Swedish Meatballs ~ As Good As Ikea's?

These are a knock off of the famous Ikea Swedish Meatballs.  To be honest, I've never actually had the Ikea meatballs (getting food at a furnishings store just seems wrong to me), but I do like Swedish meatballs in general and have never found a recipe I was entirely thrilled with.  Until now.  These are very, very good.  In fact, this is a good reminder, as I need to make these again!

The only thing I would change in the future is that I would make more sauce.  The recipe only  accounts for sauce to be served over the meatballs, but I served ours with pasta noodles, so I will definitely double that for next time.

 


Swedish Meatballs ~ adapted from the Food Network magazine

For the meatballs:

1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup minced white onion (I used yellow)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground pork
2 large eggs, beaten
Olive oil, for brushing

For the gravy (I would double the below amounts if serving with noodles):

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional....didn't have this when I made it, but I so wish I did! I LOVE fresh parsley)
Lingonberry jam, for serving (optional.....um, yeah, a jar of this was around $9......not in my house!)

For the meatballs:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add the breadcrumbs in a large bowl. In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter and saute onion and garlic until softened. Stir in allspice, salt, and pepper. Add to bread crumb mixture along with milk and Worcestershire sauce and mix to combine. Add ground beef and pork and mix well--hands are a great tool!

Brush cookie sheet with coconut oil and roll meat in 1 inch balls and place on baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

For the gravy:

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in flour and whisk to combine and let cook for a minute or two. Add in beef broth,Worcestershire sauce, and heavy cream and mix well to combine. Mixture will thicken as it heats through. Make sure to stir occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over meatballs (and noodles) and garnish with fresh parsley and Lingonberry jam, if desired.

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This recipe is linked to:

Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Blessed With Grace Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Designs By Gollum Foodie Friday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Friday Potluck at EKat's Kitchen
Hearth 'n Soul Recipe Swap at Premeditated Leftovers
Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday