These Swedish meatballs are featured in the second Our Best Bites Cookbook, Savoring the Seasons. It’s routinely mentioned as a favorite from readers and I wanted it to have a space on the website so more of you can enjoy it! These Swedish meatballs are tender, with a combination of both beef and pork, and full of flavor. The easy sauce is creamy and flavorful, and makes a perfect compliment to potatoes or pasta.
Ingredient Notes
- Meat – The combination of beef and pork give this meatballs a well-rounded flavor and texture.
- Buttermilk – Low-fat or full-fat will work here.
- Capers – If you’re not used to cooking with capers, they’re actually pickled flower buds! They add a tangy flavor to the finished meatballs. You’ll find them in small jars near the other pickled vegetables in the grocery store.
- Mustard – Creole, whole grain, or even dijon mustard are all great options here. Avoid regular yellow mustard.
- Cream – The cream in this gravy is optional, but is a delicious addition if you have some in the refrigerator. It rounds out the flavor and makes the sauce silky.
- Gloves – I love to use nitrile gloves to mix up my meat ball mixture. Gently hand mixing is the best way to not overwork the mixture, which would result in a tough meatballs.
- Cookie Scoop – Using a cookie scoop to measure your meat mixture will ensure uniform size and cooking. You can adjust the size as you desire, but the recipe and cooking times are written with a 1 tablespoon scoop in mind.
Instructions
- You’ll start by soaking some bread crumbs in buttermilk. Then add some ground beef and pork, an egg, minced onion, minced capers, mustard, minced parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic. Combine the mixture gently with your hands until everything is well distributed.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop the meat mixture into portions and shape into balls.
- Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with foil and broil on low until the meatballs are brown on top.
- While the meatballs are browning, you’ll get started on the gravy. Melt some butter over medium heat. To that you’ll add some flour and whisk until smooth, and then gradually add in some beef broth.
- When the gravy begins to simmer and thicken, you’ll add your meatballs to the pot to simmer for a few minutes. When ready to serve, stir in a little cream, if desired.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with chopped, fresh parsley; boiled red potatoes tossed with butter, salt, and pepper; and lingonberry or cranberry sauce. These Garlic-Rosemary Roasted Baby Potatoes would be good, too, as would Creamy Stovetop Smashed Potatoes. Swedish meatballs are delicious served over pasta.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make this ahead of time? If needed, prep and measure your meatball ingredients ahead of time to make them easy to mix together when it’s time to cook. You could absolutely assemble the meat balls several hours ahead and store, tightly covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge. If you’d like to cook them all the way through to the end ahead of time, allow everything to cool and store covered in the refrigerator. When reheating, be sure the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°.
Helpful Products:
Did You Make This?
I’d love to hear from you! Snap a picture and tag me on Instagram, then come back and give this recipe a rating!
Swedish Meatballs
Tender Swedish meatballs are made with a mixture of beef and pork and served in a savory brown gravy. Delicious over mashed or boiled potatoes, or pasta!
Servings -60 small meatballs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 pound ground beef 85% lean
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup minced onion
- 1/4 cup capers chopped
- 2 tablespoons Creole whole grain, or dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 3 - 4 tablespoons cream optional but recommended
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
- Combine bread crumbs and buttermilk in a large bowl and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Add beef, pork, egg, onion, capers, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley and combine gently with your hands.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop meat mixture into tablespoon-sized portions and shape into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet and broil 10-12 minutes on low or until meatballs are brown on top.
- While meatballs are browning, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Add about 1 cup beef broth and whisk together until completely smooth. Add remaining beef both and increase heat to medium so the gravy begins to simmer and thicken. Add browned meatballs and simmer about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and, if desired, stir in cream. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve with chopped fresh parsley; boiled red potatoes tossed with butter, salt, and pepper; and lingonberry or whole cranberry sauce.
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
