Swedish Meatballs

Swedish meatballs are probably not a dish you make often, or even think of. Much like salisbury steak, Swedish meatballs tend to be associated with frozen dinners. It is fascinating to me how foods become freezer staples. Of course, IKEA has ‘em, too, and contributed immensely to their popularity. They are probably the reason we are familiar with Swedish meatballs, as they began selling them in stores in the 1950s, creating a frozen variety.

Swedish meatballs are actually appropriately named, too. The dish is integrated into Swede history, with recipes dating back to the 18th century. Some say they were originally named köfte during the Ottoman Empire, and were made with a combination of ground lamb and spices (which, of course, makes me think Greek) According to one website, Swedish meatballs are on less than 0.2% of menus today, so it seems the frozen varieties are the ones we know best.

Meatballs are generally not difficult to make. They often take some egg and bread crumbs to help them hold together, but otherwise it's just the seasonings you use. For this recipe, I cooked some onion and garlic in a skillet first with a tablespoon of avocado oil. I cooked them for 5-7 minutes, until they were softened. I then mixed the ground beef, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, milk, onion and garlic mixture, salt, oregano, allspice, nutmeg, and pepper in a bowl and gently combined it. I used all beef, because I don't eat pork, but feel free to do half and half.

I scooped the meat mixture into meatballs and cooked them in the skillet, cooking them in batches. I stirred them frequently to cook them on all sides.

After all the meatballs were cooked, I removed them from heat and set them aside. To make the gravy, I melted butter in the pan and scraped the cooked meat pieces off the bottom to use in the gravy. I added flour and cooked the butter and flour, much like a roux. I then added some beef broth, chicken bouillon (for flavor), Worcestershire, Dijon mustard, and parsley. I heated it to a simmer and let it cook for about 10 minutes.

I then added the meatballs back to the pan, reheating them in the sauce for a few minutes. And after that, everything was ready to go.

I opted to serve these with mashed potatoes, though egg noodles would go excellently. But, I'm glad I went with the taters.

I cannot tell you just how good these are, because the perfect phrase doesn't exist. This was nothing like the Swedish meatballs I've tried in the past, which were often bland. For me, the additional spices  added complexity to the flavor, but the gravy was downright delightful. I cannot wait to make these again! Bonus: they freeze well, making a great quick dinner a few weeks later.

Swedish Meatballs Recipe

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

2 tablespoons cooking oil (I used avocado)

1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves) 

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1/3 cup milk or half and half

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 85/15)

For the sauce:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups beef broth

1 cube chicken bouillon, see notes

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions:

Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the onion has softened. In a medium bowl, mix the ground beef, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, milk, onion and garlic mixture, salt, oregano, allspice, nutmeg, and pepper. Mix the ingredients until just combined. Roll into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Add remaining oil to the skillet heated to medium-high, then cook meatballs in batches, stirring every minute to cook on multiple sides. Once cooked throughout, remove from heat and add more meatballs. After all meatballs are cooked, melt butter in the pan. Gently scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any burnt pieces. Stir in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, until it begins to brown. Add beef broth, bouillon, Worcestershire, Dijon mustard, and parsley. Mix well, and heat to a simmer. Cook for 5-7 minutes, then lower heat. Scoop the sour cream into a medium bowl. Temper the cream but adding a small amount of the hot mixture into the sour cream, then stir. Add more of the mixture, stirring again, until the cream mixture is hot. Gently stir the sour cream into the pan, mixing until combined. Add meatballs back to skillet, then let the mixture cook for 10 more minutes. Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles, topping with fresh parsley as desired.

adapted from swedish meatballs