Swedish Meatballs

I love how flavorful and simple these meatballs are. Baking the meatballs in the oven is so much easier than pan-frying, and they still get nice and brown. The gravy is so simple to make but tastes rich while the dill adds a bright flavor and color.

I’d never made Swedish meatballs before. Where have they been all my life? These were delicious! The gravy is a snap to make and comes out beautiful. It took about 4 1/2 minutes cooking to achieve the caramel color. The cranberry sauce on its own is tart, tart, tart but is perfect with the finished meatballs. I could only find a 12-ounce bag of cranberries, so I increased the sugar to 1/3 cup and the water to 1/3 cup. Because the meatball mixture was very sticky to work with, I used my cookie dough scoop to form the meatballs and place them on the baking sheet. This worked very well. When all 3 components of the recipe are put together, the result is a stunning presentation with an incredible balance of flavors. The creamy, silken gravy is complemented so well by the tart cranberry sauce, and the meatballs are filled with flavor. These are even better the next day. Watch the heat while cooking the gravy and cranberry sauce. I had to lower it a couple of times.

Those of you rolling your eyes at the thought of whipping up some Swedish meatballs, please take a breath and hear me out. If, like me, your memories of this classic recipe are dominated by dense, dry, flavorless meatballs drowning in an equally uninspired and overly thick béchamel, then this recipe will be a revelation. Each element of the dish comes together quite quickly and with little fuss. The cranberry sauce requires nothing more than a few quick measures and an occasional stir while it cooks on the stove. The gravy, with only 5 ingredients, demands only about 3 minutes of active time while you darken the roux to a lovely caramel brown; from that point on, an infrequent whisking while it thickens to silken perfection is all that’s required. As for the meatballs, they’re perfectly seasoned and tender, delicious on their own and positively addictive with a generous coating of the gravy. My one slight complaint about the dish would be this: the sauce is so good that the next time I make it, I’ll be tempted to make a double batch so that there’s plenty to be sopped up with the bread that always accompanies our dinner. Put aside your chafing dish nightmares of Swedish meatballs past and make this recipe yourself. You’ll be so glad you did.

My family loved these meatballs so much that I’m thinking of making this for Christmas Eve dinner. The meatballs were light and flavorful (though don’t expect a round meatball). The cranberry sauce added just the right amount zing to brighten the flavors. The gravy was deceptively good given its simplicity. I just wish there had been more gravy to go with the meatballs and egg noodles. I also was surprised at how quickly everything came together. It really took no more than an hour to get it on the table, but the dish looked like I had spent all day in the kitchen.

These Swedish meatballs are simple to make, easy on the eyes, and bursting with flavor. I used 2 pounds meatloaf mix and made bread crumbs from a 2-day-old bâtard. I didn’t make the cranberry sauce, as no one in my house will eat it. I questioned whether the gravy should have salt and pepper added, but after tasting it with the meatballs I discovered it’s the perfect accompaniment as-is. Definitely the best meatballs I’ve made. Lovely over egg noodles (or zucchini noodles for the health-conscious).

These Swedish meatballs would be a wonderful make-ahead appetizer or entrée for a party. The flavors only get better after a day or two. I served them with buttered and herbed noodles for dinner. My family snacked on the leftovers throughout the next day. I received a unanimous vote to keep this recipe. If you are a person who loves gravy, make a double recipe of the gravy, but for an appetizer, the single recipe is perfect. When I make this next time, I’ll use beef stock instead of chicken stock. Although the gravy recipe didn’t ask for salt and pepper, I did season it in the end. I also may try these meatballs as a holiday dish and serve them on top of herbed bread “stuffing.” I think with the dab of cranberry and gravy, the meatballs may make a wonderful holiday alternative to turkey.

Meatballs are a wonderful food to explore. Every culture has a version, and then there are the variations of the same recipes within a country, and even variations within a family’s repertoire. Sitting at dinner with a Finnish friend, she explained how the Finns don’t add allspice to meatballs. “We don’t like it,” she said. Ah. There you have it—staunch nationalism over the meatball. Alas, this recipe was delicious—allspice and all. There’s a bit of work involved, but frankly, the cranberries can be done a day in advance if you’re sketchy about preparing 3 components for a dish at the same time. Hands down, the gravy was the highlight for me. Perfect instructions and tasted amazing. I served the Swedish meatballs with simple boiled, smashed russet potatoes. I was pleased to experience this food culture.

This recipe is a little complicated to prepare, but most Swedish meatball recipes are. It’s very tart; if you don’t like it quite that tart, add more sugar to your taste and perhaps cut back on the lemon a little. The cranberry sauce came together quickly and easily. I found that after simmering for 15 minutes, the gravy wasn’t very thick. The flavor of the meatballs was very good. The combination of the meatballs, gravy, and cranberry sauce worked very well together. I decided to complement the meatballs with some homemade egg noodles tossed with butter, dill, and thinly sliced green onion.

When I saw a photo of this eye-catching recipe, I just had to make it for a potluck dinner event I was attending. It received rave reviews. I absolutely love the presentation of this dish and I served it in a similar casserole dish. The flavors of the meatballs, gravy, and cranberry work so well together. I thought this recipe would be on the bland side, but it surprising yields a flavorful and comforting dish. I made a few adjustments: I added the juice of one orange and another 1/4 water and 1 cup sugar to the cranberry recipe to take out the tartness of the cranberries. My only other tweak was to add a tiny grating of nutmeg and black pepper to the gravy and additional salt to taste since I used a low salt chicken stock

The combination of meats made for moist meatballs covered with gravy and dollops of a cranberry jelly and made for interesting flavors combining.