Indulge in the ultimate comfort food with our French Onion Meatballs and Orzo Skillet! This one-pan dinner features tender meatballs simmered with sweet, jammy caramelized onions and topped with gooey, melty Gruyère cheese. Perfect for cozy evenings, this dish combines rich flavors and hearty ingredients for an unforgettable meal.
Caramelized onions are such a stellar way to add big umami flavor to a variety of dishes. They’re sweet, savory, jammy, and teeming with complex flavor. I have several recipes that are love letters to caramelized onions, like my French onion soup, French onion grilled cheese, caramelized onion and mushroom crostini, and my French onion dip. This French onion meatball and orzo skillet dinner is my latest hyperfixation meal. It’s saucy, cheesy, meaty, so comforting, and tastes a whole lot like a hearty French onion soup. It features a blend of tender pork and beef meatballs baked in the oven so they stay soft and tender. The orzo is cooked in a skillet of caramelized onions in a savory sauce perfumed with fresh thyme. The meatballs get added back in and then it’s all topped with perfectly melty Gruyère cheese. It’s the perfect comfort food dinner.
What’s in These French Onion Meatballs
These French onion meatballs are so full of awesome flavor thanks to a blend of pork and beef for the meatballs, the addition of Worcestershire sauce, and plenty of Gruyère cheese.
Here’s what you’ll need for the meatballs:
- Egg
- Ground beef (I use 80/20)
- Ground pork
- Panko
- Gruyère cheese
- Garlic
- Milk (this helps tenderize the meat)
- Worcestershire sauce
- Fresh thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Here’s What You’ll Need for the Onions and Orzo
Deep caramelized onions infused with fresh thyme, tossed with flour, and then simmered in a savory beef stock create a rich, umami-filled sauce for the orzo to cook in. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Butter
- Vidalia onions (you could use yellow but I prefer these for caramelizing because they’re sweeter)
- Fresh thyme
- Kosher salt
- Flour
- Dry white wine
- Beef stock (I prefer Better Than Bouillon Beef Base, dissolved in water, per label instructions)
- Orzo
- Gruyère cheese
How to Make French Onion Meatballs
First, you’ll want to make the meatballs since caramelizing the onions will require a little bit of babysitting. The meatballs are super quick and easy to throw together and they bake in the oven (so you don’t have to babysit those!).
Here’s how to make the French onion meatballs:
- Whisk the egg well in a large bowl. Then add all of the rest of the meatball ingredients. Mix well with your hands (they’re your best tool!).
- Scoop and roll. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the mixture and form into balls, arranging them in an even layer on the sheet pan (You should have about 25).
- Bake until browned. Bake the meatballs until cooked through and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the oven and set aside.
How to Caramelize Your Onions and Put the Dish Together
The key to this umami-rich sauce is deeply caramelized onions (which can typically take about an hour), but they will only take you about half that amount of time here. It’s important to keep an eye on them, stirring them every so often, and adding a bit of water here and there so they don’t burn.
Here’s how to make the caramelized onions and assemble the orzo skillet dish:
- Caramelize the onions. Melt your butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet), and add the sliced onions, fresh thyme, and salt. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring often, or until the onions are nice and jammy.
- Make the sauce. Add the flour to the onions and stir well to combine, cooking for 1 minute to cook the flour. Whisk in the white wine to deglaze. Next, stir in the beef stock, thyme, and salt.
- Cook the orzo. The orzo will cook directly in the sauce. Bring the stock to a simmer over medium-low. Stir in the orzo and cook for about 10-12 minutes, or until al dente. Note: Be sure to stir frequently while scraping the bottom of the skillet with a sturdy spatula so the orzo doesn’t stick.
- Add the meatballs and cheese. Nestle the cooked meatballs into the skillet, top with shredded Gruyère, and place in the oven and broil for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and melted. Remove from the oven and top with a sprinkling of fresh thyme.
French Onion Orzo with Meatballs
Ingredients
- For the meatballs:
- 1 large egg
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- ¼ cup Panko
- ⅓ cup shredded Gruyère cheese
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- For the onions and orzo
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 large Vidalia onions 2 pounds , halved and thinly sliced
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves divided
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 3 ½ cups beef stock (I prefer Better Than Bouillon Beef Base, disolved in water, per label instructions)
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- ⅔ cups shredded Gruyère cheese
Instructions
- For the meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Whisk the egg well in a large bowl and then add all of the rest of the meatball ingredients. Mix well with your hands (they’re your best tool!). Use a tablespoon to scoop out the mixture and form into balls, arranging them in an even layer on the sheet pan (You should have about 25). Bake the meatballs until cooked through and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the oven and set aside while you caramelize your onions.
- For the onions and orzo:
- Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet) over medium heat, and add the butter. Once melted, add the sliced onions, 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves, and salt, and sauté, stirring so they don’t crisp or brown in spots. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the onions are nice and jammy, giving off a rich nutty aroma, and stirring them every few minutes, to prevent burning. If the onions look like they’re beginning to burn or crisp, stir in a splash of water and scrape the caramelized fond from the bottom of the skillet for the onions to absorb.
- Add the flour to the onions and stir well to combine, cooking for 1 minute to cook the flour. Then, whisk in the white wine to deglaze. Next, stir in the beef stock, 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves, and ½ teaspoon of salt, and bring to a simmer over medium-low. Stir in the orzo and cook for about 10-12 minutes, or until the orzo is al dente, frequently stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to make sure the orzo doesn’t stick.
- Arrange the top rack of your oven so it’s directly under your broiler. Turn the broiler on low. Nestle the cooked meatballs into the skillet, top with shredded Gruyère, and place in the oven, under a low broil for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme.
