Swedish Meatballs
In the 80s’, there was a big box store that came to America and it was Ikea. Wow, it became so popular in such a hurry. Their furniture was very affordable and more compact serving a vast majority of the population. Another popular item that became a “must have” before leaving the store was their meatballs!
Their marketing strategy was brilliant. First it was and still is almost impossible to leave the building unless you’re very familiar with the layout. The only way out is to follow the arrows. Through this maze, inevitably you have to walk by the restaurant… tada! That is how these mouthwatering Swedish Meatballs became famous.
Köttbullar is the proper Swedish word for this particular dish. The pronunciation is far different from the way North Americans would say it. The “k” is more like a “sh” and the “ö” sounds like a “soft a”. Now for the rest of the word “bullar”, is pronounced like it is without emphasizing much of the “r”. So if I would write it the way I would pronounce it, it would be like this; shotbula’r’. Oh boy I know! I’m trying very hard to pronounce every International dish properly… it’s not always obvious!
One thing though that is obvious is how delicious these Swedish Meatballs are! They are totally “OMG”! They are so good that after the first time I had them, I tried very hard to reproduce the dish. It took me a few tries but along my “duplication” process, I actually made it tastier. The flavor of the gravy is much deeper as well as the meatballs. I have a beautiful variety of ingredients making them a family favorite.
To me this is a perfect comfort food to enjoy at home. I don’t serve my Swedish Meatballs with the traditional lingonberry jam. Instead, I prefer serving them with some steamed veggies and my Mixed Mashed Potatoes. With this recipe, you don’t need to go to the store to satisfy your craving…
Bon Appétit!
P.S. Here’s another fun thing to know… According to NBC Philadelphia News, we don’t pronounce Ikea the way it should be. Our pronunciation is more like “eye-kee-ah” in place of “ee-kay-uh”.
Here are other delicious comfort food recipes for you to try…
– Beef Meatloaf
– Frankie’s Macaroni Casserole
– Turkey Chili Tex-Mex Style
– Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole
– Hamburger Helper Copycat
– Shepherd’s Pie
and for even more International recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • International
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Swedish Meatballs
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Ingredients
MEATBALLS
- 1 lb. (500 g) lean ground beef
- 1 lb. (500 g.) ground pork
- 2 tbsp. butter tips & tricks
- 1 3/4 cups white onions, finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt, divided
- 2 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/3 cup half-and-half
- 2 large free-run eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup Panko® breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1/4 tsp. allspice
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped tips & tricks
GRAVY
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 3 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 4 cups cold low-sodium beef broth
- 3/4 cup 35% heavy cream
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp. cooking sherry
- 1 tbsp. Busha Browne's® Hot & Spicy Sherry Footnote
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. garlic salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
Directions
MEATBALLS (about 54)
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef and ground pork; set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp. butter and when sizzling, add onions; cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and add half-and-half, eggs, breadcrumbs, black pepper, ¼ tsp. sea salt, allspice, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and parsley; stir to combine.
- Add the onion mixture to the meat and mix until well blended. Cover with plastic wrap making sure it touches the surface and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
- Roll the meat mixture (about 2 tbsp.) into a ball using wet hands; repeat with the remaining meat mixture.
- Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 160ºF. While they're baking make the gravy.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and place them on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any excess fat; let them sit for 5 minutes.
- Transfer them to the gravy, cover with the sauce, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes before serving with steamed veggies and mashed potatoes.
GRAVY
- Meanwhile in the same skillet used earlier to sauté the onions earlier, melt 3 tbsp. butter on medium heat Whisk flour into the butter and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 2 ½ minutes. Slowly whisk in the beef broth and continue whisking until all incorporated.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and whisk in heavy cream. Add sugar and Worcestershire sauce; cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in cooking sherry, Busha Browne’s (*see footnote), dried basil, garlic salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes to thicken the gravy.
Notes
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This is a great recipe, I will make it! Thank you for recipe! Vanda
Good morning! This is awesome! I love making them… It’s a great comfort food to enjoy. Have a lovely day and thanks for stopping by☺