Recipes and Cooking German Meatballs in Caper Cream Sauce Enjoy these mouthwatering meatballs over homemade spaetzle, which are small irregular-shaped noodles popular in European countries./ By Jessica Saari Christensen Jessica Saari Christensen Jessica Saari Christensen has been a food editor with Meredith Corporation for almost two decades. She now works as a senior food editor and content manager with Meredith Premium Media, juggling the Better Homes & Gardens portfolio of special interest publications such as Christmas Cookies, Bread Recipes, Pumpkin Recipes, Brunch & Breakfast, Soups & Stews, Farmhouse Cooking, and Veggie-Full. Jessica graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School Minneapolis/St. Paul at Brown College with honors in 2001, working in the restaurant and catering industry for more than two years before earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism with a minor in Horticulture from Iowa State University. She started as an intern with Meredith Corporation in the garden group of Special Interest Publications, where she wrote articles, researched plants and flowers, and assisted the editorial staff. She started her career a food editor with the Meredith Books Group, where she was the project manager for a dozens of holiday, authored, and special interest cookbooks. During that time, she worked as an editor on the 14th-17th editions of the iconic BH&G New Cook Book (i.e. Red Plaid), acting as the on-staff project manager of the 17th edition. Jessica now oversees the content development and editorial direction for all the Better Homes & Gardens branded special interest publication content—including annual issues such as Christmas Cookies, Bread Recipes, Pumpkin Recipes, Brunch & Breakfast, Soups & Stews, and Farmhouse Cooking. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on June 14, 2022 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Brie Passano Start To Finish Time: 35 mins Servings: 4 Yield: 4 cups Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 1 egg 2 ¼ cup milk 2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 2 teaspoon stone ground mustard ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper ½ cup fine dry bread crumbs 1 pound lean ground beef 3 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour 2 tablespoon drained capers 1 tablespoon liquid from jar of capers 1 recipe Spaetzle Lemon wedges (optional) Spaetzle 2 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 3 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup milk Butter and/or black pepper (optional) Directions In a large bowl combine egg, 1/4 cup of the milk, 1 Tbsp. of the dill, the mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir in bread crumbs. Add ground beef; mix well. Shape mixture into twenty-four 1 1/2-inch meatballs. In a 12-inch skillet melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add meatballs; cook 10 to 12 minutes or until done (160°F) and browned, turning occasionally. Remove meatballs; wipe out skillet. For gravy, in skillet melt remaining 2 tbsp. butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in remaining 2 cups milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in capers, caper liquid, and remaining 1 Tbsp. dill. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Stir in meatballs; heat through. Serve meatball mixture over Spaetzle. If desired, serve with lemon wedges. Spaetzle In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt. Stir in eggs and 3/4 cup of the milk. Continue adding milk, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until mixture reaches the consistency of thick pancake batter. (Mixture may be slightly lumpy and should fall off a spatula in thin ribbons.) Let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boiling. Set a colander with coarse holes over the pan of rapidly boiling water and pour batter into colander. Press through holes with a rubber spatula. Cook and stir 1 minute; drain. If desired, toss spaetzle with butter and/or pepper. Tip You may use a steamer basket insert instead of the colander when pressing the batter through the holes. The basket should have holes that are 1/8 to 1/4 inch in diameter. If desired, used two wooden spoons to prop the basket over the pan of rapidly boiling water. Tip When the spaetzle is done, it will float to the top of the boiling water. Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 716 Calories 27g Fat 71g Carbs 45g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Calories 716 % Daily Value * Total Fat 27g 35% Saturated Fat 13g 65% Cholesterol 296mg 99% Sodium 1448mg 63% Total Carbohydrate 71g 26% Total Sugars 11g Protein 45g Vitamin C 0.8mg 4% Calcium 818mg 63% Iron 7.4mg 41% Potassium 833mg 18% Fatty acids, total trans 1g Folate, total 176.8mcg Vitamin B-12 4.1mcg Vitamin B-6 0.6mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.