At our house, we definitely love good meatballs. But Swedish meatballs have a unique flavor profile that comes from the addition of spices like allspice and nutmeg. They differ significantly from Italian meatballs which are typically served in a tomato-based sauce and seasoned with basil, oregano, and other Italian spices. My mom used to make Swedish meatballs for us often when I was growing up so they are total comfort food, but it was one of those dishes that sort of just fell out of the rotation at some point. A rare recent trip to Ikea reminded me how good these are, especially when they are homemade from scratch! If you love these Swedish meatballs, I’ll bet you will also like my Baked Greek Feta Meatballs, Meatloaf Hamburger Patties and Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles!
The Best Swedish Meatball Recipe
If I’m being honest, I find the Ikea Swedish meatballs only so-so. For me, they are a little on the spongy side and a tad bit too greasy. Having grown up eating my mom’s Swedish meatballs, I knew I could do better at home. Also, our Ikea isn’t super convenient for when I want a meatball fix! So I picked up some lingonberry jam (because I love the contrast of the rich, creamy gravy and savory flavors of the Swedish meatballs with the contrast of the sweet, tart jam) and went home and made my own! Another option would be to serve these with cranberry sauce for a similar flavor profile.
Best Swedish Meatballs Ingredients
White bread: Any kind of white bread will work. You will need three slices. Milk: This will add moisture to the meatballs. Olive Oil Onion: You will grate the onion so they will cook better. Ground Beef Ground Pork Egg: Helps bind the meatballs and help keep its shape. Spices: We need salt, black pepper, ground allspice, ground nutmeg, and garlic powder Salted butter
Swedish Meatball Sauce Ingredients
Salted Butter All-purpose flour Beef Broth Heavy cream Worcestershire Sauce Salt and pepper Fresh Parsley: This is mainly used for garnish
How to make Swedish Meatball Sauce for Homemade Swedish Meatballs
The easy, savory gravy that coats each one of the tender Swedish meatballs is so simple to throw together in the same pan that you use to cook the meatballs. Some Swedish meatball recipes call for a combination of beef broth and sour cream to make the cream sauce, much like my Ground Beef Stroganoff Recipe, but I think that using a little cream makes for a silkier finish.
How do you make Homemade Swedish Meatballs?
Easy Swedish Meatballs Tips
Traditionally, these juicy meatballs are made with a combination of ground beef and ground pork. But you can use all beef, if you prefer, or even swap out part of the ground beef or ground pork for ground turkey. Don’t overmix the meatball mixture when combining everything. I always just squish it together with my hands until everything is evenly combined, which is messy, but results in more tender meatballs than if you decided to add everything to a mixer and blend it that way. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd or to have extras for freezing!
Can you freeze Swedish Meatballs?
Swedish meatballs are great to make ahead and freeze for busy nights. And leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in and airtight container the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop (although you may need to add a little water or broth to thin out the sauce a bit). To Freeze Uncooked Swedish Meatballs: One option is to shape and freeze the meatballs without cooking them first. Then just thaw them in the fridge overnight, and brown them and make the sauce the next day for dinner. Since most of the time spent making Swedish meatballs is in the prep of combining the ingredients and shaping the meatballs, this is a really great solution. To Freeze Cooked Swedish Meatballs: Another option though, is to shape and brown the meatballs, then freeze them before making the sauce. This is a little more prep work up front, but the frozen cooked meatballs can be added to the sauce from frozen and just simmered a little longer until they are hot and cooked all the way through, making for a really easy weeknight meal.
What to eat with Swedish Meatballs
We love to serve Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam (affiliate link), and green beans, just like at Ikea. But they are also delicious with the Swedish meatballs and sauce served over rice, egg noodles, or even spaetzle with roasted broccoli on the side.
More Easy Dinner Ideas Like This
Homemade Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet Easy Creamy Chicken Marsala Cheesy Baked Spaghetti Casserole Georgian Chicken Stew with Tomatoes and Herbs [Chakhokhbili]
Creamy Garlic Chicken
Ground Beef Stroganoff
Lemon Chicken Piccata
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