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Swedish Meatballs


Swedish Meatballs are a dish that I have tried making in the past that just didn’t live up to my expectations. Recently I tried a recipe I spotted at One She Two She that completely blew me away. A mixture of ground beef and pork is the key to the most delicious little meatballs you’ve ever tasted.

I was a little bit worried that the sauce recipe contained no sour cream. Personally I like a little bit of tangy sour cream in a sauce like this, so next time around I might try adding just a little sour cream. As it is though, it is a light tasting sauce that works well with the meatballs.

My favorite brand for egg noodles is Country Pasta Homemade Style Egg Pasta. You can usually find them at Wal-Mart, but check their online locator for more stores near you. This style of egg pasta takes a bit longer to cook but they are nice and thick, perfect for Swedish Meatballs.

Notes:
-The gravy recipe makes just enough to cover the meatballs. If you want extra to serve over noodles, double/triple gravy recipe.
-We wanted a large batch to have in the fridge for leftovers during the week, so we doubled the meatball recipe and quadrupled the gravy recipe.
-We thought the leftovers the next day tasted even better. It seemed like the sauce absorbed flavor from the meatballs and tasted richer. When I tasted this immediately after preparing, the sauce taste was very light.

Swedish Meatballs (IKEA Copycat)
Makes about 35-40 1″ meatballs

Ingredients

  • Meatballs (see notes):
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 TBS butter
  • 1/3 cup white onion, mince (or a couple TBS. of dry minced onion)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 tsp. pre-minced garlic)
  • 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. white pepper
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 3/4 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1/2 lb. lean ground pork
  • 1 large egg, plus 1 egg white, beaten
  • Gravy (see notes):
  • 2 TBS butter
  • 2 TBS flour
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (I also added a splash of soy sauce)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • Salt & Pepper (to taste)
  • Parsley (optional – garnish)

Directions

  1. To make the meatballs: Heat the butter, in a skillet, over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, allspice, salt, and white pepper, for about 5 minutes, or until garlic and onions are soft. (Using dried minced onions will take less take to cook) Add the milk and Worcestershire sauce to the mixture, and bring to a simmer.
  2. Dump the breadcrumbs in a bowl. Pour the hot skillet mixture over the breadcrumbs and stir together. Add the beef, pork, 1 egg and 1 egg white to the bowl, and mix until combined. 
  3. Spray a sheet pan to grease, and roll the meat into 1 inch balls, and place on a baking sheet. 
  4. Cover your sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate the meatballs for about an hour. (We skipped the chilling step and had no problems.) 
  5. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the meatballs for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
  6. To make the gravy: Melt the butter in a skillet and add the flour. Cook for a few minutes while whisking. Pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, bring to a simmer. Finally, add the heavy cream and the cooked meatballs. Let simmer, until the gravy thickens, about 10 minutes Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  7. Serve with good quality noodles and garnish with parsley.

Recipe slightly adapted from One She Two She & Food Network Magazine. Sharing this recipe at the following fun link parties.

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4 Comments

  1. This looks really good! I'm always a sucker for creamy sauces. Surprised that there's no sour cream. Like you, I'd probably add a little too. Thank you for sharing!