This old-school Cajun recipe for Meatball Fricassée is one of my favorites and is seen often across the rural culinary landscape of South Louisiana. Deep, dark and full of bold roux-based flavor, this is a prime example of Acadiana roots cooking. And with a jar of our own Rox’s Roux at the ready, this is one of the easiest dishes to make.
Meatball Fricassée – a flavor-filled meatball stew – is rural Cajun cooking that sticks to your ribs. (All photos credit: George Graham)
Acadiana is full of small town treasures brimming with personality and charm. These are the quirky little stops in the road that most tourists totally miss. I could name a few–Abbeville, Grand Coteau, Kaplan, Jeanerette– but, one of the most interesting is the town of Mamou in Evangeline Parish. This little town is full of surprises including my first encounter with a dark and delicious meatball fricassée.
Not sure why, but Mamou has always drawn me in. It’s a colorful little place with down-to-Earth Cajun people and that spirited joie de vivre that characterizes South Louisiana culture. I’ve been to the Courir de Mardi Gras, that fun and funky traditional rural Cajun Mardi Gras. And you really haven’t lived until you’ve danced the two-step as Fred’s Lounge cranks up the live Cajun music every Saturday morning. But, it is one meal many years ago that I most remember Mamou for.
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I first stopped in at the Hotel Cazan in Mamou over 30 years ago. It was a time warp then as now. Back in the day, the Cazan served up some down-home Cajun fare that was known far and wide as one of the most authentic interpretations of South Louisiana prairie cooking in Acadiana. It was stick-to-the-ribs hearty and artery-hardening rich. It was on that day that I first tasted a dark, rustic, roux-based meatball fricassée served over a mound of white rice.
That meatball fricassée was a prime example of blending all of the key ingredients that define Cajun cooking into one dish. I never did get the recipe for the Cazan’s meatball fricassée, but over the years and with the holy trinity, I’ve come close to duplicating that Mamou taste.
Simple food. Simply delicious.
Meatball Fricassée–a typical blue plate in a simple Cajun cooking style.
- 6 slices white sandwich bread
- 1 cup whole milk
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 large yellow onions, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup diced celery
- ¼ cup minced garlic
- ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 pounds ground beef chuck, 80/20 fat content
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 1 pound ground short rib
- 1 cup crumbled Ritz crackers
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon white pepper
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- Dash of hot sauce
- 2 large yellow onions, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup diced celery
- 4 tablespoons dark roux, such as Rox's Roux
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 8 cups cooked Louisiana long-grain white rice, such as Supreme
- 1 cup diced green onion tops
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Remove the outer crust from the white sandwich bread and place the crust-less slices in a bowl. Pour over the milk and crack the eggs into the mixture. Add the Worcestershire and the cheese. With your hands, break up the bread, combine and leave to soak.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the holy trinity — onions, bell pepper, and celery — until tender. Add the garlic, parsley, and herbs and continue to cook until the onions begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the meat and break into small pieces. Mix all the meats together evenly. Add the egg and bread mixture and combine. Add the vegetable and herb mixture and combine. Add the cracker crumbs along with the spices and a good dash of Tabasco to taste. Combine all and form into golf ball-sized meatballs of the same size.
- In a large cast-iron pot with a heavy lid over medium-high heat, add the remaining olive oil. When the oil reaches the smoking point, add the meatballs in batches and brown them on all sides.
- On a large sheet tray lined with foil, add all the meatballs. Insert the meatballs into the oven and let bake for 45 minutes. Once done, remove them from the oven and keep warm.
- While the meatballs are baking, it's time to make the gravy. Add the second round of the holy trinity — onions, bell pepper, and celery — to the pot and brown for 5 minutes. Add the roux to the pot and pour in the chicken stock. Stir all of the vegetables until the roux is completely melted into the stock and it thickens.
- Lower the heat to simmer and add the meatballs to the gravy. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
- Ladle the meatballs and gravy over a mound of white rice. Garnish with a sprinkle of green onion tops. Serve with hot French bread for soaking up the gravy and a bottle of hot sauce (of course) on the side.
