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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.

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      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. Like our Beef Stroganoff and Salisbury Steak. 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.

      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

      December 3, 2018

      • Serves: 8
      • Prep Time:  20 min
      • Cook Time:  40 min
      • Calories: 463
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      Video

      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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      • Barbara Doyle

        Can the recipe be doubled ?

        Yes, that should work fine. Hope you enjoy Barbara!

      • Kimberlee Tanner

        How much is a serving? You put the nutritional value to per serving, but I don’t see anywhere how much a serving would be? Thank you.

        4-5 meatballs. Recipe should make about 35 meatballs. If you make more or less than that depending on how you roll them divide them by 8 to get a serving size.

      • Brenda Gravelle

        It seems like the lemon juice would cause the heavy cream to curdle/separate. How do I prevent this?

        Add it slowly while whisking. Hope you enjoy Brenda.

      • Annie

        I made these tonight over egg noodles. They were very good but some of mine fell apart I think because of the fact that the meat was frozen and defrosted today. Any tips to help next time?

        Yeah that can happen with defrosted meat. But I would say that rolling them tighter might help.

      • Delores

        Can fat-free half and half be substituted for the heavy cream?

        It might work but we haven't tested it to be sure. Only concern is it might not thicken the same.

      • Alicia

        So delicious! My whole family loved. Three kids 14, 10 and 5 yo. This felt like a bit more work than the usual TMP recipe, but worth it in my opinion.

        Thanks Alicia, we are so happy the whole family enjoyed it!

      • Jim

        I followed the directions to a tee but it seemed a little bland. I didn’t want to deviate from the spice ratio until I tried it once. Even my wife said the same thing. I might go times two on the nutmeg and allspice. I am going to sprinkle some on the leftovers and see if that makes a difference. With that all said, I will make again. My wife has eaten Swedish meatballs before but this was my first time.

        Glad you enjoyed them Jim, feel free to spice them up if you feel the need.

      • Michelle Jones

        We’re a family of 6 and this recipe is an absolute hit in my house. We make it almost weekly and hardly have leftovers.

        That is so great to hear! We are so happy your family loves this, thanks Michelle!

      • Kimberlee Tanner

        I think it’s about time to tell you how much my family loves this dish! We’ve made it many times and every time it comes out delish. My 10yr old granddaughter made it for her cultural fair and everyone raved about the food. With lingonberry Jan it’s just the right mix of tart and salty. Thanks again!

        Thanks Kimberlee, we are so happy to hear it's a family favorite!

      • Kimberlee Tanner

        I think it’s about time to tell you how much my family loves this dish! We’ve made it many times and every time it comes out delish. My 10yr old granddaughter made it for her cultural fair and everyone raved about the food. With lingonberry Jan it’s just the right mix of tart and salty. Thanks again!

        Aw, this is so wonderful to hear Kimberlee! Thank you so much, we are so happy your family loves it. Tell your granddaughter we say GREAT JOB!