Description
This classic Swedish Meatball recipe offers tender, flavorful meatballs simmered in a creamy, savory sauce. Made with a perfect blend of ground beef and pork, seasoned with warm spices, and served in a rich gravy, these meatballs are ideal comfort food when paired with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 lb. ground beef (80% lean)
- 1/2 lb. ground pork
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or substitute mustard powder)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
Instructions
- Sauté onions and garlic: Heat half of the olive oil in a large, high-walled skillet over medium heat. Add the finely diced onions and minced garlic. Cook and soften for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Prepare meatball mixture: In a large bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, whisked egg, milk, cooled onions and garlic, salt, oregano, ground allspice, ground nutmeg, and pepper. Add ground beef and pork, gently mixing until just combined to ensure tender meatballs.
- Shape the meatballs: Roll the mixture into 1 ½-inch meatballs using your hands or a small cookie scoop for uniformity. Place meatballs on a plate and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight covered.
- Make sauce base: While the meatballs chill, mix beef broth, chicken bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and dried parsley in a large measuring cup or bowl. Set aside.
- Brown the meatballs: Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry meatballs in batches, leaving space to rotate them, browning each side for about 1 minute until golden. Remove browned meatballs and set aside. Adjust heat and add oil as needed.
- Create the roux: Melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the bottom and mix in the flour. Stir continuously for 2 minutes until the roux gets lightly browned.
- Add broth mixture: Gradually pour the beef broth mixture into the roux in small splashes while stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently.
- Incorporate sour cream: Place the sour cream in a medium bowl. Slowly add about ¼ cup of the hot sauce to the sour cream, stirring constantly to temper it. Then stir this mixture back into the skillet sauce over low heat until fully combined.
- Simmer meatballs in sauce: Return the browned meatballs along with any juices from the plate into the skillet. Spoon sauce over them and let simmer, partially covered, on low heat for 10-15 minutes or until meatballs are fully cooked through and sauce thickens.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle fresh parsley over the meatballs before serving. These Swedish meatballs are perfect served over creamy mashed potatoes or tender egg noodles.
Notes
- Use a small cookie scoop to ensure meatballs are uniform in size for even cooking.
- Tempering the sour cream with sauce prior to adding it prevents curdling.
- Adjust seasoning in sauce and meatballs to taste before cooking.
- Chicken bouillon cube adds depth, but vegetable broth can be substituted for a different flavor.
- Make meatballs up to a day ahead and refrigerate covered to save time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
