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Swedish Meatballs are a favorite, and best of all, they’re easy to make.
Tender homemade meatballs are simmered in a savory cream sauce for a weeknight favorite. Serve it over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
An Easy Weeknight Meal
- They make a delicious main dish over potatoes, noodles, or rice; kids love them!
- Use homemade or frozen meatballs.
- Add mushrooms, onions, or sour cream if you’d like.
Ingredients in Swedish Meatballs
Meatballs – Meatballs made with ground beef and pork have great flavor, but you can use all ground beef if you prefer. Choose lean beef (not extra lean) for the best flavor. Frozen meatballs can be used in place of homemade. Traditional Swedish meatballs have some warm spices in the meat mixture, as I’ve added in the recipe below.
Swedish Meatball Sauce—This sauce is simple. It’s made from a mixture of beef stock and heavy cream thickened with a bit of flour. Soy sauce is frequently added to a traditional Swedish meatball sauce, it adds salt and umami (savory flavor).
Variations
- If you want to add onion, cook ½ finely diced onion in the butter before adding the flour.
- Some or all of the heavy cream can be replaced with sour cream but the flavor will be more similar to a stroganoff.
- If you use beef broth instead of beef stock, you may need to add a bouillon cube, as the flavor may be lighter.
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
These all-purpose meatballs come out juicy and tender every time!
- Combine the meatball ingredients in a bowl and form meatballs (recipe below).
- Brown the meatballs in a large skillet and set aside.
- Cook butter and flour. Whisk in broth and cream smooth. Season and simmer meatballs in the sauce until cooked through.
Swedish meatballs are served with lingonberry jam, which has a flavor similar to cranberry sauce.
Serving Suggestions
Move over Ikea – homemade Swedish meatballs are easy to make! We love to serve this dish over a bed of egg noodles but they’re great spooned over rice or mashed potatoes too.
Storing Swedish Meatballs
- The meatballs can be assembled up to 48 hours in advance or frozen until they’re ready to use.
- Store leftover meatballs and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding a little water if needed.
Did you enjoy this Swedish Meatball recipe? If so, leave a rating and a comment below!
Swedish Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork or additional ground beef
- ½ cup bread crumbs or Panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg beaten
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
For the Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper or finely ground black pepper
- 2 cups beef stock *
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- To make the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine beef, pork, bread crumbs, egg, milk, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and clove. Mix well and roll into 1-inch meatballs (About 45-48 meatballs).
- Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and brown on all sides. Transfer the meatballs to a plate.
- To make the sauce, add the butter to the drippings in the skillet. Stir in the flour and pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in the broth and cream, stirring until smooth after each addition. Add the soy sauce.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer for 5-10 minutes more or until thickened and the meatballs are cooked through. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Main Course
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Delicious! Can I freeze the meatballs in the sauce?
Hi Patricia, as mentioned in the recipe this can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When reheating, do so gently over low heat, whisking often to help the sauce come back together.