Description
Not all meatballs are created equal, and one of the most exciting ones are the Swedish meatballs. These beauties are served with creamy gravy with lingonberry jam. I serve this meatball as an appetizer with toasted country bread and Lingonberry Fruit Spread.
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Ingredients
Units
Scale
Swedish Meatball Ingredients
- 1 pound 85/15 ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 3 grated shallots
- 3 grated garlic cloves
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon toasted and ground caraway seeds (or store-bought ground caraway seeds)
- 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Lingonberry Sauce Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1-1/3 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
- 1/3 cup fat-free milk
- 2 Tablespoons pickle juice
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup Lingonberry Fruit Spread, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 380F degrees
- Place the ground beef and ground pork in a large mixing bowl with the breadcrumbs. Then add the grated shallot, grated garlic, eggs, ground caraway seeds, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. See notes below.
- Mix well using your hands but don’t overmix. Use an ice cream scoop to make the balls and roll it around in your hands to shape it into small-sized meatballs, or medium-sized if you prefer bigger meatballs. Continue forming the meatballs and putting them on a baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs on the baking sheet in the oven for about 13 minutes.
- Heat on the stove a large saucepan with the butter. When the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk for a couple of minutes until the flour is cooked.
- Pour the beef broth in slowly and keep whisking until the sauce is smooth.
- Add the fat-free sour cream, fat-free milk, and pickle juice. Simmer until the sauce gets thick and creamy. It takes a minute or two. If it gets too thick, add more beef broth (remember when the sauce is cold will get thicker). See notes below.
- Add the Lingonberry Fruit Spread until combined. You can start adding ¼ cup first and taste to your liking. I found that ½ cup was perfect for a touch of sweetness.
- Add the meatballs with the dripping from the baking dish to the saucepan and simmer for a couple of minutes until the meatballs are heated through. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and transfer to a serving bowl.
- Serve the Swedish Meatballs with additional lingonberry jam on the side, and with cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes. You can also serve as an appetizer with toothpicks.
Notes
You can use the food processor to save time by chopping the garlic, parsley, and shallots very fine.
In step 7, I recommend if you want more sauce to add extra beef broth. After you add the meatballs, you cannot add more liquid. You will be sorry for not adding more liquid earlier.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Holiday, Appetizer
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: Swedish
