Food and Recipes Dinner Swedish Meatballs Be the first to rate & review! Homemade meatballs in a creamy sauce are just what you want for dinner. By Laura Kanya Laura Kanya Laura Kanya served as a recipe tester and developer in the Vermont test kitchen of Dotdash Meredith. She has been active in the food industry for more than two decades, including as a pastry chef, chef instructor, executive chef, and director of operations in restaurants, resorts, and food production companies. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on April 14, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Active Time: 35 mins Total Time: 35 mins Servings: 4 While Italian-style meatballs usually contain garlic and are traditionally served with a tomato-based sauce, Swedish meatballs get their distinctly different flavor from allspice and nutmeg and are typically served in a creamy white sauce. This recipe for Swedish meatballs gets its richness from heavy whipping cream (thickened with flour), its sweetness (and a dose of tradition) from lingonberry jam, and freshness from abundant herbs. Serve over egg noodles for a hearty, comforting weeknight dinner. Swedish Meatballs Ingredients To make these Swedish meatballs, start with ground beef and ground pork. You’ll also need yellow onion, panko breadcrumbs, egg, lingonberry jam, allspice, kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, beef broth, all-purpose flour, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, and heavy whipping cream. For serving, you’ll also need fresh soft herbs (like flat-leaf parsley, dill, and chives) as well as egg noodles (or your choice of starch). Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely How To Make Swedish Meatballs The full recipe is below, but here's a brief overview: Combine the meats with onion, panko, egg, jam, allspice, herbs, salt, and pepper. Roll them into balls, and place them on a baking sheet.Heat olive oil in a large skillet, and add meatballs, cooking until they are browned and a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 165°F. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and cover with foil, reserving the drippings in the skillet.Add flour to the drippings, and cook while whisking until lightly browned. Whisk in the beef broth, cream, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce begins to thicken.Now reduce the heat to medium-low, whisk in sour cream and herbs. Return cooked meatballs to the skillet and simmer until coated. Serve over cooked egg noodles, garnish with herbs, and serve with additional jam, if desired. 40 Retro Party Appetizers We'll Never, Ever Stop Making What Do Swedish Meatballs Taste Like? These meatballs are tender and juicy, with the flavors of the allspice and nutmeg in the background, and the freshness of the herbs coming through. The sauce is creamy and shiny with a rich consistency. Swedish Meatballs Recipe Tips If you like the sauce a bit thinner, decrease the flour; likewise, increase it for a thicker sauce. Note that this recipe does yield a substantial amount of sauce—it might seem like too much. But it’s actually an ideal amount if you plan to serve the meatballs over noodles or rice. Use the combination of pork and beef for additional dimension and fattiness. But you can also make this recipe entirely with beef instead if you prefer. Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin. Ingredients 12 oz. 85/15 lean ground beef 8 oz. ground pork 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion (from 1 small onion) 1/4 cup panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs) 1 large egg, lightly beaten 2 Tbsp. lingonberry jam, plus more for serving 1/4 tsp. ground allspice 4 Tbsp. chopped fresh soft herbs (such as flat-leaf parsley, dill, and chives), divided, plus more for garnish 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided 1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided 3 Tbsp. olive oil 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups beef broth 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp. sherry vinegar 2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/2 cup sour cream Cooked egg noodles, to serve Directions Make meatballs: Combine ground beef, pork, onion, panko, egg, jam, allspice, 2 tablespoons of the herbs, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper in a medium bowl. Mix with a fork or hands until combined; roll into 20 small meatballs (2 tablespoons each), and place meatballs on a baking sheet. Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Cook meatballs: Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add meatballs, and cook, turning often, until browned on all sides and cooked through and a thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165°F, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a plate with tongs or a slotted spoon, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm; reserve drippings in skillet. Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Make sauce: Add flour to drippings in skillet, and cook over medium, whisking constantly, until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Slowly whisk in beef broth, cream, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, Dijon mustard, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium, and cook, whisking often, until sauce begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Add meatballs to sauce: Reduce heat to medium-low; whisk in sour cream and remaining 2 tablespoons herbs. Return cooked meatballs to skillet, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until coated, about 1 minute. Serve over cooked egg noodles; garnish with additional herbs, and serve with additional jam, if desired. Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Rate it Print Additional reporting by Alesandra Dubin