These Swedish meatballs are juicy, tender and uber flavorful. This recipe provides you a decent amount of savory gravy so that you can use it to fix a pasta meal or serve over mashed potatoes. Make some more meatballs to freeze for later. 

Can I tell you a secret?

Back in Shanghai, I used to plan my trips to IKEA not for their self-assembling furniture, but for their food at the cafeteria. To be more precise, I was there once every couple weeks for their famous Swedish meatballs. Typical foodie behavior, isn’t it?

Swedish Meatballs

The state-of-the-art public transportation system definitely contributed to making my plans easy and executable. However, it doesn’t seem to be a good idea to do the same in the States, where IKEA is usually located far far away from the city.

I remember my excitement every time I had IKEA meatballs, but my memory of the taste has inevitably started fading away…

There’s only one solution.

Make Swedish meatballs at home. I don’t even remember if the meatballs I had in IKEA came with gravy. But today’s recipe certainly comes with a generous amount of delicious gravy. You can either toss some pasta with it or serve it with mashed potatoes.

Swedish Meatballs

As for the meatballs, they are juicy, tender and uber flavorful. If you decide to get your hands in the raw meat, you might as well make a big batch of them. Cook them and then freeze them for later. Trust me – you’ll never have too many meatballs!

I have some pretty cool ways to use the leftover meatballs in mind. One of them is Skillet Meatball Goulash. I’ll share more with you very very soon. In the meantime, roll up your sleeves and make some Swedish meatballs. Here is a step-by-step photo guide to show you how. Keep scrolling for the written recipe.

Swedish Meatballs

Have you had IKEA Swedish meatballs? If so, does this recipe remind you of the taste? Leave a comment and let me know. I’d love to hear from you. If you feel like being extra sweet, take a photo of your meatballs and share it on Instagram using our hashtag #StreetSmartKitchen. That will totally make my day. 🙂

Have you had the famous IKEA meatballs? Those Swedish meatballs will certainly remind you of the taste, plus it gives you a lot of yummy gravy.
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Swedish Meatballs
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Swedish Meatballs with Gravy

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  • Author: Sharon Chen
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 30 meatballs 1x
  • Category: Main, Low Carb
  • Cuisine: Swedish
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Description

Savory Swedish meatballs with tasty gravy.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the meatballs:

  • 2 slices white sandwich bread, without the crusts, torn into pieces
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1 small red onion, very finely chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons butter

For the gravy

  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Mix well with a spoon or fork. (We found that the most effective way is to use your hands.) Grab a small amount (about 2 tablespoons) of the meat mixture at a time, shape into meatballs, and place on a large plate or platter.
  2. Preheat oven to 425˚F.
  3. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Gently place the meatballs in the skillet, making sure meatballs are not touching each other. (Do it in batches.) Brown all sides until the surface of the meatballs is no longer pink, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with foil, leaving the meatball drippings in the skillet. Bake the meatballs for 10-15 minutes until they are thoroughly cooked through.
  4. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Add 1 cup beef broth in the skillet. Let it simmer for 5 minutes while scraping off any bits from the bottom of the skillet with a spatula. Add the other cup of beef broth.
  5. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoon cold water until smooth. Whisk into the skillet, stirring constantly until the gravy is thickened slightly, about 3-5 minutes. Add the cream and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  6. Once the meatballs are done, transfer to a serving plate and pour the hot gravy over the meatballs. Sprinkle with parsley, serve over rice or noodles.

Notes

For freezing, let the meatballs cool after baking. Transfer them into a Ziploc bag and place it into the freezer. Don’t pour the gravy over the meatballs if you decide to freeze them.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 62
  • Sugar: 0.4g
  • Sodium: 105mg
  • Fat: 2.7g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.3g
  • Carbohydrates: 1.6g
  • Fiber: 0.1g
  • Protein: 7.3g
  • Cholesterol: 28mg

About the Author

Sharon Chen, StreetSmart Kitchen
Sharon Chen

Sharon Chen is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, an author and a sous vide fanatic who believes food not only brings healing but also connection. As the creator of StreetSmart Kitchen, she's on a mission to help you find balance, ease, joy, and simplicity in the kitchen as you improve your well-being.