Swedish Meatballs

These Swedish Meatballs are the mother of all meatballs. This recipe includes a mixture of ground beef and chicken with a hint of nutmeg and allspice. Learn how to make these amazing Swedish meatballs with a delicious gravy!

Let’s talk Swedish meatballs. You all know I love my meatballs, and this is a recipe I posted over 6 years ago, but wanted to refresh it a bit, plus I’m not one to turn down a meatball dinner.

Since we moved to Calgary, one of my favorite things about this city is the fact that there’s an Ikea here. I love shopping at Ikea, but more than shopping we love to go there and eat. Besides the really cheap breakfasts they have, I go there for the Swedish meatballs. It’s not that the meatballs at Ikea are so good, it’s more the fact that they are so cheap and I always love a good deal.

But I am not a meatball virgin. I can make a mean meatball myself and you can find quite a few meatball recipes right here on my blog. I am calling these the mother of all meatballs, but they really are a tie with my Romanian meatballs.

WHAT ARE SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Perhaps the better question would be what differentiates Swedish meatballs from Italian meatballs for example. There are a few differences. Perhaps the most noticeable one is that Swedish meatballs are a bit smaller than Italian meatballs.

The other difference is in the spices used. Swedish meatballs tend to use spices like nutmeg and allspice, sometimes ground ginger.

The main difference, of course, is the sauce. Unlike their Italian counterpart, these meatballs are in a rich and creamy sour cream/gravy, roux based sauce.

HOW TO MAKE SWEDISH MEATBALLS

You know meatballs are not hard to make at all, the only time consuming part is the shaping of the meatballs. But don’t be afraid to make them.

The only difference with Swedish meatballs is that they are served with a gravy alongside mashed potatoes with lingonberry jam. I don’t have the lingonberry jam here but I did make the gravy and that is some good gravy, not to mention super easy to make, and it’s all from scratch.

I tried something different with these meatballs, I mixed ground chicken and ground beef together. Traditionally Swedish meatballs are made with equal parts pork and beef, but chicken and beef worked too.

The meatballs were very tender, even though they may have been a bit more lean from the ground chicken. What am I talking about, you fry these meatballs, so there isn’t anything lean about them. However, if you did want to stay healthy you could bake them as well. I have baked meatballs many times and they are just great.

These would have been great baked, because you add them to the gravy later on and cook them in the gravy for a while, so they would still be super moist.

HOW TO SERVE SWEDISH MEATBALLS

I love serving these meatballs over mashed potatoes because of all that gravy. You could also serve them over boiled potatoes with lingonberry jam. Such a treat!

LOOKING FOR MORE MEATBALL RECIPES? TRY THESE:

• Salisbury Steak Meatballs
• Porcupine Meatballs
• Indonesian Meatballs
• Chimichurri Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs

These Swedish Meatballs are the mother of all meatballs. This recipe includes a mixture of ground beef and chicken with a hint of nutmeg and allspice. Learn how to make these amazing Swedish meatballs with a delicious gravy!

4.72 from 14 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Swedish

Keyword: meatballs, meatballs and gravy, Swedish food

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 450kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 2 slices bread cut up into cubes
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tbsp butter unsalted
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg ground
• 1/4 tsp allspice ground
• vegetable oil for frying meatballs

Gravy

• 6 tbsp butter unsalted
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth low sodium, or beef broth
• 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
• 3/4 cup sour cream

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Instructions

• Add the bread to a large mixing bowl along with the milk and toss. Set aside to let the bread soak up the milk.
• Melt the butter in a skillet, then add the onions and a bit of salt. Cook the onions until soft, about 3 minutes.
• Add the ground chicken, ground beef, onions, egg yolks, salt, pepper, nutmeg and allspice to the bowl with the bread. Mix the meat mixture well using your clean hands. Shape the meat into 1 inch meatballs.
• In a skillet heat some vegetable oil. Add the meatballs and fry until golden all around, about 7 minutes. Repeat with all meatballs.
• To make the gravy melt the butter in a clean skillet. Add the flour to the pan and whisk well. Add the broth and continue whisking. Season with salt and pepper and other spices if preferred. As the flour cooks the gravy should thicken. Whisk in the sour cream. Bring the gravy to a boil then add the meatballs to it and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure meatballs don't stick to bottom of pan.
• Garnish with parsley. Serve warm over mashed potatoes or noodles.

Video

Notes

1. This recipe will work with any type of ground meat. 
2. Baking directions: Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, or use a baking rack. Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes until golden brown.
3. To freeze the meatballs and gravy, let them cool completely at room temperature. Transfer them to a freezer safe container and place them in the freezer for up to two months.
4. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days.
5. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 176mg | Sodium: 386mg | Potassium: 663mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 11.3% | Vitamin C: 1.5% | Calcium: 6.8% | Iron: 14.8%

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Recipe originally shared August 26th, 2012