Swedish Meatballs

Sometimes I make what I consider to be incredible meals. I don’t follow any specific recipe, I use ingredients that I have available, and I’m more likely to experiment. That’s how this dinner came to be. After making it a few times, I knew I needed to write it down so it would be forever preserved.

I’ve made Swedish meatballs a few times in the past (once after a trip to Ikea gave me a craving), recreating them from memory and enhancing the flavor of what can be a bland dish. I kept the spices in the meatballs because that’s what makes Swedish meatballs unique, though instead of using three different types of ground meat I just used ground turkey. Then, I complicated matters by caramelizing onions. Doing so added an extra half hour to the recipe, and although it really enhances the flavor you could just saute them to shorten the recipe.

So, start with a lot of onions.

Just kidding, you don’t need that many. Just a few cups of finely chopped onions. They’ll reduce quite a bit as they caramelize so you need more than you would otherwise.

As the onions caramelize, I prepared the meatball mixture ahead of time so the spices could meld. I like using breadcrumbs in meatballs to create a spongier texture. I didn’t have any when I first made them, so I used quick oats. It worked just fine! After softening the oats in a little milk, I mixed in the spices – freshly grated nutmeg and allspice, garlic, parsley, and an egg before gently folding in the ground turkey just to combine. A portion of the caramelized onions are added when they’re ready.

Always sear your meatballs. I don’t care if it’s going in a sauce or you’re eating them solo, sear them. It gives them a great texture and you’ll get a nice fond for the pan sauce. I feel like the meatballs are less likely to crumble when seared, too.

The remainder of the recipe comes together quickly. Stir in flour, whisk in chicken broth and sour cream, then add the meatballs back in the skillet to finish cooking while you boil pasta. (I suggest egg pasta. If you live nearby an Aldi, see if you can find their spaetzle egg pasta.)

In about an hour, you’ll have a dinner that will please everyone and hopefully something a little different than what you usually make.

Have you tried Swedish meatballs before?