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    Swedish Meatballs

    These Swedish meatballs are the best you'll ever have. Gently warmed with spices and covered in a heavenly creamy gravy sauce, then served with fluffy mashed potatoes!

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      Easy swedish meatballs on a plate of mashed potatoes covered in creamy gravy and sprinkled with fresh parsley.

      Swedish Meatballs Served Up: At Home.

      Swedish meatballs are everyone’s favorite IKEA menu item, and our recipe recreates that deliciousness at home—classed up, cleaned up and so. dang. good. We love that they are beginner chef level friendly, well seasoned and totally drool worthy! You will want to make this easy recipe again and again.

      Ingredients for swedish meatball recipe. Grate onion, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, nutmeg and allspice.

      This Swedish Meatball Dinner Sparks All The Joy!

      This time of year we're especially on the lookout for recipes that bring people together, can be served for multiple occasions, and most importantly, taste great. We are big believers that when you’re gathered around delicious food—like these moist, warmly-spiced, perfect meatballs—with those you love, you can create moments of joy even amidst the busy and chaotic holiday season.

      All of these things—plus Simply Organic's array of warm and festive spices—inspired us to create this, the best Swedish meatballs recipe ever! We know that this is one both your picky kids and holiday guests alike will enjoy.

      Ingredients laid out for Swedish meatball recipe. Ground pork, raw ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, parsley and garlic.

      A Weeknight Dinner That is Simple, Quick And Easy.

      This meatball recipe isn't just the best—it's also simple. This recipe comes together quickly enough for an easy weeknight dinner, or last-minute party snack.

      We’ve turned this classic Swedish recipe—warm with wintery Swedish spices like allspice and nutmeg—into a show-stopping dish that can be served as an appetizer for your next party, tonight for dinner with the family, or even a special occasion like Christmas!

      Swedish meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl.
      Formed Swedish meatballs on baking sheet ready to go into the oven.
      Creamy, Swedish meatball gravy in a pan.
      Swedish meatballs in a pan in a light brown spiced gravy.

      What is So Special About These Meatballs?

      It’s all about the Swedish spices, a buttery cream sauce, and the fact that they require just one pan! They are filled with wonderful warm spices and finished with a fragrant, heavenly cream sauce.

      There are many versions of these tasty morsels out there, but for the sake of ease we chose to use Simply Organicallspice and nutmeg. The result is meatballs that are perfectly seasoned with warm spices without being overpowered.

      How Do You Make Authentic Swedish Meatballs?

      There isn't necessarily one single defining recipe for Swedish meatballs—there is a fair amount of variation in terms of what qualifies as "classic". But, traditionally they include:

      • A mixture of pork and beef
      • Onion (we added garlic and parsley to make them even more flavorful.)
      • Warm spices such as Simply Organic nutmeg and allspice.
      • A cream-based light brown gravy.
      Swedish meatballs and creamy brown gravy in a pan with a serving spoon and linen.
      Close up shot of Swedish meatballs with a serving spoon.

      Watch and Learn

      How Do You Make Easy Swedish Meatballs?

      The next time you are at IKEA, you should take a hard pass on their frozen, bagged, processed, and dare I say “American” version of Swedish meatballs and make them from scratch at home instead. Why? Because they are really easy, and a thousand percent better.

      You can pull the entire recipe together in a few simple steps (and only dirty one bowl and one pan in the process)!

      1. Mix your Swedish meatball ingredients in a large bowl and roll them out onto a sheet pan.
      2. Fry the meatballs in a large pan.
      3. Use the same pan to make your gravy.
      4. Add the meatballs back to the pan and serve in that creamy, spiced Swedish meatball sauce!
      Close up shot of Swedish Meatballs and brown spiced gravy.
      Easy swedish meatballs on a plate of mashed potatoes covered in creamy gravy and sprinkled with fresh parsley.

      Tips for Making Delicious Homemade Swedish Meatballs:

      1. Don’t make them too big. These meatballs are pan fried and contain pork. The last thing you want to do is undercook them. They should be about the size of a rounded tablespoon.
      2. 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. The breadcrumbs and eggs also help hold the mixture together.
      3. Fry the meatballs in batches. If you crowd the pan the meatballs will steam instead of brown.
      4. These meatballs and sauce 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!

      Tools You'll Need

      Easy swedish meatballs on a plate of mashed potatoes covered in creamy gravy and sprinkled with fresh parsley.

      What to Serve with the Best Swedish Meatballs?

      • Swedish meatballs are at the type of great recipe that can be served all by themselves!
      • Add some simple steamed veggies.
      • Go traditional and serve them with a dollop of lingonberry jam over mashed potatoes (just like at Ikea!)
      • Egg noodles are also always a good idea.
      • You can also just serve them on a platter for your guests to gobble up with toothpicks at your next cocktail party.

      Are You a Meatball Fan? (I’ve got both hands raised over here!)

