Sweden · Main · Medium
Swedish Meatballs
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Swedish Meatballs, in 5 ideas
- Grate the onion, do not chop it. Grated onion melts into the mix and adds moisture. Chopped pieces make the meatballs fall apart.
- The panade is the tenderness trick. Milk-soaked breadcrumbs hold moisture that plain meat cannot. Never skip it.
- Allspice is the signature. It is the warm background note that makes them Swedish instead of Italian. Do not substitute.
- Brown, do not cook through. They finish in the gravy. Fully cooking them in the pan first makes them dry and tough.
- Lingonberry jam cuts the richness. The sweet tart contrast is essential. Cranberry sauce is the closest substitute.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp butter, divided
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Lingonberry jam and mashed potatoes, for serving
How to make it
Directions
- Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk 10 minutes until soft. This panade is what keeps the meatballs tender.
- Mix in the pork, beef, grated onion, egg, salt, allspice, nutmeg, and pepper. Use your hands and stop the moment it comes together. Overmixing makes them dense.
- Roll into small balls, about 1 inch across. Wet hands keep the mixture from sticking.
- Brown the meatballs in 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat, in batches, turning until golden all over, about 8 minutes. They do not need to cook through. Set aside.
- Melt the remaining butter in the same pan. Whisk in the flour and cook 2 minutes until golden.
- Whisk in the stock gradually, then the cream and soy sauce. Simmer 5 minutes until thickened into a gravy.
- Return the meatballs to the gravy. Simmer 10 minutes until cooked through. Serve over mashed potatoes with lingonberry jam.
Small meatballs, big flavor. One inch is traditional. Larger ones cook unevenly and the spice ratio feels off.