Swedish Meatballs
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Last Updated on November 1, 2020 by Lisa Johnson
Are Swedish Meatballs an appetizer or main course? I guess it really depends on the person, or maybe just the circumstances around why you are making Swedish Meatballs in the first place! Since I am still in the middle of an appetizer obsession, I blame the upcoming holiday season, that is the version that I am sharing with you today.
These Swedish Meatballs are cooked to perfection and coated in a thick and creamy pan gravy that may just cause a traffic jam at your next party!!
How do you make Swedish Meatballs from scratch?
Mix the beef, pork, onion, bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, egg and milk together in a large bowl…..
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours…..
Scoop the mixture and roll into tablespoon sized balls…..
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the meatballs and cook until no longer pink…..
Remove the meatballs from the skillet and keep warm.
Mix the flour, paprika, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Add the seasoned flour to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth and bubbly…..
Slowly pour in the warm chicken stock. Bring to a boil stirring constantly and scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet…..
Simmer and stir for one minute until thickened.
Reduce heat to low and stir in the yogurt or sour cream, stirring until thoroughly combined and smooth…..
Return the meatballs to the skillet. Gently toss the meatballs in the sauce until thoroughly coated…..
Serve immediately…..
YUM!!
Notes:
- Swedish Meatballs are traditionally made with sour cream, but I substitute Fage Greek Yogurt for a lactose-free recipe.
- If you do not have a large skillet (12″+) cook the meatballs in two separate batches.
- If you do not want to use pork, substitute additional ground beef or veal.
- I used panko crumbs instead of bread crumbs because I prefer them. It’s a matter of choice, both will work.
- Chicken stock should be room temperature or heated so the roux will not seize up. We don’t want lumps in our gravy!
What do you serve with Swedish Meatballs?
The traditional to serve them is with mashed potatoes or macaroni with lingonberry jam on the side.
Most of us in America grew up eating our Swedish Meatballs with buttered egg noodles.
As an appetizer, you just need toothpicks.
Some additional appetizer recipes for your buffet table:
- Boulets Liégeois {Belgian Meatballs}
- Albondigas {Spanish Meatballs}
- Spanish Meatballs in Almond Sauce
- Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls
- Classic Deviled Eggs
- Cranberry Salsa – served over cream cheese
Tools used to make this recipe: {Contains affiliate links}
What do you serve your Swedish Meatballs with?
Enjoy!!
Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef (I used 90/10)
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ cup yellow onion (finely chopped)
- ¾ cup unseasoned bread crumbs (can substitute panko crumbs)
- 1 Tablespoon Italian parsley (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk (I used unsweetened CashewMilk)
- ¼ cup light olive oil (for frying)
For the Gravy
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teapoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups chicken stock (I used Swanson's no sodium added)
- ¾ cup Fage Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Mix the beef, pork, onion, bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, egg and milk together in a large bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.
- Scoop the mixture and roll into tablespoon sized balls.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the meatballs and cook until no longer pink.
- Remove the meatballs from the skillet and keep warm.
For the Gravy
- Mix the flour, paprika, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Add the seasoned flour to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.
- Slowly pour in the warm chicken stock. Bring to a boil stirring constantly and scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Simmer and stir for one minute until thickened.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in the yogurt or sour cream, stirring until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Return the meatballs to the skillet. Gently toss the meatballs in the sauce until thoroughly coated. Serve immediately
Notes
- Swedish Meatballs are traditionally made with sour cream, but I substitute Fage Greek Yogurt for a lactose-free recipe.
- If you do not have a large skillet (12″+) cook the meatballs in two separate batches.
- If you do not want to use pork, substitute additional ground beef or veal.
- I used panko crumbs instead of bread crumbs because I prefer them. It’s a matter of choice, both will work.
- Chicken stock should be room temperature or heated so the roux will not seize up. We don't want lumps in our gravy!
- You will end up with about 60 meatballs. The serving size is based on 6 per person as an appetizer. This was just a guess, serving size will vary.
How many eggs? I don’t see it on the list of ingredients.
It is one egg.