Swedish Meatballs
These incredibly tasty Swedish Meatballs (Svenska Köttbullar with Lingonberries) pack so much flavor in that they have always been a family favorite!! 'Mom's Meatballs', as they are called in their native country, are a go-to dinner made with staple ingredients and a whole lot of love!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 633kcal
Prep 10 minutes
Cooking 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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Ingredients
Swedish Meatballs
- 1 lb lean ground beef (recommend a blend of 50/50 pork and beef)
- 2 slices white bread (hand torn, or use white breadcrumbs or panko)
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ cup white onion (grated is best - if using chopped onion, saute with a teaspoon of butter until translucent before adding to meatball mixture)
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
- 5 tablespoon butter (divided - 1 tablespoon & 4 tablespoon portions)
Gravy Sauce
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (coarse ground)
- 2 tablespoon lingonberry jam (or fresh lingonberries)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
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Instructions
- Place the ground beef (or both beef and pork) in a medium mixing bowl. Next, place white bread slices in a small bowl and cover with milk, then allow to soak briefly (about a minute).
- Squeeze excess milk out of soaked bread - gently, don't squeeze all of the moisture out! Hand tear the bread slices into chunks, placing the pieces into the mixing bowl with the ground beef.
- Add freshly grated nutmeg and crushed whole allspice. Grate the onion into the bowl. *I like to let any of the onion juice drip into the bowl, which is why I grate directly into my meatball mixture.
- Add the chopped fresh parsley and remaining seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder) and the egg. Combine thoroughly.
- Divide meat into 12 portions (for larger 2" meatballs) and roll in your palms until well rounded. Be sure to press together gently so that the meatballs hold up well during cooking. Place formed meatballs on a damp plate (to prevent sticking to the plate).
- Fry the meatballs in a large skillet or frying pan. Bring the olive oil and the one tablespoon pat of butter to medium high heat and place the meatballs in the frying pan (leaving room between the meatballs).
- Cook the meatballs, turning until all sides are browned and they are cooked completely through. Remove from the frying pan and transfer to a plate (cover with aluminum foil, or transfer to a bowl with a lid - keep the meatballs covered so they retain their moisture).
- Reduce heat to medium and melt the remaining 4 tablespoon of butter and add the all-purpose flour, whisking the flour mixture while the liquids are added. Add the beef broth in small amounts, whisking into the pan drippings and flour mixture until all of the beef broth is added and the gravy is smooth.
- Whisk in the heavy cream, then the coarse ground Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Add salt and pepper, if needed. Finally, add the lingonberry jam (or fresh lingonberries - cranberries have a similar taste and can work almost as well) and whisk to combine.
- Return the cooked meatballs to the gravy in your frying pan or skillet, top with additional fresh chopped parsley (if desired) and bring the sauce to a simmer. Turn the meatballs while sauce simmers and thickens. Allow to simmer 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
*Be sure that there is enough room between your meatballs when pan frying so that they fry up correctly (fry in batches, if necessary). If there are too many meatballs packed into your skillet or frying pan, they end up steamed rather than fried!
**Traditionally served with potato puree or boiled potatoes, with fresh lingonberries on the side, we like to serve our Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and some lingonberry jam!
Nutrition
Calories: 633kcal (32%) | Carbohydrates: 17g (6%) | Protein: 31g (62%) | Fat: 48g (74%) | Saturated Fat: 27g (169%) | Cholesterol: 239mg (80%) | Sodium: 836mg (36%) | Potassium: 632mg (18%) | Sugar: 5g (6%) | Vitamin A: 1595IU (32%) | Vitamin C: 4.2mg (5%) | Calcium: 141mg (14%) | Iron: 4.1mg (23%)
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