check out my video for these Hungarian Meatballs in the recipe card below!
Let’s get started!
You can use any meat or combination of meats of your choice for these meatballs. This time we’re using veal, which is very lean and delicate in flavor, and a meat that’s commonly enjoyed in Hungarian cuisine. Veal is prized among chefs worldwide for its versatility, delicate flavor and tender melt-in-you-mouth texture. It also has a lower fat and calorie profile than beef. Note: A lot of positive changes have been made in the U.S. veal industry in recent years. I purchase it from butchers who source their veal from producers who pasture-raise the calves with social interaction of other animals.
Place all the meatball ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and knead to thoroughly combine.
Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls or whatever size you prefer.
Heat some oil in a skillet and once hot add the meatballs, browning on all sides.
Transfer the meatballs to a plate and discard all but a tablespoon or so of grease.
Add the onions to the skillet and fry until translucent and golden brown. Add the garlic and fry for another minute (don’t fry garlic too long or it becomes bitter). Add the mushrooms and fry until they’ve released their juices and they’re mostly evaporated.
Transfer the mushroom mixture to a bowl and set aside.
Add the butter to the skillet and melt it. Add the flour and whisk until dissolved.
Continue whisking vigorously for another minute or two until the flour mixture is a deep golden brown. We’re creating what’s called a roux, a French term and the grand secret for creating an irresistibly rich and flavorful sauce.
Pour in the hot broth while continually whisking to prevent clumping.
Continue to whisk while bringing the mixture to a simmer.
Add the cream and whisk until combined.
Continue to simmer for another minute or so until the sauce is thickened.
Return the mushroom mixture to the sauce and add the pepper, salt and paprika. As you stir get ready to admire the beautiful velvety red sauce that’s created!
Stir in the sour cream and dill. Gorgeous!
Return the meatballs to the sauce, stirring to coat them, and simmer covered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve immediately over hot buttered egg noodles, Spätzle or rice along with a cool cucumber or leafy green salad and some rustic crusty bread. Garnish with some chopped fresh dill if desired.
Serve over hot buttered pasta, our homemade Spätzle, potatoes, or rice along with a cool cucumber or leafy green salad and some rustic crusty bread.
Enjoy!
For more delicious Hungarian recipes be sure to try our:
- Hungarian Goulash
- Chicken Paprikash
- Pörkölt
- Szegedin Goulash
- Hungarian Mushroom Soup
- Chicken Goulash
Hungarian Meatballs
Ingredients
- For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground meat of choice (e.g., pork, beef, veal, chicken, turkey)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
- 2 tablespoons oil for frying
- For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 8 ounces mushrooms , sliced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup cream (for lower calories: substitute evaporated milk)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Place all the meatball ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and knead to thoroughly combine. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls or whatever size you prefer.
- Heat some oil in a skillet and once hot add the meatballs, browning on all sides. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and discard all but a tablespoon or so of grease.
- Add the onions to the skillet and fry until translucent and golden brown. Add the garlic and fry for another minute (don't fry garlic too long or it becomes bitter). Add the mushrooms and fry until they've released their juices and they're mostly evaporated. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter to the skillet and melt it. Add the flour and whisk until dissolved. Continue whisking vigorously for another minute or two until the flour mixture is a deep golden brown. (We're creating what's called a roux, a French term and the grand secret for creating an irresistibly rich and flavorful sauce.)
- Pour in the hot broth while continually whisking to prevent clumping. Continue to whisk while bringing the mixture to a simmer. Add the cream and whisk until combined. Continue to simmer for another minute or so until the sauce is thickened. Return the mushroom mixture to the sauce and add the pepper, salt and paprika. Stir in the sour cream and dill.
- Return the meatballs to the sauce, stirring to coat them, and simmer covered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve immediately over hot buttered egg noodles, spaetzle, potatoes or rice along with a cool cucumber or leafy green salad and some rustic crusty bread. Garnish with some chopped fresh dill if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet September 25, 2016
Jessica | The Novice Chef says
I love meatballs! Love that I could make and freeze them for later!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
I haven’t had veal since I was little! Time to change that, I think. :)
Citra Kale @Citra's Home Diary says
Meatball is one most repeatable menu on our dinner table. I believe this scrumptious hungarian meatball will be our new list.
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog says
I am seriously craving meatballs after seeing this post!
carrie @ frugal foodie mama says
Whoa! I am going to have to try this recipe soon because it looks amazing! :) I had never heard of Hungarian meatballs before. Looks like I have been missing out my whole entire life. ;)
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
That sauce with all that Hungarian paprika is making my mouth water. I don’t cook veal too very often, but for this recipe I think I’d use it.
warren says
i,like most of your readers on this post,think everything looks GREAT and the short video tops it off.reading over the recipe several times-and the video- i think i can smell the complete dish coming together.the pictures and video were great.sauce looks thick and tasty–this is on my list to try soon.–ps..if some of these writers would see how some, but maybe not all, of our food is prepared , i think they would stop eating altogether. some mfg. are bad, and some try harder to make things right,you pick what you gotta eat.thanks for a great recipe(smells great)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Warren! And isn’t that the sad truth? You don’t have to look any further than chicken production (the most commonly consumed meat in the U.S.) to witness inhumane practices – they really don’t get any worse than that. I’m just glad anytime I hear about farmers who are moving away from poor practices and implementing positive changes.
Adriana Martin (@ABRecipes) says
Using veal instead of beef it is a great idea. Those meatballs must be very tender and juicy. What a great dish!
Wendy | Around My Family Table says
This looks very filling! Can’t wait to try it. -w
christine says
I am not familiar with hungarian cuisine but these flavors sound great! I always add a bit of veal into my meatballs too.
Carolyn says
I’ve had Swedish Meatballs, but never Hungarian ones…I need to try this!
TidyMom says
My family loves meatballs, and I love trying new recipes! Thanks
Sheila @ Life, Love, and Good Food says
These meatballs do look delicious and I love all the step-by-step instructions, too!
Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen says
Oh my goodness, these look amazing – that sauce sounds perfect and I’m so in love with meatballs in any form.
MaryL says
I am a novice with no idea what SWEET Paprika is. And advice on brands available by mail order, or in local grocers in So. Central Texas (i.e. HEB) would be gratefully accepted!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mary, thanks for asking! Sweet paprika is simply mild paprika (as opposed to hot/spicy). You can find it in any grocery store but the best stuff by far is the paprika imported from Hungary. You can also find it here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UU2KXQ?ie=UTF8&tag=thedargou09-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=B004UU2KXQ
MaryL says
Thank you so much! I really enjoyed the explanation… I had no idea there were different types. I went straight to the link but, of course, the item was “Currently Unavailable”, lol.
I signed up for the alert when it was back in stock, eventually I am going to make and enjoy this dish!
Mike Salfai says
I make this recipe with a beef/pork mixture and use some hot paprika along with the sweet. That’s the way my grandmother made it. Delicious served over galuska.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That sounds great, Mike, I’ve also made them with ground chicken and turkey and they’re delicious no matter what!