Swedish Meatballs and Sauce
You’ll love these bite-sized Swedish Meatballs and sauce nestled over creamy egg noodles.
The sauce is a very simple broth-infused cream sauce with a bit of tang from whole grain mustard and is ready in minutes!
Cook them on the stovetop or bake them, either way, you’ll enjoy the tangy flavor of these nestled over creamy egg noodles.
These are easy, delicious and much better than Ikea’s™ Swedish meatballs!
Swedish meatballs, or ” köttbullars” are the national food of Sweden, but they’re actually of Turkish origin.
A bona fide “authentic” Swedish meatball is typically smaller than the Italian version, made with 50% beef and 50% pork, and includes the tart lingonberries, similar to cranberries. The berries provide a slight tart flavor to the savory recipe.
You’ll love this recipe!
This Swedish meatball and sauce recipe is Americanized. It does not contain pork or lingonberries, so if you don’t have either, no worries! The whole grain mustard gives the tart flavor that the lingonberries typically provide.
- Quick and Easy – make in advance and freeze them; noodles and sauce take 10-minutes!
- Flavorful – just enough savory and tangy sauce
- All-natural – only pure ingredients – no additives or preservatives
Make them any size you like; I usually get 25 bite-size per pound and 7-8 larger ones per pound.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Meatballs: Ground beef, milk, eggs, oil, Worcestershire sauce, whole grain mustard, breadcrumbs, onion and garlic powder.
Sauce: Beef broth, heavy cream, whole grain mustard, oregano, cornstarch, onion and garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce
How to make it
Meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, all seasonings, lightly beaten eggs and breadcrumbs
- Mix together well using your hands; do not overwork the meat
- Form into 1″inch balls
- At this point, you have to decide if you’re going to bake them or cook them on the stove
Stovetop Method:
If using the stovetop method, freeze them for 10-minutes; then heat oil in pan, add Swedish meatballs in a single layer (cooking in batches) to skillet and cook until the internal temperature is 160ºF.
Oven Method:
If baking, place on a lightly oiled broiler pan (with dripping pan underneath) and bake @ 375ºF until the internal temperature is 160ºF
Swedish Meatball Sauce
The sauce for Swedish meatballs is a very simple beef broth-infused cream sauce with a bit of tang from whole grain mustard. If you don’t have whole grain mustard, use mustard powder or a little vinegar.
The yield for the sauce is enough to thoroughly coat, if not drown, a plate of noodles and meatballs.
If you find you have too much sauce, the remainder can be frozen in an airtight freezer container for up to two weeks or refrigerated for up to three days.
Tips
25 meatballs per pound
This recipe isn’t difficult, just time consuming. That’s why I make meatballs in three-pound batches. One pound of meat yields about 25 tablespoon-size meatballs.
I roll and cook 75 meatballs; take out what I need for dinner and freeze the rest.
If you cook them in the oven, it isn’t necessary to freeze them for 10-minutes; only freeze them if you’re going to cook them on the stovetop (so they won’t fall apart)
Storage
Freeze extra meatballs (cooked or uncooked) in a secure plastic bag for up to three months or refrigerate for up to 3 days. Store sauce in refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to two weeks.
How to thaw frozen meatballs
If you made a 3-lb. batch and froze some of them, you’ll want to thaw them first before cooking.
Allow them to thaw in the refrigerator while in the plastic bag or, place the bag of meatballs in cold water until thawed.
Once thawed, resume recipe
Swedish meatballs are often served with mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Paired with a crisp green salad and you’ve got dinner on the table in no tie!
Related recipes:
- Rum Glazed Scandinavian Almond Cake
- Meatloaf with Tomato Sauce
- Beef Tips with Gravy
- Natchitoches Meat Pie
If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a rating and comment below!
Swedish Meatballs with Sauce and Noodles
Ingredients
Swedish Meatball Ingredients
- 3 lbs. ground beef
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 whole eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup oil vegetable or canola if using stovetop method; no oil if baking meatballs
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 1 cup breadcrumbs plain
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon black ground pepper
Meatball Sauce
- 3 cups beef broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano or marjoram
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¾ cup water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper
Egg Noodles
- 12 oz. Egg Noodles
- 5 quarts water
Instructions
Making the Meatballs: Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients except the oil; do not overwork the meat3 lbs. ground beef, 1 cup whole milk, 2 whole eggs, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1½ tablespoons whole grain mustard, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon black ground pepper
- Measure meat into a tablespoon and form into a ball; repeat until all the meatballs are formed
Cook the Meatballs: Oven Method (easiest method and doesn't require freezing)
- Preheat oven to 375ºF
- Lightly spray oil on broiler pan (with dripping pan underneath it)
- Place meatballs in a single layer on broiler pan; cook until internal temperature reaches 160ºF (about 20 minutes)
Cooking the Meatballs: Instructions for stove top
- Chilled meatballs on a parchment lined baking pan in the freezer for 10 minutes; heat a heavy bottom skillet with oil on medium heat½ cup oil
- Add 7-8 meatballs to the hot oil; allow meatballs to cook about 2 minutes, then roll them over and cook the other side another 2-3 minutes; the safe internal temperature should be 160ºF
- Cook in batches; after each batch is done, place the cooked meatballs on a paper towel
Meatball Sauce Instructions
- Combine water and cornstarch; mix well and set aside¾ cup water, 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- In a large skillet on medium high heat, add all ingredients except the cornstarch mixture; bring to boil3 cups beef broth, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon dried oregano or marjoram, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper, 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- Once sauce has started to boil, stir in the cornstarch slurry; continue to stir until sauce thickens; reduce heat to low
- Add cooked meatballs to sauce and simmer for 10 minutes
Noodle Instructions
- Bring stockpot of water to boil; add egg noodles and stir;12 oz. Egg Noodles, 5 quarts water
- Cook noodles for 10-12 minutes; drain
- Place drained noodles on plate or in large bowl; add meatballs and sauce; garnish with chopped parsley3 tablespoons fresh parsley
Notes
- This recipe yields about 25 meatballs per pound of meat; since the meatballs are small, I usually allow 6-8 per plate (for men) and 4-6 for women and kids.
- I usually make this recipe using 3 lbs. of beef. If you only need a few meatballs, divide the recipe ingredients by 3.
- If you make more meatballs than you need, just place the uncooked meatballs in a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 3 weeks
- If you're going to cook them in the oven, it isn't necessary to freeze them for 10-minutes
- If you're going to cook them on the stovetop, a quick 10-minute freeze is recommended so they won't fall apart
- If you have leftover cooked meatballs, they can be frozen as well for about 2 weeks.
- This recipe makes a lot of sauce. If you don't use all of the sauce, it can be frozen for up to two weeks in a freezer-proof container.
