Swedish Meatballs
During the 1950s and 1960s, Swedish meatballs became a staple of many an American childhood. You’ll love this from-scratch version.
By Yankee Magazine|May 10 2022|
Swedish Meatballs
Photo Credit: Heath RobbinsThe 1950s and 1960s saw a love of all things Nordic: Dansk tableware, Danish furniture, and Scandinavian food (ever attend a smorgasbord buffet party?). Swedish meatballs became a staple of many an American childhood, often made simpler for home cooks with the addition of cream of mushroom soup. But really, it’s the rolling and cooking of the balls that takes the most time. Making the gravy is a 5-minute job. So try this from-scratch version and enjoy the real thing.
For the meatballs:
Ingredients
3 slices white bread
1/2 cup milk
1 small onion, minced
4 tablespoons salted butter, divided
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt, divided
1-1/4 pounds ground pork
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound ground beef
Instructions
Break bread slices into small pieces and put in a medium bowl. Pour milk over bread and toss with your hands to moisten evenly. Set aside. In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the onion in 1 tablespoon butter with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Drain excess milk from bread, squeezing lightly. Add to the bowl of a standing mixer (or if using a hand-held mixer, leave in bowl). Add onion, pork, eggs, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, allspice, and pepper and beat until smooth, 3 minutes, scraping down sides occasionally as you go. When mixture is smooth, break ground beef into very small pieces and stir just until evenly distributed.
Preheat oven to 325°. Roll the meat mixture into balls with your hands.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large (ideally at least 14-inch) pan over medium heat. Add a batch of balls to pan and cook, turning frequently with tongs, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. When the first batch is done, put in a deep, covered ovenproof dish and transfer to oven to keep warm. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and brown second batch of meatballs. Repeat as needed; transfer all the meatballs to the oven while you make the gravy.
For the gravy:
Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons salted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup light cream
Instructions
Increase heat under pan to medium-high. If your pan has some drippings, add 2 tablespoons of butter; if not, use 3. Add flour and salt and whisk; the mixture will be crumbly. Add broth 1 cup at a time, whisking constantly until smooth. Add cream at end and stir well. Pour gravy over meatballs and return to oven for 10 minutes before serving.
The recipe for Swedish Meatballs is not the actual Swedish recipe
I don’t know if you can put a link in the comments but if you have an authentic recipe I would love to see it!
Seems to be pretty authentic, but I wonder why the ground beef is added at the end of mixing instead of added with the pork and egg mixture…Just asking…
Over mixing the ground beef with a mixer will make it tough, ground beef should always be handled gently and just enough to incorporate into the mixture.
This sounds super easy and I look forward t trying it! I will skip over any recipe that calls for cream of mushroom or any other condensed soup — sauces are so easy to make — who needs all that sodium in the canned stuff? I suppose half and half can be substituted for the light cream in this recipe?
Anxious to try. Thanks
Missing the nutmeg in the meat mixture… My family would only use cream and milk in the sauce. I use half and half.
It’s one of my favorites.
Where’s the nutmeg? Swedish meatballs always have 1/4 – 1/2 tsp of allspice & nutmeg. That’s what makes them special!
Anxious to try sounds delicious