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Decadently rich and creamy Swedish meatballs are covered in gravy smothers with perfectly seasoned meatballs. Perfect for pairing with egg noodles for a delicious, simple dinner!
Why not learn How to Make Crock Pot Bone Broth to use in your sauce? For a fun twist on this classic Swedish dish make sure to try Turkey Swedish Meatballs!
Rich and Creamy Swedish Meatballs
Ikea is almost as famous for its Swedish Meatballs as it is for its furniture.
Some people even admit to visiting the store just for the meatballs, with no plans to even enter the actual store. With this rich and creamy Swedish meatball recipe, you can create your own taste of Sweden at home and give the giant yellow and blue box store a miss!
Could You Prepare The Meatball Mixture In Advance?
One of the great things about meatballs is that you can prepare them in advance so that they are ready to be cooked and served in less than 30 minutes!
Your meatball mixture will last for a day or two in the fridge before needing to be cooked, which is perfect for when you feel like fresh, home-cooked meatballs on a busy weeknight but don’t want to spend the whole evening in the kitchen. This is also great for when you plan to serve them at a dinner party and you have lots of others to prepare on the day.
When preparing your meatball in advance, you can either store the mixture as one or roll out the individual meatballs so that they can be cooked straight away.
Storing the mixture as one is easy, as you can simply use plastic wrap to contain the mixture in the fridge. This option also helps to preserve freshness as it means there is less of the mixture exposed to the air. However, the downside is that you have to spend time rolling out the meatballs before cooking them.
The other option is to roll the meatballs out when preparing the mixture, saving time when cooking and serving them. Although this gets all of the prep work out of the way in advance you will need an oven tray that you can lay your meatballs out on, plastic wrap to cover, and enough space in the fridge to store them.
How To Store And Reheat Leftover Meatballs
There are several ways that you can eat leftover meatballs, so make sure to pop any leftovers that you have in the fridge ready for the next day.
Any airtight container that fits into the fridge will work for storing your meatballs and sauce. You ideally want to retain as much of the sauce as possible so that your meatballs don’t dry out. When stored correctly meatballs should last for one to two days in the fridge before they start to go off.
The easiest way to eat leftover meatballs is cold, although it will probably not be the best way to eat them, as the cream in the sauce will have a noticeable grainy texture as a result of being stored in the fridge.
Alternatively, you could reheat your meatballs and sauce either in the oven or the stove, giving the sauce a chance to come back together as an emulsion. When reheating you want to make sure that both the meatballs and the sauce reach a safe temperature before eating, but as long as everything is nice and hot to the touch, you should be good.
Once your meatballs are reheated, you can serve them as part of a sandwich, or for larger portions, pair your meatballs with your favorite carbs such as mash, rice, or even more egg noodles. For a complete meal, make sure you don’t forget a side of veggies!
How To Avoid Your Meatball Mixture Turning Chewy
One of the main things that people struggle with when making meatballs at home is the texture. It is all too easy to over-mix the ingredients, resulting in a tough texture which is definitely not what you want when with meatballs.
It is best to mix everything together with your hand, rather than a stand mixer, as this allows you to monitor the texture as the ingredients come together.
You want to stop mixing just after all of the ingredients have started to come together, preventing the proteins in the meat from having a chance to knit together, which is what causes that tough texture.
Remember that in the process of forming the individual meatballs, the mixture is going to be worked and mixed further so you don’t want a fully formed mixture at the very start, so go easy!
How To Serve Your Swedish Meatballs
Swedish meatballs are often served over egg noodles with the rich and creamy sauce coating both the meatballs and the noodles. This is not the only way to serve classic Swedish meatballs though, as many traditional Swedish people will surely tell you if you give them the chance.
Why not try some of these sides with your meatballs to create different dishes using the same rich and creamy meatballs and sauce as the base?
- Mashed Potato, Picked Vegetables & Lingonberry Sauce
This is one of the most traditional ways to eat meatballs in Sweden as is likely what you will be served when ordering them at a restaurant.
Serve anywhere from three to six meatballs as the centerpiece of the plate depending on how large a portion you desire. Then add a side of mash and pickled vegetables, most often cucumber. If you’re able to find it, also add a tablespoon of Lingonberry sauce and you have yourself a Swedish feast!
If you can’t find Lingonberry sauce, you can use cranberry sauce in its place as a decent substitute.
- Baked into A Noodle Casserole
Rather than plating up your cooked noodles and then adding your meatballs and sauce on top, why not try mixing them together and baking them in the oven to create a casserole?
- Boiled Potatoes & A Side Of Greens
For a simplistic and slightly healthier version of mash and pickled vegetables, you could instead serve your meatballs with boiled potatoes and greens.
Vegetables such as broccoli and green beans work well with meatballs, and any simple carb works great when paired with such a delicious sauce.
Looking for more delicious Beef Meatball recipes? Try these out:
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Rich and Creamy Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
- 1/2 white onion grated
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp garlic puree or powder
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Gravy Ingredients
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. the ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, egg yolks, garlic, allspice, nutmeg, salt, pepper and shredded onion.
- Stir until well combined.
- Roll the mixture into -1 1/2 – 2 inch meatballs. This should make about 18-20 large meatballs.
- Place the meatballs into a large skillet on medium-high heat and cook until all sides are browned, about 7-8 minutes.
- Remove from the skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Rinse the skillet out and melt the butter in the skillet.
- Whisk in the flour, stirring until it’s combined with the butter and is lightly browned.
- Slowly whisk in the beef broth – and whisking constantly- cook it until slightly thickened.
- Stir in the sour cream and heavy cream, then add the meatballs back in.
- Cook another 8-10 minutes on medium heat until the sauce is thick and the meatballs are cooked completely, stirring occasionally. If needed, thin the mixture with more heavy cream.
- Serve over egg noodles and garnish with parsley.
Notes
- Since you serve this on egg noodles usually, each serving is three large meatballs and sauce.
Liz says
Is it best to eat right after serving or can I make it ahead of time for same day?
Dale says
Ingredients say beef broth. Directions say turkey broth.