These Swedish meatballs are smothered in a delicious, rich, and creamy gravy sauce and have such an amazing flavor. These will become a family favorite.
I can’t even believe that today is Halloween. How in the heck did it get to be October 31st? Halloween just isn’t the same around our house anymore. I’m down to only one child dressing up and going out trick-or-treating. I really miss the days when all five of my boys were little and dressed up in costumes. Somedays I really wish I could turn the clock back. What about you?
Now tonight since it’s Halloween, we will either be eating chili or sloppy joes, but I’d be ok if we were eating these Swedish Meatballs instead. This is another one of the delicious recipes I got from my mother-in-law years ago when I got married. I’d honestly never had or even heard of Swedish Meatballs before. I can still remember the first time I tasted them. I loved them.
I know IKEA is known for their Swedish meatballs, but I’ve never tasted them so I can’t tell you if these taste better than theirs, but I can tell you that these are amazing! The meatballs themselves are so good, but it’s really all about the sauce here . . . the heavenly, rich, creamy gravy sauce that these meatballs are smothered in is amazing. I could drink it.
These are so simple to make and I know you will love them.
P.S. These meatballs go great with mashed potatoes.
Happy Halloween!
Swedish Meatballs
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 meatballs 1x
Ingredients
MEATBALLS:
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/4 lb. ground pork sausage
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 cardamon
GRAVY:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 can beef broth
- 1/2 cup half and half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent about 2-3 minutes.
- In a large bowl mix the sauteed onion, ground beef, ground sausage, bread crumbs, eggs, milk, salt, allspice, nutmeg, and cardamon. Using a wooden spoon stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into balls (about 1 1/2″, makes about 24 meatballs).
- In the skillet you cooked the onions in, add the meatballs in batches, and cook until all sides are browned, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In the same skillet, melt the 2 tablespoons butter with the drippings and brown bits. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in beef broth and half-and-half and continue whisking until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Add meatballs and gently toss until all the meatballs are coated.
- Place skillet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Notes
- The original recipe calls for dill in the meatballs and the sauce. I leave it out because while I like it, my husband prefers them without the dill. If you want to try them with the dill, just add 1/4 teaspoon to the meatball mixture and 1/4 teaspoon to the gravy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
Jodi, I made these last night and they were fabulous. The only change I made was to use all dark ground turkey and to substitute 1/2 t. onion powder for the onion. Oh wow, the meatball flavor was great with those spices. I found the spices in bulk at Whole Foods so I didn’t have to purchase a whole jar of them. But I was glad I included them because the spices make the flavor so good. And that sauce was amazing. I think the half and half really enriches it. So good, we all loved them. I served them with peas and couscous because I had no potatoes or rice in the house and we really loved it. Thanks so much! PS, my whole family and my brother’s family is obsessed with the chocolate sauce you just posted, oh wow, best one ever.
Hi Teresa! I am so glad you loved these meatballs. I’m definitely going to try it with turkey, great idea! The spices are what set these meatballs apart from other meatballs, and you’re right, the sauce is amazing. The chocolate sauce story is awesome! Happy to hear others are as obsessed with it as we are. Like I said, it’s been a family favorite for years! Take care!
Hi Jodi. I’m so glad I found this site. I checked out Parker’s Bites and just love it. I could sure use some of his opinions every day. I was wondering since I don’t eat pork, can I just use all beef?
Hi Sandy, I’m so happy you found my site, I hope you keep checking back. Any recipe I’ve ever seen for Swedish Meatballs calls for part ground pork and part ground beef so I’m not sure what to tell you. It’s certainly worth trying. I think it’s the sauce that makes these meatballs so amazing, so you could give them a try using all beef.
These sound amazing. Just making sure I read the instructions right….I saute’ the onions first and then add them in with the meatball mixture right? Thanks so much these sound awesome!
Yes Tammy, that’s right. It was kind of unclear, so I fixed it. Thanks!
Made this as stated in the recipe. My family found it extremely bland. They ended up dumping lots of pepper on top. I served it with seasoned mashed potatoes.
Hi Stacy, sorry to hear your family found these bland. These meatballs get rave reviews anytime I make them for dinner parties or for my family. You’re actually the first person to find them bland. One reader said they were fabulous. . .I guess everyone has different tastes. Sorry again.