Historic Hotel Cazan built in 1911 – Mamou, Louisiana.
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I always have trouble with my meatballs falling apart. The last batch I added an extra egg in Hope’s that would work. Nope! What’s the secret?
Adele-
There is a fine line between dense and falling apart. It takes trial and error, but a good starting point is to follow my recipe. All the best.
I find working with the meat mixture when cold makes it much easier to form.
Yes a very thin line LOL
It just sounds so damn good man. With the roux and the different textures and a;de,of meats and different cuts as well. Gonna make it for dinner tonite. I’ll let ya know how it turns out!
Thanks for sharing!
This looks so yummy
I Love to Cook,Eat,and Read about the Entire Cajun Experience
I’m going to try this recipe this Weekend.!!!!
It was just called it roux stew in my tiny Cajun town. In fact, we never ate meatballs any other way, so we really just called it meatball stew. The roux was just a given.
Hey Patty – I agree with you, and no matter what you call it, a meatball stew is one of the best Cajun dishes. All the best.
Delicious. And I made my own roux, based in your wife’s method. Kinda proud of myself.
Hey David-
And you should be proud! Learning to make a roux puts you in the league of some of the best Cajun cooks. There is no end to the recipes you can make with a dark Cajun roux. Best to you.
Gonna try to make this tonight.
My grandmother was Cazans niece. Her name was Faye Landreneau. She ran the restaurant and lived in the apartment atop the hotel in the late 40s. My Mamaw could cook.
So happy to see this.
Mark – What a great legacy you have. Keep your traditions alive for the next generation.
This is such a delicious meal. We’ve made it a few times and it’s loved by all. We made the smothered pork chops and andoulle in roux gravy last night for dinner. Wonderful! Thanks George. We look forward to your insight and recipes!
Marty – You just made my day. I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and I look forward to many more comments from you. All the best.
I wanted you to know that I made the meatball fricassee recipe. The meatballs were very much like my Italian meatball recipe. It turned out well. I even made my own roux. While a Catholic school principal in Gretna, I honed my Louisiana cooking skills. I am back in Texas, but I miss Louisiana cuisine! I will keep this in my repertoire! God Bless!
Mary- Sweet note, and all God’s blessings to you, too.
Awesome recipe! I add 1/2 to 1 cup of dry oatmeal flakes to get my meatball mixture til I get the right consistency–ole Cajun trick I learned from my Mother. Thanks George, being A Cajun I do not follow recipes; I was looking for a structured recipe for my Alabama friends, this is perfect. I have been making roux since My teenage years. However, when I use store-bought roux my go-to is Savoie’s Roux. I would love to try Rox’s Roux; where can I find it in the Lafayette area? I love the touch of short rib ground meat; I have always used a mixture of pork & beef. The short rib meat takes meatballs to another level.
Rebecca- Thanks for the kind comments. Find Rox’s Roux in Lafayette at Champagne’s in the Oil Center, Little Veron’s, or Heleaux’s Grocery, and Billeaud’s in Broussard.
I have a stupid question… i’m new to Cajun Cuisine, sorry. Looking at the list of ingredients, i assume that’s without the pre-made Rox’s Roux? If that’s so, then which ingredients does the Roux replace?
Nevermind, i completley skipped the line that says Rox’s Roux… i’ll see myself out. 😛
I have made this about four times. It is a LOT of work, but so worth it. I grind my own meat and follow the recipe to the letter. I grew up eating my mom’s version of this, which is much simpler. But at 80 years old, she still makes her own roux!
Hey Jennifer – Thanks for the comment, and a shout out to your mother who still makes her own roux. For taste and flavor, there is nothing like cooking from scratch. Grinding the short rib and adding to the ground beef and pork heightens the quality of this dish. That said, if time does not allow, I suggest finding a local butcher that you can trust. Here in Lafayette, I’ve come to trust the butchers at Heleaux’s, Little Veron’s (they have freshly made veal meatballs in their meat case), Champagne’s in the Oil Center, and Billeaud’s in Broussard. (Note: I would not recommend buying the pre-packaged, retail-branded meatballs.) All the best.