A large, well-seasoned meatball of mixed pork and beef, first browned then braised in its own gravy until tender. A cornerstone of the Dutch home-cooked dinner, traditionally served with potatoes, a vegetable, and lashings of jus.
The gehaktbal is the everyday heart of Dutch home cooking, a dish so ingrained that the half-pork, half-beef mince mixture is sold pre-blended as 'half om half' gehakt. Traditionally cooked on Wednesdays in many households, the meatball and its rich braising gravy embody the unfussy, hearty potato-vegetable-meat structure of the classic Dutch dinner plate.
The crust is deeply browned and savoury, the interior moist and loose-textured from the milk-soaked bread that keeps it from turning dense. Warm nutmeg perfumes every bite, and the glossy pan gravy soaks into the potatoes alongside. It is the taste of a Dutch grandmother's kitchen on a grey afternoon.
The milk-soaked bread, a panade, traps moisture and interrupts the protein network so the large meatball stays tender instead of tightening into a dense lump. Browning first builds a flavourful crust, and the subsequent slow braise cooks the thick centre through while creating the gravy.
Variations
with kruidnoten spicing, served in a broodje (sandwich), gehakt in a tomato sauce, with gravy and applesauce
On the Palate
Where Gehaktbal (Dutch Meatball) sits in the Dutch flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 110 min
Soak a slice of stale bread in milk, then squeeze out and crumble.
Watch outSqueeze the milk-soaked bread until barely damp, not dripping — this panade keeps the big meatball tender instead of a dense lump.
- 25 min
Mix minced pork and beef with the bread, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- 35 min
Knead briefly, then shape into large balls about the size of a tennis ball.
- 48 min
Brown the meatballs all over in butter in a heavy pan.
Watch outBrown all over first for a real crust — that seared surface is where the gravy gets its color and depth.
- 52 min
Add a splash of water or stock, cover, and lower the heat.
- 635 min
Braise gently for about 30-40 minutes, turning once, until cooked through.
Watch outBraise gently and check the center is cooked through — these are tennis-ball big, so the middle lags the outside.
- 75 min
Remove the meatballs and whisk a little flour into the pan juices to make gravy.
- 85 min
Return the balls to the gravy and serve with boiled potatoes and vegetables.
