Swedish Meatballs
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Swedish meatballs are a classic dish that is so easy to make at home – no allen wrench required!
Last week we headed out to dinner and then walked two doors down to watch a holiday light show. It was crowded, cold, and drizzly, but I loved every second of the show because it was something we were doing as a family for the holidays.
We may not be the “best” at celebrating Christmas or other holidays, but I love the things we do, because they just celebrate the wonder of it all.
Of course, now my older son is obsessed with decorating the outside of our house in a million lights, so that might have backfired a bit, but we can always plan for next year.
I consider every year to be a new chance to create traditions. Although the gifts are pretty great (and I absolutely love giving gifts) I want to be able to have my kids look back on these years and think of all the fun stuff we did, not the presents they did or didn’t get.
That’s part of the reason I’ve been sharing my julbord recipes with you this year, to embrace the traditions of my heritage.
Now, no julbord can be complete without the addition of Swedish meatballs. There’s a reason these little bites are what everyone stops for when they head to IKEA — they’re completely addictive!
Happily, they’re also incredibly easy to make at home, and you don’t need to wrestle with a giant cart or test your relationships to get them.
Swedish meatballs can be made with a variety of ground meats, but I went with pork for this recipe. If you like, swap half the pork for ground beef or veal.
Either way, it only needs a few other ingredients to come together in the food processor. You can do this by hand if you like, but you get great texture if you’re able to chop up the meat.
These Swedish meatballs are paired with a simple cream and parsley gravy that is cooked in the same pan. I love that the gravy is ready in just a minute or two, and after returning the meatballs to the pan to coat them, dinner is ready!
I paired the meatballs with boiled new potatoes and cranberry sauce for lunch, but you can also serve them with egg noodles, if you like.
The recipe also works well for large batches and freezing. Simply double the recipe, then cook them up until the point of making the gravy.
Let cool and freeze on a sheet pan, then transfer to a freezer-safe container. Reheat from frozen on the stove, then make the gravy. It’s a great way to keep dinner on hand.
Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons diced onion
- 1 slice wheat sandwich bread, torn into large pieces
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or freeze-dried parsley
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse bread pieces until small crumbs form. Add in ground pork, cooked onions, salt, and pepper, and pulse until meat is chopped and mixture clumps together.
- Form mixture into small meatballs, rolling in your hands or using a cookie scoop.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet, then add meatballs. Cook, turning and stirring, about 10-15 minutes, until meatballs are browned and cooked through. Remove from pan.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet and let melt, then whisk in flour, scraping up browned bits. Whisk in milk and reduce heat to medium-low.
- Continue to whisk until gravy thickens (this will happen quickly), then add back in meatballs and stir to coat. Top with parsley and serve.
Swedish meatballs are definitely the reason I visit Ikea. We have a new store being built where I live. Everyone else is getting excited about the furniture but I can’t wait to have easy access to the meatballs! But I may have to make these so I don’t have to wait.