Swedish Meatballs Recipe

Side Dish of Delicious Swedish Meatballs, Prepared by Our Chef, Johann Gjenvick. GGA Image ID # 175e5a037f

This delightful entree from Sweden has become one of America's favorite dishes. Learn how to make Swedish meatballs and experience the Old World's taste in this authentic vintage recipe. Traditionally served on Christmas Eve, these meatballs are so delicious one will want to fix it year-round.

List of Ingredients

• 3 pounds of lean ground beef
• 1 pound of mild sausage
• 1/2 pound of ground pork (lean ground beef can be substituted if desired)
• 2.5 cups of plain (unflavored) fine breadcrumbs
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of finely chopped onion (reconstituted dry diced onions* also works well as a substitute for fresh onions)
• 2.5 tablespoons of butter
• 2 Tablespoons of minced parsley
• 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• dash of nutmeg
• dash of ginger

* 1/3 Cup of Dry Diced Onions and 2/3 Cup of Water = Approximately 1 Cup of Chopped Onions. It will take 30-45 minutes to reconstitute the dried onions at room temperature.

Directions for Making Meatballs by Hand

Combine bread crumbs with milk. 

Sauté onion in butter in a pan. 

Mix all ingredients well.

I recommend scrambling the eggs, adding all the non-meat ingredients into one bowl, and mixing this well.

Use another large bowl to mix the three meat ingredients well.

Combine the non-meat mixture with the meat and mix both well. 

Form into walnut-sized balls. Brown on a rack over a cookie sheet in a 350-degree oven for 45 to 55 minutes. Place in a large 2-quart Corning ware casserole dish.

Although you can stir them by hand, it takes a lot of muscle power - or you can use a heavy-duty mixer like the one shown on the right and below.

Heat thoroughly in a microwave or oven one hour before serving. Swedish meatballs freeze well. (See the article below for more information on freezing Swedish Meatballs)

• Prep time: 30 minutes
• Cook time: 45 minutes
• Total time: 1:15
• Yield: Approximately 100 Meatballs

List of Ingredients

• .25 cup of corn starch
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• .5 teaspoon salt
• .125 teaspoon pepper
• .25 cup pan drippings
• 2 cups boiling water
• .75 cup sweet or cultured sour cream

Directions

Stir cornstarch, paprika, salt and pepper into pan drippings.  Add boiling water and stir to a smooth consistency.  Add sweet or cultured sour cream.  Blend well and pour over meatballs.

List of Ingredients

• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 cups unsalted or low salt beef broth
• .5 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Directions

Stir ingredients together until smooth and pour over meatballs.

Freezing Swedish Meatballs

Swedish meatballs fare very well being frozen and can be frozen complete with gravy. We highly recommend FoodSaver® vacuum packing or similar system for extracting air before freezing. The meatballs last longer and taste better.

Alternatively, Freezer bags can be used although if using this method, we recommend that you pack the individual bags containg the Swedish Meatballs and gravy inside a larger freezer bag prior to putting them in your freezer. Some refer to this as double bagging.

You can defrost them in the refrigerator a day before you plan to use them or microwave them right from the freezer. When you rehead, you may have to add a little water to the gravy to bring it back to the right consistency.

Below, Grandma Dee demonstrates her process through photographs of making these delicious Swedish meatballs.

Using a Heavy Duty Mixer Makes This Recipe Much Easier for the Home Chef. 5 Pounds of Meat Form the Basis of This Recipe. GGA Image ID # 17604abbb2

Keeping the Lid off Allows You To Add Ingredients Much Easier, but It Requires You to Use Your Hands To Keep the Meat From Spilling Over the Top. GGA Image ID # 1760dc70e1

Checking the Mixture for Thoroughness of the Mixing. GGA Image ID # 1760d7677e

Add the Eggs and Other Ingredients That Were Pre-Measured and Ready To Add When Called For. GGA Image ID # 1760fffc3b

Using a Spatula To Aid in Scraping the Ingredients Out of the Bowl. GGA Image ID # 176126ece8

Add the Other Ingredients To the Meat and Mix thoroughly at a Low Speed. GGA Image ID # 17612ca24e

Final Mixing of the Meat and Ingredients, Again at Low Speed. GGA Image ID # 1761b73e32

The Meatball Mixture Ready To Prepare Into Meatballs. GGA Image ID # 1762114be3

Preparing the Baking Pans by Spaying on a Non-Stick Oil. GGA Image ID # 176268dce6

Use Small Scoops like the Ones Shown for Preparing Meatballs. GGA Image ID # 17626b2e46

You can also use a Medium-Sized Scoop to measure Out Portion Size in Making a Batch of Swedish Meatballs. GGA Image ID # 1763064446

Once You Fill a Scoop, You Will Need To Roll the Meatball Mixture in Your Hands, or the Meatballs Will Break Apart During Baking. GGA Image ID # 176317d4d7

Swedish Meatballs on a Baking Sheet Ready for the Oven. GGA Image ID # 17632c3da5

Swedish Meatballs Fresh Out of the Oven. GGA Image ID # 1763628c2f

Add Gravy To the Meatballs so They Are Ready To Serve or Freeze for Later Consumption. GGA Image ID # 1763a0c80c