Swedish Tender Spiced Meatballs (Printable View)

Tender spiced beef and pork meatballs in a creamy sauce, perfect for warming family dinners.

# Ingredient List:

→ Meatballs

01 - 8.8 oz ground beef
02 - 8.8 oz ground pork
03 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
04 - 1 garlic clove, minced
05 - 1/2 cup milk
06 - 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
07 - 1 large egg
08 - 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
10 - 1 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
12 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (for frying)

→ Creamy Brown Sauce

13 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
14 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
15 - 2 cups beef broth
16 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
17 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
18 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
19 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ To Serve (Optional)

20 - Mashed potatoes
21 - Lingonberry jam
22 - Fresh parsley, chopped

# How to Make:

01 - Soak the breadcrumbs in milk for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, soaked breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, egg, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix gently until just combined.
03 - With damp hands, roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs and set aside.
04 - Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry meatballs in batches, turning to brown evenly, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
05 - Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
06 - Gradually whisk in beef broth, scraping up browned bits. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened.
07 - Stir in heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper.
08 - Return meatballs to the sauce. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes until cooked through and sauce is creamy.
09 - Serve hot, optionally accompanied by mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The meatballs stay impossibly tender because you're not overworking the mixture—a lesson that changed everything.
  • That creamy sauce is pure comfort in a bowl, rich enough to feel special but straightforward enough for a weeknight.
  • You can have dinner on the table in under an hour, which makes this feel achievable even on busy evenings.
02 -
  • Don't overmix the meatball mixture—I learned this the hard way when I made them once while talking on the phone and barely stirred at all, and they were somehow the best batch I'd ever made.
  • If your sauce breaks (gets grainy or separates), it usually means the heat was too high; lower the temperature, and it will come back together.
03 -
  • Make the meatballs ahead and refrigerate them overnight—the flavors actually deepen, and cold meatballs brown more evenly when you cook them.
  • If you want a lighter version, ground turkey works, though you'll lose some of the richness that makes these special.
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