Pork Meatball Stroganoff
Made with perfectly seasoned ground pork meatballs simmered in a rich, sour cream-based sauce, Pork Meatball Stroganoff is the ultimate comfort food. We prefer these meatballs served over mashed potatoes, but buttered egg noodles are delicious, too.
Looking for other easy pork recipes? Try my Pork Cutlet Sandwich or Pork Cube Steak!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Pork Meatball Stroganoff
- ⏲️ Ready in: 45 minutes or less, you will have a simmering pan of heavenly goodness that nobody can resist.
- 👨👨👦👦 Makes: 21 meatballs
- 🍽️ Calories: 146kcal
- 💪 Protein: 7g
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Ground pork, bread crumbs, spices, beef broth, sour cream, sliced mushrooms, optional
- 📋 Dietary Info: You’ll find ground pork to be a very versatile and high-quality protein that is carb-free and easy to work with. You can substitute ground pork for ground beef in nearly any recipe.
- 💯 Why You’ll Love It: Budget-friendly, super satisfying, and ready to eat in under 45 minutes, make this the perfect dinner for any weekly rotation.
Every time I make this stroganoff for my guys, there are rarely any leftovers. Besides the mushrooms, I usually have all the other ingredients on hand, and I bet you will too. I’ve made this recipe lots of times without using a single mushroom, so don’t let that deter you.
Need a new dish to serve at family gatherings or potlucks? Try this! Once everything is fully cooked in the skillet, I transfer the meatballs and sauce to a large slow cooker for transport. Once I arrive at dinner, I just turn my slow cooker to warm and walk away.
And if you double the sauce, you can put a bed of Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes directly in the bottom of your slow cooker first, then top with the meatballs and sauce, and set the slow cooker to warm. It works like a charm for serving.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ground pork: You’ll find ground pork in the meat case, usually right next door to the ground sausage. Ground pork is usually an 80/20 meat-to-fat ratio, making it ideal for meatballs and burgers.
- Bread crumbs: You can use Italian or Panko. Make your own Italian breadcrumbs by combining a cup of plain breadcrumbs with 1 teaspoon Italian spice blend – easy-peasy.
- Sour Cream: I use full fat.
- Mushrooms: These are optional, but I have found they do enhance the depth of flavor in both the sauce and the meatballs. Highly recommend!
- Oil: I prefer vegetable or canola oil since it they are oils that don’t burn. The butter added to the oil enhances browning and flavor.
- Seasonings: Chopped Italian parsley, kosher salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce
- For serving the meatballs: We really enjoy the meatballs and sauce best served over warm mashed potatoes. In a pinch or when I need something faster, buttered egg noodles work really well. I’ve also served these meatballs over potato dumplings!
For a complete list of ingredients, see the detailed recipe card below.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk. Let rest for 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, add the ground pork, fresh parsley, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Add the softened breadcrumb mixture, then use your hands to gently combine all the ingredients, taking care not to overwork.
Step 2: Roll the prepared pork mixture into 24 meatballs, each about 2 inches in size, and set them aside on a plate as you work. I use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the meatball mixture, then I use my hands to roll each one into a smooth meatball, making them look more uniform.
Step 3: Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet (or any heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat, then add the oil and butter. Once the butter is melted and the oil is sizzling, add the meatballs to the pan.
Step 4: Working in batches, brown the meatballs on all sides, turning the heat to medium as they cook. Remove the meatballs to a plate as you work.
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Step 5: After all the meatballs are browned, use paper towels to carefully wipe out the excess oil from the skillet. Over medium heat, add the remaining butter. When the butter is nicely melted, add the mushrooms, along with the onion powder and garlic powder.
Step 6: Sauté the mushrooms until they are golden brown and nicely softened, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes, allowing the flour to brown a bit.
Step 7: Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the broth and Worcestershire to the mushrooms, whisking to combine. Return the skillet to the heat and continue to simmer over medium heat, whisking gently, until the sauce is nicely thickened.
Step 8: Remove the skillet from the heat and let the sauce cool slightly. Once the sauce isn’t quite as hot, gently incorporate the sour cream until nicely combined. Only add the sour cream to the sauce once it has cooled slightly, so it doesn’t curdle from too much heat.
Return the meatballs and any accumulated juices to the sauce, stirring to combine. Simmer the meatballs in the sauce for a few minutes, until everything is heated through.
Serve the meatballs with the sauce over a bed of warm mashed potatoes or cooked egg noodles, garnished with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
My Recipe Tips
- When you brown the meatballs, it’s important to allow plenty of space in your skillet. This allows the heat to circulate properly to make better browning for more flavor. Plus, if your skillet is too packed you can’t maneuver your spatula as well to turn the meatballs and they can wind up getting destroyed, due to their tender texture. Be sure to work in small batches when browning…it’s essential.
