Catalan Meatballs, known as Boules de Picolat in the southwest of France, are the perfect comfort food. Hearty meatballs of pork and beef simmer in a tomato sauce rich with porcini mushrooms and dotted with green olives. Served over boiled potatoes, they are one of our favorite Home Cooked Meals.
To save time, serve these French meatballs over Instant Pot Boiled Potatoes with the quintessential Easy Garlic Green Beans. Follow it up with a green salad with Dijon Vinaigrette and a Cheese Platter. End the evening with warming bowls of Apple Compote.
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Want to take a trip to French Catalonia? You won’t even need to book a flight to Perpignan. This Boules de Picolate recipe is super easy, very affordable, and so comforting! No passport required.
I am blessed with both an American mom and a French one, the latter having taken me under her wing when I was an exchange student in college. Michele and her family treated me to all kinds of delicious French recipes, these Catalan Meatballs being a favorite.
They are a perfect addition to your regular meal planning repertoire or even to add to your list of Romantic Dinner Ideas to Cook at Home. Tradition is to serve with green beans, but Air Fryer Asparagus is a nice spring side dish.
Why Make This
Boules de Picolat are easy! It’s super simple to prep this Catalan Meatballs recipe. Bake or fry the meatballs and simmer them in the rich sauce.
They are very freezer friendly. This was one of my first freezer meals and still one of our favorites. Be sure to make a double batch and buy yourself some time.
Catalan Meatballs are affordable. Since you can vary the meats as well as the types of mushrooms you use, you can tweak this recipe to suit what you have on hand or what fits the budget.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make Boules de Picolat:
mushrooms – fresh cepe, or porcini, mushrooms are authentic, but I use dried when I can. The rest of the time brown or button mushrooms work just fine.
ground meat – Michele’s classic recipe calls for ⅔ ground beef and ⅓ ground pork. I use either or both, depending on what’s on sale. Some people make sausage meatballs, or you can use ground turkey in a pinch. Be sure to check out these 5-Ingredient Ground Beef Recipes for more yummy inspiration.
chopped onion – You’ll need one for the meatballs and one for the sauce.
parsley – Chopped fresh parsley adds great texture, flavor, and color to Catalan Meatballs. You can use ⅓ the amount in dry parsley flakes, if you’re in a pinch.
garlic – Would it be a Catalan dish without garlic? You’ll need three cloves freshly chopped garlic, or the equivalent.
seasonings – salt and freshly ground pepper are all you need to season the dish as the aromatics, meat, and tomatoes do most of the heavy lifting.
optional, unbleached, all-purpose flour – If you’re frying the meatballs in a skillet, you can roll them in flour prior to frying. I typically omit this so that the dish is naturally gluten-free.
olive oil – You’ll need olive oil to saute the onions for the sauce as well as more to fry the meatballs if you choose not to bake them.
tomatoes – I use a can of crushed tomatoes as well as a can of diced tomatoes. This gives a hearty texture to the sauce.
green Spanish olives with pimiento – These olives are what make Boules de Picolat. Don’t omit them if you can help it.
boiled potatoes for serving – There’s great debate among my French family’s friends whether this dish is served over potatoes or rice. I prefer potatoes since that’s the way it’s always been served.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make Catalan Meatballs:
If using dried mushrooms, soak the mushrooms in warm water for about 20 minutes or according to package directions. Remove them from the liquid and strain the liquid well. Set aside the liquid to use later. Drain and rinse the mushrooms.
In a medium sized bowl combine the ground beef, pork, half of the onions, parsley, garlic, and the salt and pepper to taste. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls.
If you plan to bake the meatballs, place them on a lined, rimmed baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 15 to 20 minutes.
If you plan to fry the meatballs, roll them in enough flour to lightly coat. Heat the ¼ cup oil in a large heavy pot and brown the meatballs in batches. Remove from the pan and keep warm in the oven.
To prepare the sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large heavy pot. Add the remaining onions (and fresh mushrooms if using) and sauté until they become translucent.
Add both cans of tomatoes and the reserved mushroom liquid and the porcinis if using those. Stir together over medium heat.
Add the meatballs and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Stir in the olives and heat through.Serve the meatballs and sauce over hot cooked potatoes.
