Tangy Meatballs

A delicious unique flavor combination. Beef meatballs made with chopped sauerkraut and browned in a skillet. A lightly tart tomato cream sauce, flavored with browned bits of beef and sauerkraut is the perfect complement for the meatballs. I made half the meat recipe into dinner size meatballs but didn't halve the sauce because it seemed a bit skimpy. The only ingredient I changed was to use heavy instead of light cream because it's uneffected by acids or high heat. I needed to add an additional cup of water to make a creamy sauce from a rather thick paste. The flavor was not affected by the dilution. I plan to make this again not only as a main dish but also as an appetizer, buffet dish or potluck dish, because I know this will be a sensation! Thanks, Leta

Finally a cheap easy dinner my husband actually raved about! (He is a restaurant manager, so he is kind of a food snob) I only used 1 lb. of beef (so 1 egg and half seasoning envelope), but made the full amount of sauce and that turned out to be the perfect amount to go with 6 oz. egg noodles that I cooked. I took the advice of another reviewer and made the meatballs ahead of time so they had time to chill in the fridge and get really flavorful. I used regular whipping cream instead of light cream, and I did need to add a little extra water to get the right consistency, but it was only about 1/8 of a cup for me. Also I did need to drain off some of the grease to get the right ratio of fat to flour for the sauce. I served steamed veggies on the side and it was a great meal! I will definitely make again!

Am editing my original review to add a comment. This is SO good and really DIFFERENT! I must ditto everything Lorac said regarding the taste. I, too, used heavy cream and used a total of 1 cup water to the sauce. I picked this recipe because: we are on a tight budget; I love sauerkraut; and my husband hates meatballs with bread crumbs (thinks they taste like meatloaf). We both loved it. Will definitely make it one of my potluck regulars! Thanks for sharing! I've made this twice now -- first time I mixed everything together and stuck in fridge before cooking the meatballs. Second time, I followed the recipe. The first time, the meatballs were MUCH zippier. Will do it that way from now on! LOVE this!