Swedish Meatballs are made from scratch, baked in the oven, and then simmered in a skillet of homemade sauce. Served over noodles or mashed potatoes, smothered in Swedish meatball sauce, and garnished with parsley and a dollop of lingonberry jam, this Swedish meatball recipe is an easy, delicious, family-pleasing dinner!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Swedish
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour
Servings 6to 8 servings (recipe yields approximately 24 meatballs total)
8ouncesegg noodlescooked per directions (OR prepared mashed potatoes)
Fresh minced parsley
Lingonberry jam
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and/or parchment paper and set aside.
Prepare the Swedish Meatballs by combining ground beef, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, salt, onion powder, allspice, nutmeg, and pepper in a large bowl. Use your hands to gently mix ingredients until thoroughly combined but not packed down. Scoop meat into 3-tablespoon mounds (I use a 3 T. cookie scoop) and gently roll into balls (which should measure between 1 ½ and 2 inches across), yielding approximately 24 meatballs.
Arrange meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart. Bake meatballs for 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through to the center (cut into a meatball to check for doneness). Remove meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any grease.
While the meatballs are baking, prepare the Swedish Meatball sauce. Heat a large pan or deep skillet over medium-high heat; add butter. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes while continuously whisking. Continue to whisk while slowing pouring in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, still whisking, for about 5 minutes or until thickened.
Temper the sour cream by measuring it into a bowl or large measuring cup and stirring in a ladle full of sauce. Stir in another ladle full of sauce until smooth. Then pour the sour cream mixture back into the skillet of sauce and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the sauce with salt and pepper, adding ¼ teaspoon salt at a time until adequately seasoned.
Carefully place the cooked and drained meatballs in the skillet of warm sauce, turning each meatball so that all sides are coated. Serve hot over egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Garnish with fresh minced parsley and accompanied by a dollop of lingonberry jam, if desired.
Video
Notes
I make my Swedish Meatballs with all ground beef because that's what I typically have on hand. However, traditional Swedish Meatballs are often made with a mixture that includes half ground beef and half ground pork. Feel free to use this ratio, if you wish.
Adding hot Swedish Meatball sauce to the sour cream (before stirring the sour cream into the skillet of sauce) tempers it. This prevents the sour cream from curdling, which can happen if you add cold sour cream directly to the hot skillet of sauce.