To freeze: Divide the meatballs and sauce into meal-sized portions in plastic containers with lids. Chill completely before freezing.
To serve from frozen: Thaw and heat completely.
FAQs
Meatballs are a great thing to freeze. Once cooked, cool them completely. Then store in meal-size portions in ziptop bags or freezer-safe containers. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge prior to reheating.
You can freeze raw meatballs, though they may lose shape depending on how you package them. Prep the meatballs according to the recipe and store in layers separated by parchment in a freezer-safe container. You can also flash freeze the meatballs until firm and then transfer to a freezer bag.
Typically, you might have seen meatballs served with spaghetti or other pasta. Boules de Picolat are traditionally served with cooked rice or boiled potatoes.
Cepe is the french name for porcini mushroom. They add great flavor to sauces.
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Boules de Picolat
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- heavy stockpot
- heavy duty sheet pan
- heavy duty aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms OR ½ cup sliced button mushrooms
- 1 ½ lb ground beef, pork, or a combination
- 2 onion chopped
- 3 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
- 3 clove garlic chopped
- salt
- black pepper
- ½ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour (optional)
- 1-5 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup green Spanish olives with pimiento
- 8 russet potatoes peeled, boiled, and drained
Instructions
- If using dried mushrooms, simmer the mushrooms for about 20 minutes or according to package directions. Remove from liquid and strain liquid well. Set aside the liquid to use later. Drain and rinse the mushrooms.1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
- In a medium sized bowl combine the ground beef, pork, half of the onions, parsley, garlic, and the salt and pepper to taste. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls.1 ½ lb ground beef, pork, or a combination, 2 onion, 3 tablespoon parsley (chopped), 3 clove garlic, salt, black pepper
- If you plan to bake the meatballs, place them on a lined, rimmed baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- If you plan to fry the meatballs, roll them in enough flour to lightly coat. Heat the ¼ cup oil in a large heavy pot and brown the meatballs in batches. Remove from the pan and keep warm in the oven.½ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour (optional), 1-5 tablespoon olive oil
- To prepare the sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large heavy pot. Add the remaining onions (and fresh mushrooms if using) and sauté until they become translucent.
- Add both cans of tomatoes and the reserved mushroom liquid and the porcinis if using those. Stir together over medium heat.1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- Add the meatballs and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Stir in the olives and heat through.1 cup green Spanish olives with pimiento
- Serve the meatballs and sauce over hot cooked potatoes.8 russet potatoes
- To freeze: Divide the meatballs and sauce into meal-sized portions in plastic containers with lids. Chill completely before freezing. To serve from frozen: Defrost and heat completely.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on December 5, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Martina Abicht-Lehmann
Seit einem Abend mit französischer Küche zählen diese Fleischbällchen auch zu meinen Lieblingen! Ich füge statt der Pilze ( man könnte natürlich auch beides machen ?) weiße Bohnen dazu und ordentlich Ras El Hanout….Ein wunderbares Essen !!!
Jessica Fisher
So glad you enjoy the recipe, Martina. Danke!
John
Love the recipe but the amount of water reserved from the mushrooms is vague. How much would you say we should use in the sauce?
Jessica Fisher
That’s a good question. I used about 2 cups of water to rehydrate them, but depending on the mushrooms, they will absorb more or less of the liquid. I would add just enough to get the texture you’d like in the sauce. The mushrooms themselves have loads of flavor, so it’s just bonus.
Elizabeth
This looks delicious! What roles does the wheat flour play in this role? A thickener? I’d like to make it gluten free and so want to understand the purpose of it to know which sort of substitute to pick
Jessica Fisher
Yes, it’s a traditional way of cooking meatballs, adds texture to the meatball itself and will thicken the sauce slightly. You could use oat flour, gf baking mix, or almond meal if you want a texture substitute.
chantel
When do you add the mushrooms? Are they chopped up and added to the meat mixture or the sauce?
Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for asking! Somehow they got deleted. I’ve corrected the recipe now.
Heather M
I love reading this!! Memories from amazing experiences like yours are the best! What a treasure, those experiences, both as a young college student, and later with your new husband and then entire family. Thanks for sharing with us! And maybe i”ll make these. I never make my own meatballs. this may change that! and that’s because of your experiences. 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Aww, sweet. Thanks! Let me know what you think.