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These creamy Swedish meatballs are so delicious and easy, they’ll be a regular on your menu.
Swedish Meatballs: An Old Standby
Here’s an old comfort dish that has not decreased in popularity over the years!
I remember them being popular as long as I’ve been alive. OK, in my earliest era I remember Swedish meatballs being the “in thing” as an appetizer or a party buffet offering. Way back then, they were more thought of as a finger food than a main course. But one thing that’s a constant about food is that it is always in flux.
What makes them “Swedish” is one thing I could never understand because they were just basic meatballs except for the touch of nutmeg. Perhaps that’s it. However, I have never associated nutmeg with being Swedish, but what do I know?
About The Nutmeg
Nutmeg is a strong spice so you have to be careful using it. A little goes a long way; trust me.
I once tasted Swedish meatballs where whoever made them got a little heavy handed with the nutmeg. As I recall, it was quite unpleasant (at least to my taste) and I was reluctant to eat them every after.
But I was watching some really old Julia Child shows–like from the early 1960s–recently. There was a show dedicated to quiches and Julia used a couple of gratings of nutmeg in the custard. She used whole nutmeg and a grater and just gave it two scrapes. I wanted to make a quiche so I tried that in the one I made. You really cannot taste the nutmeg, but it definitely enhanced the flavor. It is just something you cannot put your finger on but would miss if it wasn’t there.
I applied the same logic to these meatballs and they were fantastic. Of course if you like a strong nutmeggy flavor, then use more, but do try it with only a trace amount first remembering you can always add more.
Creamy Sauce
The sauce base is condensed cream of mushroom soup. However, other stuff is added to give it that homemade taste. If you’d like to make your own cream-of soups, they do taste better and the recipe can be found following the link in this paragraph.
The Recipe
Creamy Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- punch of ground nutmeg
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
- 3/4 cup beef stock
- 3 tbs sour cream
- 4 cups cooked noodles or pasta
- fresh parsley for garnish.
Instructions
- Mix the ground beef or turkey, onions, bread crumbs, egg, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Shape into 20 smallish meatballs
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all side. Drain off excess fat.
- Add the stock to the skillet containing the meatballs, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Stir in the soup and sour cream. Reduce heat, cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.
- Serve over hot noodles. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley if desired (it adds a nice pop of color to the dish)
Carole from Carole's Chatter says
Defo going to try this. Might do a cream sauce rather than a soup… Thanks
Judith Hanneman says
That’s a great way Carole–the soup is if you don’t have time and want the convenience.