Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs

Photo Credit: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

I love homemade meatballs, but it wasn't until I found this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe that I not only made my first batch of Swedish Meatballs, but it was the first time I'd ever tasted them! They were delicious! Mel's meatballs are super easy to make and would be wonderful in a spaghetti sauce or crumbled on a homemade pizza. I was able to fit all of them on one cookie sheet and baked them in the oven, so next time around, I'll double the recipe so I can freeze a batch for a last-minute meal. I may even try the recipe for hamburgers patties!

INGREDIENTS:

Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (see my notes) 

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup finely minced onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1-2 tablespoons oil for cooking (see my notes)

Sauce

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup flour

3 cups low-sodium beef or chicken broth (plus more - see my notes)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

Chopped fresh parsley

Cooked egg noodles or potatoes or rice for serving

For the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients except for the oil and mix until evenly combined.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil (you can use the other tablespoon for the second batch, if needed) in a 12-inch, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Scoop the meatball mixture into balls, about 1-2 inches in diameter, and add them in a single layer to the hot oil - you may need to do a second batch to cook all the meatballs. Brown on all sides, no need to cook all the way through yet as they'll finish cooking later, and remove to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible, and repeat with remaining meatballs, adding a bit more oil to the skillet if needed.

Once all the meatballs have been removed from the skillet, return the skillet to medium heat and add the 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil for the sauce, cooking until melted. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes to brown the flour mixture and cook out the flour taste. The mixture will be a bit crumbly.

Slowly add the broth, just 1/2 cup at a time, whisking quickly to remove any lumps. Let each addition of broth cook until thick and smooth before adding the next bit. Once you've added about 2 cups, go ahead and pour in the rest and whisk until combined. 

Stir in the brown sugar and bring the sauce to a low simmer. Add the meatballs back to the skillet (cram them into a single layer) and cook for 10 or so minutes until the meatballs are cooked through, turning them once or twice to coat with sauce. 

Off the heat, stir in the sour cream, whisking it in as best you can around the meatballs (adding it during the simmering time can curdle the sauce). Sometimes, I ladle out a bit of the warm sauce into a liquid measuring cup and whisk the sour cream in before adding it all back in to the skillet - it blends in a bit easier.

Garnish with fresh parsley and serve over hot, cooked egg noodles, potatoes or rice. 

My Notes:

I used 1 pound of ground beef and 1/2 pound of ground pork since we're not big fans of ground turkey. 

I baked the meatballs for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, rather than frying them in a skillet. I was able to fit all of the meatballs on a large cookie sheet and added enough beef broth to coat the bottom of the baking pan. This makes it much easier to prepare the sauce and add the cooked meatballs rather than work around them with the sour cream and whisk!

The sauce wasn't as thick as I hoped for (although it thickened nicely with the leftovers), so I may increase the flour by another tablespoon next time around. 

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