How to Make Swedish Meatballs
One-Pot Swedish Meatball Pasta
This is the best Swedish meatball recipe ever! – an authentic recipe from a Swedish grandmother whom I adore, have learned loads from and genuinely call my friend.
These meatballs bring memories of coziness from my home. This One-Pot Swedish Meatball Pasta used to be one of my favorite childhood dishes and is the best Swedish meatball recipe I’ve ever tasted! Easy to make, delicious, full of flavor and smothered in the most amazing, rich and creamy gravy!
My goal is to always create drool-worthy and well-seasoned dishes that people will want to make again and again. When you try them you will quickly agree these are the BEST you have ever had!
I love to bring people together around the table, where they can enjoy the most delicious meals. I’m a big believer that when you’re gathered around delicious food with those you love, you can create moments of joy even when you are busy.
I was inspired to spice things up with the array of warm and festive spices that Simply Organic spices has to offer. I set out to create the best One-Pot Swedish Meatballs, and what resulted is a dish that even picky kids will enjoy.
What is so special about Swedish Meatballs?
It’s all about the spice, cream sauce and the fact that they require just one pan! Do I have your attention? Let me go on…
They are filled with wonderful warm spices and finished with a heavenly cream sauce that keeps those flavors dancing.
There are many versions of these tasty morsels out there, but for the sake of ease, we chose to use Simply Organic allspice and nutmeg. The result is meatballs that are perfectly seasoned with warm spices, without being overpowering.
How do you make authentic Swedish meatballs?
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- A mixture of pork and beef (I only used beef, as I’m not a big fan of pork)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Simply Organic nutmeg and allspice
- A cream based gravy
How do you make easy Swedish meatballs in a short amount of time?
What I like about this recipe is that it is very easy to make. I love to make my own food instead of buying it at the store frozen. It is always more fun and tastes a thousand times better. You can pull the entire recipe together in a few simple steps (and only dirty one bowl and one pan in the process!).
Mix your meatball ingredients in a large bowl.
Fry them up in a large pan.
Use the same pan to make your gravy.
Add the meatballs back into the pan and serve!
Tips for making delicious homemade Swedish meatballs:
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- Don’t make them too big. These Swedish Meatballs are pan-fried and contain pork.
- The last thing you want to do is undercook the center of them. They should be about the size of a rounded tablespoon.
- Take care while forming the balls that they are tight, so they don’t fall apart in the pan. We like to dip our hands in water as we roll them to make them nice and smooth.
- Fry the meatballs in batches. If you crowd the pan, the meatballs will steam instead of brown.
- Once the meatballs are fried, keep the meat juices in the pan (this is where the flavor is) and add the butter!
- Whisk in flour until it dissolves, pour in the broth (or stock) and the rest of the ingredients, mixing the sauce well to combine all of the flavors together.
- These reheat perfectly in a covered casserole dish. Heat oven to 350° and pop them in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Cover with warmed sauce and you are good to go!
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What should you serve with the best Swedish Meatballs?
You can serve these Swedish Meatballs by themselves, with steamed veggies or go traditional and seat them next to a bit of lingonberry jam over mashed or boiled potatoes or egg noodles. You can also just serve them on a platter for your guests to gobble up with toothpicks at your next soiree. I used gluten-free pasta. However, you choose to serve them, they are guaranteed to be a hit.
If you make these Swedish Meatballs, we’d love to hear about it! Be sure to snap a photo, add it to your Instagram feed or stories and tag us @ and # if you do. Also, feel free to leave a comment on the post and tell your friends where you discovered the recipe.
Additional tips:
To make the meatballs lower in carbs, Keto, Paleo and the Whole 30, use almond meal to replace the breadcrumbs. Also, use 1 tablespoon of arrowroot mixed with 2 tablespoons of water to replace the flour in the gravy sauce. Just add the arrowroot mixture at the end, while continuously stirring over low heat until sauce has thickened.
If using half and half, be careful not to bring to a boil or it may separate. Garlic is not usually found in Swedish meatballs, but I prefer it and have included it for this reason. Omit if you don’t want to include it. I like to grate my garlic clove with the small part of a grater. You can use minced garlic if you prefer.
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Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thetastesoflifeholisticblog
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley minced
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup yellow onion grated
(about 1 medium onion) - 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper freshly-ground
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
such as panko or other* - 2 eggs
- 2 tsp Olive oil
Cream Gravy
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Pasta of your choiceIn a large bowl, mix the beef, pork, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, grated onion, salt, pepper, garlic, panko, and eggs until combined. Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, measure out the meat mixture into roughly 35 (1.5 inches) balls.**
- In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ½ of the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides. This takes about 5 minutes. Set aside**
- When all of the meatballs are browned, pour off any excess grease in the pan into a heatproof vessel. Lower the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. When the butter begins to bubble, sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef broth to the pan a little at a time.***
- Whisk the gravy until the broth is all incorporated. Add the salt, pepper, lemon juice, allspice, and nutmeg. Whisk a few more times. Slowly add the cream. Once the gravy begins to simmer,**** add the meatballs back into the pan.
- Simmer until the gravy has thickened up a bit and the meatballs are cooked all the way through,***** about 8-10 minutes.
- Serve warm over mashed potatoes, egg noodles or pasta of choice alongside steamed veggies and lingonberry jam.
- Cooking Notes:
*Gluten Free Version: if you want to keep this recipe gluten-free, you can sub the breadcrumbs for a gluten-free version. To keep the gluten out of the gravy, you will want to reserve 1 cup of beef stock and mix it with ⅓ cup arrowroot starch. Add it to the gravy at the end to thicken it up. - ** I like to shape the meatballs and place them on a piece of parchment paper for fewer dishes and easy clean up. Then I use another piece of parchment to place the browned meatballs on, again, less dishes, easy clean up. overall.
- **** Take care not to boil the cream. It might separate if you do. Keep it at a simmer until the meatballs are cooked all the way through.
- ***** The meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 165° F and no longer be pink on the inside.
