Everyone loves Swedish Meatballs and everybody’s Grandma makes them the “best”. If you want to recapture that part of your childhood or want to pass that down to your kids, this is the recipe for you.
Swedish Meatballs
Do you remember the first time you had really good Swedish meatballs? Maybe your mom or Grandma made them for you, or maybe you had them at a church potluck.
I remember mine.
It was at my great great aunt Sally’s farm outside of Turtle Lake, North Dakota. Even as a young child I remember thinking that food can’t taste better than this.
The exact recipe was never written down, so this recipe is a copy of Sally’s based off of information gathered from various family members that have either eaten the meatballs or as some claim, watched her make them.
Some said to use sliced bread, and some said breadcrumbs. More said bread slices, so that’s what I went with. Someone else said skim milk, but everyone else said whole milk. We use whole milk here. No SKIM allowed in this house.
One thing everyone agreed on was what kind of meat she used. Ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal. All in equal proportions and all finely ground. No coarse ground meat. Your meatballs won’t be as tender as you’ll want them to be.
I think we got these pretty close to my aunt Sally’s recipe and it was fun to reminisce with my family about Sally, the farm and the Swedish meatballs that make all others pale by comparison.
One more big positive about these meatballs is that your kids are going to love them. I have famously picky kids, and we go seven for seven every time we make them. Some other family favorites that are kid-tested and picky-kid-approved is our homemade chicken noodles soup, this meaty marinara, and my chicken alfredo lasagna.
Swedish meatballs are my favorite and my aunt Sally’s, (or nearly) won’t let you down. Make them for dinner tonight and start your own tradition that you can hand down to the next generation of cooks in your family.
Swedish Meatballs
Everyone loves Swedish meatballs and everybody's Grandma makes them the "best". If you want recapture that part of your childhood or want to pass that down to your kids, this is the Swedish meatball recipe for you.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground veal, {can sub in extra pork and beef if you don't do veal}
- 1 pound ground pork
- 3 slices white bread
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 stick butter, {salted}
- 3/4 cup flour
Instructions
- Break the pieces of bread into small pieces, and place into a large mixing bowl along with the milk, egg yolks, salt, pepper, nutmeg, allspice, onion powder, black pepper, ground veal, and beef.
- Mix the ingredients by hand until they are well combined. Form into golf ball sized meatballs, and set aside.
- Brown the meatballs in a large skillet over medium heat until all sides are browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Reserving the rendered fat in the pan, add in the the butter. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour to make a roux, and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes.
- While continuously whisking, add in the beef broth and increase heat to medium. Stir frequently until the sauce thickens.
- Whisk the cream into the sauce once it is thickened, and then add the meatballs back into the pan. Reduce heat to low and cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
- Serve over hot buttered egg noodles, or creamy garlic mashed potatoes.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 584Saturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 233mgSodium: 1256mgCarbohydrates: 15gSugar: 1gProtein: 35g
Jeremiah
Jeremiah is Mr. Or Whatever You Do, and is finally joining the writing team here at the site after 7 long years of his wife telling him he'd be a great blogger. The time is finally here, folks. Buckle up. Many of the recipes on OrWhateverYouDo already have been developed, tested, and cooked by him – now hear what he has to say about the process and his thoughts behind the recipe as well!