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Easy Swedish Meatballs are a great choice when you want a simple, yet filling dinner for your family. The meatballs are tender and delicious, served over a mound of noodles or mashed potatoes with a dreamy, creamy sauce. Did I hear Comfort Food? You bet I did! Comfort Food Deluxe!
(Post modified on 2/22/24.)
If you browse this recipe site, you’ll find several recipes for meatballs. Italian Meatballs. Barbecue Meatballs. German Meatballs. And now Swedish Meatballs. Why so many meatballs? And what makes them different or the same?
Types of Meatballs
The easiest explanation for meatballs is what they are served with, what type of sauce is used, how big they are, and also the ingredients that go into them.
There are meatballs that might be used as appetizers. I do this a lot for the holidays with my Barbecue Meatballs and also my Apricot-Glazed Meatballs (recipe coming in the months ahead!). This type of meatball is usually served with a toothpick and are medium-sized and are made with a lean ground beef, ground turkey, or even venison.
My German-Style Meatballs are also made with a lean meat, but they are covered in a sweet and sour sauce with cranberries and sauerkraut. We love this dish when I’m making a German dinner. See my German Dinner Ideas Here.
Probably the best known meatball is an Italian meatball, served in a tomato sauce with spaghetti. Typically, Italian meatballs are smaller in size–although I have challenged this method with my Mighty (Big) Meatballs. I like to make these meatballs with a combination of ground beef and sausage–just like this recipe.
Which brings us to this recipe for Swedish Meatballs. Unlike their Italian cousins, these meatballs are larger in size and are served in a creamy gravy made from beef broth, cream, and sour cream. You’ll also see some spices in these meatballs, such as allspice and nutmeg.
Some recipes that I found also called for ground ginger, but almost all of them called for nutmeg.
All of my other meatball recipes are baked in the oven, but I cooked these on the stove in a skillet. Mostly because I made them in the summer (I didn’t want to heat the house with my hot oven), but also for the delicious bits of meat left in the skillet (fond) that I used in the creamy gravy. So good! Are you drooling yet?
Meatballs Recipes to Enjoy
- Potluck Barbecued Meatballs
- Spaghetti Sauce and Mighty Meatballs
- German Style Meatballs
- Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs
Ingredients for Easy Swedish Meatballs
(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
Meatballs
- lean ground beef (80/2)
- ground pork sausage
- buttermilk
- panko breadcrumbs
- large egg
- sweet onion, minced
- dried parsley
- kosher salt
- garlic powder
- allspice
- nutmeg (freshly ground, if possible)
- freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil
- butter
Cream Sauce
- butter
- sweet onion, diced
- all-purpose flour
- beef bouillon cubes + water (or beef broth)
- half and half cream
- sour cream
- Worcestershire sauce
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions for this Recipe
Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Using a knife and cutting board, dice the sweet onion. Prepare the beef bouillon cubes with boiling water to make the beef broth. Set aside until ready to make the sauce.
Make the Meatballs
Place the lean ground beef and ground pork sausage in a large bowl.
I like to buy Oldham’s Country Sausage (16 g fat), or William’s Sausage (11 g fat). Both are lower in fat than most on the market and have a lovely mild flavor that I like in my recipes.
Add to this the buttermilk, panko breadcrumbs (plain or seasoned), large egg, diced onion, dried parsley, kosher salt, garlic powder, allspice, freshly ground nutmeg, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix together with a long-handled wooden spoon or your hands until everything is fully combined.
Using a large spoon or a large cookie scoop, form the mixture into meatballs that are approximately 1 1/2-inches and place on a baking sheet.
As you’ll notice in the above photo, I placed the meatballs directly into the hot skillet, but making them ahead would have been less stressful!
Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet on medium-low heat. Place meatballs in the skillet, and try not to crowd them too much. Cook 18-20 minutes until they are cooked through on all sides, turning every 3-4 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a baking pan and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Prepare Egg Noodles
At this time you’ll want to prepare the egg noodles, as it doesn’t take long to complete the cream sauce. Also, if you are serving mashed potatoes, start making them at the same time or before the meatballs.
Use your favorite egg noodles for this recipe and make according to package directions. I like to use the curly style egg noodles or Amish noodles for this dish.
Make the Cream Sauce
Add 3-4 tablespoons butter to the skillet and sauté the diced onions until tender, about 3-4 minutes on medium-low heat.
Sprinkle the all-purpose flour into the butter and onions and stir to make a roux. Add the prepared beef broth, half and half cream, sour cream, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir or whisk to combine.
Reduce heat to low and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add in the cooked meatballs. Simmer on low until the sauce has thickened, carefully stirring with a wooden spoon, approximately 5-8 minutes.
Serve this dish over prepared egg noodles and/or mashed potatoes. This recipe will serve 6-8 people.
Browse more Main Dishes Here. See my Meatball Recipes Here.
Easy Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound lean ground beef 80/2
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs plain or seasoned
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup sweet onion minced or diced
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg freshly ground, if possible
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
Cream Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup sweet onion diced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cube beef bouillon cubes + 1 cup water or beef broth
- 1 cup half and half cream
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
- Using a knife and cutting board, dice the sweet onion for the meatballs and the sauce. Prepare the beef bouillon cubes with boiling water to make the beef broth. Set aside until ready to use.
Make the Meatballs
- Place the lean ground beef and ground pork sausage in a large bowl.
- Add to this the buttermilk, panko breadcrumbs (plain or seasoned), large egg, 1/2 cup diced onion, dried parsley, kosher salt, garlic powder, allspice, freshly ground nutmeg, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix together with a long-handled wooden spoon or your hands until everything is fully combined.
- Using a large spoon or a large cookie scoop, form the mixture into meatballs that are approximately 1 1/2-inches and place on a baking sheet.
- Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet on medium-low heat. Place meatballs in the skillet, and try not to crowd them too much. Cook 18-20 minutes until they are cooked through on all sides, turning every 3-4 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a baking pan and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- At this time you'll want to prepare the egg noodles, as it doesn't take long to complete the cream sauce. Also, if you are serving mashed potatoes, start making them at the same time or before the meatballs.Use your favorite egg noodles for this recipe and make according to package directions. I like to use the curly style egg noodles or Amish noodles for this dish.
Prepare the Cream Sauce
- Add 3-4 tablespoons butter to the skillet and saute the remaining diced onions until tender, about 3-4 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Sprinkle the all-purpose flour into the butter and onions and stir to make a roux. Add the prepared beef broth, half and half cream, sour cream, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir or whisk to combine.
- Reduce heat to low and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add in the cooked meatballs. Simmer on low until the sauce has thickened, carefully stirring with a wooden spoon, approximately 5-8 minutes.
- Serve over prepared egg noodles and/or mashed potatoes. This recipe will serve 6-8 people.
Notes
Nutrition