- I really like the mushrooms in the recipe because of the added richness they add to the sauce, but if you’ve got haters, just know you can eliminate them. The mushrooms, not the haters…
- If you like the meatballs to have lots of sauce surrounding them as they are served, double the amount of sauce you make in this recipe. Also, if you’re making this recipe ahead to serve at a later time, just know that as the meatballs rest, they will absorb quite a bit of the sauce.
Pork Meatball Stroganoff FAQs
One of the most common mistakes in making stroganoff is not letting the broth mixture cool before adding the sour cream. This can cause the sour cream to curdle.
Yes, you can make this entire dish ahead of time, let it cool, then cover it and refrigerate it right in the skillet until dinnertime. Just reheat over low heat on the stove and serve.
You sure can, and they freeze just great! Thaw in refrigeration and reheat in the microwave or in a skillet over low heat. The sauce can sometimes separate when frozen but will come back together when heated and stirred.
Yes, and I love to do this if I remember to plan ahead. To me, most of the work in this recipe is portioning out and rolling the meatballs. Why not double the recipe and make some to freeze for a quick meal later? When you’re ready, just thaw the meatballs and proceed with the recipe directions as directed.
IF you have any leftover meatballs and sauce, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
More Easy Pork Recipes
Pork delivers bold, craveable flavor at an affordable price. I’m always serving it up at the house, whether it’s Saucy Pork Cubes, Pork Ribeye Roast, or Honey Garlic Pork Chops.
If you try this recipe, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others when they can read your personal feedback. And, if you snap any photos, please share them on Instagram so we can repost them to our Stories!
Pork Meatball Stroganoff
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Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley chopped, may substitute 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes, if desired
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces sliced baby bella or button mushrooms optional, but recommended
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Your favorite mashed potatoes or egg noodles warm
Instructions
Prepare the Meatballs
- In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk. Let rest for 10 minutes.3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs, 3/4 cup milk
- In a large mixing bowl, add the ground pork, fresh parsley, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Add the softened breadcrumb mixture, then use your hands to gently combine all the ingredients, taking care not to overwork.1 1/2 pounds ground pork, 1/4 cup Italian parsley, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Roll the prepared pork mixture into 24 meatballs about 2-inches in size, setting them aside on a plate as you work. **I use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the meatball mixture, then I use my hands to roll each one into a smooth meatball to make them look more uniform.
Brown the Meatballs
- Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet (or any heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven) over medium high heat, adding the oil and butter.2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Once the butter is melted and the oil is sizzling, add the meatballs to the pan, working in barches to brown them on all sides. Turn the heat to medium as they cook, then remove them to a plate and set aside.
- After all the meatballs are all browned, use paper towels to carefully wipe out the excess oil from the skillet.
Prepare the Sauce
- Over medium heat, add the remaining butter. When the butter is nicely melted, add the mushrooms, along with the onion powder and garlic powder.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 8 ounces sliced baby bella or button mushrooms, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Saute the mushrooms until they are golden brown and nicely softened, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes, allowing the flour to brown a bit.2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the broth and Worcestershire to the mushrooms, whisking to combine.2 cups beef broth, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Return the skillet to the heat and continue to simmer over medium heat, whisking gently, until the sauce is nicely thickened.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the sauce to cool a bit. Once the sauce isn't quite as hot, gently incorporate the sour cream until nicely combined.1/2 cup sour cream
- Return the meatballs and any accumulated juices to the sauce, stirring to combine. Simmer the meatballs in the sauce for a few minutes until everything is nicely heated throughout.
Serve the Meatballs
- Serve the meatballs with the sauce over a bed of warm mashed potatoes or cooked egg noodles, garnished with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.Your favorite mashed potatoes or egg noodles
Notes
- When you brown the meatballs, it’s important to allow plenty of space in your skillet. This allows the heat to circulate properly to make better browning for more flavor. Plus, if your skillet is too packed you can’t maneuver your spatula as well to turn the meatballs and they can wind up getting destroyed, due to their tender texture. Be sure to work in small batches when browning…it’s essential.
- I really like the mushrooms in the recipe because of the added richness they add to the sauce, but if you’ve got haters, just know you can eliminate them. The mushrooms, not the haters…
- If you like the meatballs to have lots of sauce surrounding them as they are served, double the amount of sauce you make in this recipe. Also, if you’re making this recipe ahead to serve at a later time, just know that as the meatballs rest, they will absorb quite a bit of the sauce.