Mississippi Pot Roast Meatballs

February 10, 2025

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These Mississippi Pot Roast Meatballs are a fun take on the popular pot roast recipe. High protein, budget friendly & picky eater approved! Easily made keto and gluten free with 1 simple swap.

Mississippi Pot Roast Meatballs on a bed of mashed potatoes on a white pottery plate with blue trim

Ok hear me out – Mississippi Pot Roast – but in a meatball format!

Now you might be asking yourself why I would mess with this beloved classic by turning it into Mississippi Pot Roast Meatballs – and it’s a valid question.

Honestly, it’s not something that was ever on my list, but one night I found myself with a lot of leftover liquid from my Mississippi Pot Roast, and not enough meat to make it into a full meal. I did have some ground beef in the fridge though, so I made a quick batch of meatballs and simmered them in the gravy to stretch it into dinner.

We all agreed that the meatballs were even better than the remaining pot roast! I knew I had to develop it as a stand alone recipe to share with you guys, and there are several compelling reasons why you should try these Mississippi Meatballs ASAP!

Mississippi Meatballs on a bed of mashed potatoes and swimming in gravy garnished with chopped parsley

Reason #1 – Meatballs are Cost Effective

At the time of writing this, chuck roast, the cut most widely used for Mississippi pot roast, costs about $7-$9 per pound. If you’ve ever cooked a chuck roast, you know that about 30% or more cooks down into unusable fat and gristle, leaving you without a lot of edible meat for the price.

Meanwhile, ground beef costs around $5-$7 per pound, and there is a lot less waste. Also, the meatballs are bulked up with bread crumbs (or almond flour if keto/gluten free) so you are getting even more for your money.

Reason #2 – Time Savings

A pot roast takes hours to cook down to desirable, tender, melt in your mouth bliss. These Mississippi Pot Roast Meatballs take about 30 minutes. You can’t argue with this one – it’s science. 😂

Reason #3 – Appeals to Picky Eaters

Mr. Hungry loves Mississippi Pot Roast, but he loved these Mississippi meatballs even more. Why? Because he hates fat and gristle, and even the idea of it makes him queasy.

The meatballs are a great format for picky eaters and children, both for the fun factor, and the textural superiority.

Top view of Mississippi pot roast meatballs with half of a meatball on a fork showing the texture, with mashed potatoes

Reason #4 – Meatballs are Less Work than Pot Roast

I might have lost you here, but bear with me. It’s true that you have to blend the meat with seasonings and then roll it into meatballs, vs. throwing a roast into your crockpot or dutch oven – so there IS a little more effort at the start. But when it’s done, it’s done – your Mississippi Pot Roast Meatballs are ready to serve.

Contrast that with a chuck roast, and you are going to have to take the whole thing out of the liquid and pick through it to get all the nasty bits out so that it’s ready to serve. I have always found that task time consuming and unpleasant. And if you miss a piece, then it’s “so gross” and in my house of fat-phobes it’s cause for dramatic reactions and complaints.

I’ll take meatball rolling any day. 😂

So those are just a handful of reasons you NEED to give this Mississippi Meatball recipe a try – even if you are a die hard Mississippi Pot Roast fan.

Now assuming you are on board with team meatball (doooo it) here are a few recipe notes to set you up for success:

A nonstick pan is preferable – I used a dutch oven and they stuck a bit, next time I will use one of my hexclad skillets with a lid.
Some bits of the meatballs will end up in the sauce, if you want a prettier looking plate you can strain the sauce through a fine sieve before serving.
To make this dairy free or just “cleaner”, use the homemade squeaky ranch seasoning here on the website.
As is, the sauce is more of an au jus, but if you want a clingier gravy you can add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to 1/4 cup of cold water and dissolve. Then pour that into the sauce while it is reducing (during step 6), before you add the butter in step 7.
The photos show these Mississippi Meatballs served over mashed potatoes, but if you are watching your carbs, you can serve it over my better than potatoes cauliflower puree, and if you are dairy free serve it over my garlic and chive mashed cauliflower.
This recipe uses breadcrumbs in the meatballs, but if you are keto or gluten free, you can replace the breadcrumbs with almond flour – see the recipe card below for specifics on how much.

As always, I appreciate your feedback on my recipes so much – please let me know how they turned out. If your family loves them, be sure to give this recipe a 5 star rating so others will try it too – ratings help get the word out and really make a difference, so thank you for taking the time!! 💕

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