Tara’s Swedish Meatballs

I come from a long line of Swedes and Norwegians. Every year, my aunt makes Swedish meatballs for Christmas Eve and I cannot begin to tell you how much I look forward to it. To me, they are the ultimate comfort food and I love how delightfully different they are to their (equally delicious) Italian counterparts.

A few years back, I asked my aunt if I could have her coveted recipe. However, (much like everyone else in my family), her recipes come from the heart and have no recorded measurements. Heartbroken but headstrong, I resolved to create my own recipe. After much trial and error, I finally created the recipe you see here today. I now make these every Midsommar and they are always a favorite among my family and friends. I hope you will love them too!

THE RECIPE:

Makes approx. 40-42 small meatballs.

  • 14 oz. 86% ground beef

  • 9 oz. ground pork

  • 1/3 cup old fashioned oats

  • 2/3 cup beef stock

  • 1 large egg

  • 1/2 cup grated onion

  • 4 tsp. grated fresh garlic

  • 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

  • 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, lightly chopped

  • 1/4 cup fresh curly parsley, chopped

  • 1 Tbsp. Lars Swedish mustard (substitute with dijon mustard if you cannot find Swedish mustard)

  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper

  • 1/2 tsp. white pepper

  • 1 and 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

  • 2 tsp. allspice

  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

  • 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

  • Unsalted butter for frying

  • Lingonberry preserves, for serving

FOR THE GRAVY:

  • pan drippings from meatballs

  • butter, as needed

  • 1 Tbsp. all purpose flour

  • 1 and 1/2 cups beef stock, plus more as needed

  • 1/2 cup light cream

  • 1/8 to 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

  • 1 Tbsp. Lars Swedish mustard (or dijon)

  • 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 Tbsp. fresh curly parsley, finely chopped

  • 1 Tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped

  • Salt, to taste

  • Black pepper, to taste

  • White pepper, to taste

  • Nutmeg, to taste

  • Allspice, to taste

  • Cinnamon, to taste

TO MAKE:

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

  2. In a KitchenAid standing mixer, combine the ground beef, ground pork, thyme leaves and parsley using a paddle attachment on the lowest setting. ( I set my mixer to 1. ) If you do not have a KitchenAid mixer, using your hands or a hand-mixer will work as well!

  3. Soak the oats in the beef stock for 5 minutes.

  4. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, spices, grated onion and garlic, egg, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.

  5. Add the soaked oats (and beef stock) to the medium bowl and stir to combine.

  6. Gently pour the soaked oats mixture to the meat mixture. Set the mixer to 1 (or the lowest setting) and mix until combined. You will have a sticky, but moldable mixture.

  7. Allow meatball mixture to rest for 20-25 minutes.

  8. Mold one small meatball using your hands. In a skillet or a large sauté pan with high walls, pan fry the meatball in butter until fully cooked. Taste the meatball, and adjust seasonings in the mixing bowl according to taste, until you get it just right.

  9. Using a small cookie scoop, mold the meatball mixture into 1 - 1.5 inch balls. You should have 40-42 small meatballs.

  10. Lightly grease a sheet pan and set aside.

  11. Melt a knob of butter into the large skillet. Working in small batches, sear the meatballs on each side until browned. Make sure there is plenty of room in the pan for you to swivel the pan around. (Do not fully cook!)

  12. Transfer the seared meatballs onto your prepared sheet pan.

  13. Continue to sear the remaining meatballs in small batches, adding more butter as needed.

  14. Place the sheet pan of meatballs into the oven, and cook until at least 155 degrees F. Once fully cooked, set the oven to warm.

  15. While the meatballs are cooking in the oven, prepare the gravy in the skillet with the pan drippings.

FOR THE GRAVY:

Making gravy is an art, not a science. It all depends on the amount of grease you have in the pan, and using your judgment to assess whether or not you need to add more butter before making the roux. The trick to making this delicious Swedish gravy is patience. You want to allow it to cook down to fully develop the flavors!

  1. When you are done searing your meatballs, keep the skillet on medium heat. Ensure you have enough fat in the pan. If not, add a knob of butter.

  2. Add a tablespoon of flour to the pan, and whisk to make a roux.

  3. Allow the roux to cook until golden brown, and then slowly drizzle in a small portion of the stock.

  4. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and continue to whisk the mixture. Allow the sauce to thicken before adding more stock to the pan.

  5. Continue this process until all the stock has been added to the pan.

  6. Reduce the sauce to a simmer, and gently add the cream a small portion at a time.

  7. Continue to whisk and add more of the cream as the sauce continues to thicken.

  8. Once you have a creamy gravy, add in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce, then add the yogurt, soy sauce and spices to taste. (Don’t be afraid of using the allspice and nutmeg, they really bring out the warm flavors of Scandinavian cuisine! Add in small increments until you get it just right.) If the gravy tastes too “tangy” from the yogurt, add in more beef stock and allow it to cook down.

  9. When the desired flavor is achieved, reduce the heat to a low setting and stir in the herbs to taste, leaving some for garnish.

  10. When the meatballs are fully cooked, add to the sauce and stir to combine.

  11. Garnish the meatballs with the remaining herbs and serve with lingonberry preserves and creamy mashed potatoes. Don’t skip on the lingonberries- they are traditional and pair perfectly with the meatballs!

Tara DwyerSwedish meatballs, meatballs, midsommar, yule, entree