Swedish Meatballs

Name: Swedish Meatballs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1/2 pound ground pork; 1/3 cup breadcrumbs; 1/4 cup whole milk; 1 egg; 1/4 teaspoon allspice; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 3 tablespoons butter; 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2 cups beef broth; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; Egg noodles and fresh parsley, for serving

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

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Swedish meatballs are smaller, softer, and more warmly spiced than the red-sauce meatballs many of us grew up picturing. This version mixes ground beef and pork with milk-soaked breadcrumbs, egg, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, then browns the meatballs in butter before building the gravy in the same skillet.

That pan is doing important work. The browned bits left behind by the meatballs become the base for a sauce of butter, flour, beef broth, cream, Worcestershire, and Dijon. The allspice and nutmeg are subtle rather than dessert-like; they sit behind the beef and pork and make the whole dish taste deeper without announcing themselves. Return the meatballs to the gravy only long enough to finish cooking and stay tender. Serve them over mashed potatoes or egg noodles, and do not be surprised when the gravy becomes the reason somebody starts scraping the skillet with bread when they think no one is looking.

Prep20 minutes

Cook25 minutes

Total45 minutes

Serves4 servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

Servings

1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Egg noodles and fresh parsley, for serving

Instructions

1Soak breadcrumbs in milk for 5 minutes.
2Mix beef, pork, soaked breadcrumbs, egg, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Roll into 1-inch meatballs.
3Brown meatballs in butter in a large skillet, 3 to 4 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Remove.
4In the same skillet, whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually add beef broth, whisking until smooth.
5Stir in cream and Worcestershire. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes.
6Return meatballs to the sauce. Simmer 10 minutes until cooked through. Cook ground meat until it reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.
7Serve over egg noodles with fresh parsley.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 4 servings.

720Calories

36 gProtein

14 gCarbohydrates

57 gTotal Fat

26 gSaturated Fat

1 gFiber

3 gTotal Sugars

1260 mgSodium

235 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Soaking breadcrumbs in milk (a panade) keeps the meatballs incredibly tender.
Allspice and nutmeg are the signature Swedish flavors. Don't leave them out.
The sauce should be silky — whisk constantly when adding the broth to prevent lumps.