      Be sure to check out these other delicious weeknight dinner meatballs:

      Close up of Swedish Meatball on a fork.

      How Good Did They Turn Out?

      If you make this dish, we’d love to hear about it! Be sure to snap a photo, add it to your Instagram feed or stories and tag us @themodernproper and #themodernproper if you do. Also, feel free to leave a comment on the post and tell your friends where you discovered the recipe.

      This sponsored post is written by TMP on behalf of Simply Organic in partnership with TheFeedFeed. The opinions and text are all ours. Thank you for supporting the brands we love.

      Recent Recipes

      Swedish Meatballs

      Originally published: December 3, 2018

      • Serves: 8
      • Prep Time:  20 min
      • Cook Time:  40 min
      • Calories: 463
      Print Recipe Pin Recipe

      Ingredients

      Meatballs

      • 1 lb ​ground beef
      • 1 lb ground pork
      • ¼ cup flat leaf parsley, minced
      • ½ tsp ground allspice
      • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
      • ¾ cup yellow onion, grated (about 1 medium onion)
      • 2 tsp salt
      • ½ tsp pepper, freshly ground
      • 4 cloves garlic, minced
      • ¾ cup panko*
      • 2 eggs
      • 2 tbsp olive oil

      Cream Gravy

      • ½ cup butter
      • ½ cup flour*
      • 4 cups beef broth
      • 1 tsp salt
      • ¼ tsp pepper
      • 1 tbsp lemon juice
      • ¼ tsp ground allspice
      • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
      • 1 cup heavy cream

      Method

      1. In a large bowl, mix the beef, pork, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, grated onion, salt, pepper, garlic, panko and eggs until combined.
      2. Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, measure out the meat mixture into roughly 35 (1.5 inch) balls.**
      3. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoon 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 **
      4. 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.***
      5. Whisk the gravy until the broth is all incorporated. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, allspice and nutmeg. Whisk a few more times. Slowly add the cream.
      6. Once the gravy begins to simmer****, add the meatballs back into the pan.
      7. Simmer until the gravy has thicken up a bit and the meatballs are cooked all the way through*****, about 8-10 minutes.
      8. Serve warm over mashed potatoes or egg noodles, 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 corn 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 easy clean up and less dishes. Then I use another piece of parchment to place the browned meatballs on, again, easy clean up, less dishes.

      *** If you take your time adding the beef broth, your gravy will stay thick, taking less time 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.

      Nutrition Info

      • Per Serving
      • Amount
      • Calories463
      • Protein27 g
      • Carbohydrates11 g
      • Total Fat35 g
      • Dietary Fiber1 g
      • Cholesterol157 mg
      • sodium1050 mg
      • Total Sugars1 g

      Swedish Meatballs

      Questions & Reviews

      Join the discussion below.

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      • Debby Pacin

        Can you freeze this meal?

        If you are freezing before adding the gravy lay them out on a parchment lined baking sheet to freeze then you can add them to a freezer bag. We haven't tried freezing this with the gravy but if you do just put all contents in a freezer bag then thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

      • Sandra Macasaet

        Can I use low sodium beef broth?

        Sure!

      • angie

        Can I make Swedish meat balls without the pork?

        Sure you can use all beef if you prefer!

      • Dawn M Lewis

        Can I omit heavy cream and just make gravy

        We have not tested this recipe without cream.

      • Tina

        I was wondering if instead of the pork can only beef be used; and if so, will it demonstrably alter the taste?

        It should be fine! We've had a lot of people write in using different meat substitutes and they've all liked the outcome so it shouldn't cause a problem! Hope you enjoy.

      • S. Warner

        This is great! I make it like the recipe calls for and serve it over egg noodles with cranberry sauce (lingonberry is too expensive for us!). Definite crowd pleaser to include children!

        Thanks! We are so happy your family loves it!

      • scott chriss

        Made them ate them. Very delish! Would and will make them again and again...

        Thanks Scott! We are so happy you love them!

      • Jay Pea

        Awesome receipe! I used ground lamb as the meat substitute and sour cream and lemon juice instead of heavy cream. I also added more fresh herbs and dried spices to the lamb prior to browning so that it could have a powerful taste. Turned out perfectly.

        YAY! Glad you enjoyed Jay!

      • Elizabeth

        This recipe was a hit! So good with just the right amount of spice and salty enough to still be tasty over egg noodles! Love this recipe!!!

        Thanks Elizabeth, we are so glad you loved it!

      • Lindsey

        My daughter helped cook these and we served them with the egg noodles. They were perfect! The I divided the butter (half stick for the gravy and half a stick boiled with the noodles) and it was great. My very picky children (of course picky in different ways) rated it an 8 and and 8.5 (which is stellar). Adults loved it too. Good flavor, but not too overpowering. The tips are very helpful as well. Thanks for the great recipe!!

        Thanks Lindsey, we are so happy your family loved it! Also, we love to hear when kids help make dinner, so fun!