Easy Swedish Meatball Recipe With Sauce
This recipe for flavorful, juicy classic Swedish meatballs with a rich, creamy sauce comes together in just 30 minutes! It's the perfect easy weeknight dinner, and it's also impressive enough for a holiday meal.
Servings 5 servings
Calories 601kcal
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 cup fresh white bread cut into small cubes
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 medium yellow onion minced
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying (or light olive oil or avocado oil)
Gravy:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup beef stock at room temperature
- 1/2 cup whole milk at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream at room temperature
Other (Optional):
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley for garnish
- Prepared egg noodles for serving (or mashed potatoes)
- Steamed green beans for serving (or broccoli or asparagus)
- Lingonberry jam for serving
Instructions
For the Meatballs:
- Soak the bread. Add the bread and cream to a large bowl and stir well to combine. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Cook the onion. Meanwhile, sauté the onion. To do so, add 1 tablespoon butter to a medium skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion and cook until softened but not browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
- Make the meat mixture and roll it out. Add the sautéed onion to the soaked bread along with the meat, egg, salt, white pepper, ground allspice, and ground nutmeg. Use your hands to mix everything together, but try not to over-mix. Use a 1 1/2-tablespoon scoop to measure out the meat mixture and roll it into balls (you should get around 20 meatballs).
- Cook the meatballs. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the vegetable oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the meatballs. Let them sear for about 2 minutes, and then turn the heat down to medium. Continue cooking until they’re cooked throughout, about 8 minutes more, flipping them over once about halfway through. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a plate and set aside for now.
For the Gravy:
- Make the gravy in the same skillet you cooked the meatballs in (no need to wipe it out). To do so, turn the heat to medium and add the butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly.Add the beef stock, milk, soy sauce, salt, and white pepper, and cook until thickened, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.Whisk in the cream and remove from the heat.
To Serve:
- Add the meatballs to the hot gravy, spooning the gravy on top to coat the meatballs. Sprinkle the parsley on top.If desired, serve the meatballs and gravy along with prepared egg noodles, green beans, and lingonberry jam.
Notes
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes around 20 meatballs. Each serving is 4 meatballs, for a total of 5 servings.
- Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated without the egg noodles, green beans, and lingonberry jam.
- Storage: You can store Swedish meatballs with their sauce in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Swedish meatballs and sauce freeze well for to 3 months. If possible, I like to freeze them separately so I can add a bit more flour if the gravy separates after freezing. To freeze, let the meatballs cool to room temperature, place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and freeze until solid (about 2 hours). Then put them in a freezer-safe zip-top plastic bag or storage container labeled with the contents and date. Freeze the meatball sauce in a separate freezer-safe container, or wait to make the sauce when you want to serve the meatballs.
- Reheating: You can use the microwave to reheat the meatballs, or reheat them covered with foil in a 350F oven until warm (about 15 to 20 minutes if they aren't frozen, and about 20 to 30 minutes if they are frozen). However, I recommend reheating the sauce over medium heat on the stovetop. Stir it frequently, and if it separates or looks curdled, whisk in a 1:1 slurry of flour:water a little bit at a time. Let the sauce come up to a simmer, whisking constantly until smooth.
- What Can I Use Instead of Lingonberry Jam for Serving? Homemade cranberry sauce is a lovely alternative with a similar sweet/tart fruity flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 601kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 1242mg | Potassium: 570mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 926IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 4mg