Here’s a classic Swedish Meatballs recipe—small, tender meatballs in a creamy, savory sauce, perfect over egg noodles or mashed potatoes:
🍝 Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients (Serves 4)
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb (≈450 g) ground beef (or a mix of beef & pork)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice (optional, traditional)
- Salt & pepper, to taste
For the sauce:
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Steps
- Make the Meatballs
- In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs and milk; let sit 5 min.
- Add ground meat, chopped onion, egg, allspice, salt, and pepper. Mix gently.
- Form into small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter.
- Cook the Meatballs
- In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat.
- Brown meatballs on all sides (they don’t need to cook through completely).
- Remove meatballs and set aside.
- Make the Creamy Sauce
- In the same skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter if needed.
- Whisk in flour and cook 1–2 min to form a roux.
- Gradually whisk in beef broth and cream until smooth.
- Stir in Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard.
- Simmer 5 min until slightly thickened.
- Combine Meatballs and Sauce
- Return meatballs to the skillet.
- Simmer 10 min until meatballs are fully cooked and sauce is thick and creamy.
- Serve
- Serve over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
Tips
- For lighter meatballs, use half ground turkey or chicken.
- Allspice and nutmeg give the sauce its classic Swedish flavor—optional but recommended.
- You can make meatballs ahead of time and store in sauce in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you want, I can also give a slow-cooker Swedish meatballs version that cooks hands-off all day and makes the sauce extra rich and creamy.
Do you want me to make that version?