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A plateful of swedish meatballs served with mashed potatoes, lingonberry sauce and cucumber salad.
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Swedish Meatballs (Kottbullar)

The national dish of Sweden
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Swedish
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 526kcal
Author Darlene at International Cuisine

Ingredients

  • 2 pieces day-old white bread crumbled
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon butter plus 1 tablespoon butter divided
  • 1 small onion minced
  • 2/3 pound ground beef
  • 1/3 pound finely ground pork
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup beef stock

Brown Gravy

  • 2 tablespoons Swedish meatball pan drippings
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 4 ounces sour cream
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350º F
  • Place the bread and cream in a small bowl, mix, and let stand about 10 minutes until absorbed.
  • Melt the teaspoon of butter in a large, shallow skillet and cook the onion for approximately 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
    Transfer browned onion to a large mixing bowl and add the meats, brown sugar, salt, spices, and egg, then mix until nearly combined.
    Add the moistened bread and mix gently until combined.
  • Melt the tablespoon of butter in the skillet over medium heat.
    Form meatball mixture into 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls and cook in batches until the outsides are evenly browned, approximately 5 minutes. The meatballs will still be pink inside.
    Transfer to a baking dish when browned and add more butter to the skillet as needed to cook all of the meatballs.
  • Pour 1/4 cup of broth into the baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 40 minutes, until the meatballs are fully cooked and tender.
  • Transfer meatballs to a serving dish and pour gravy over (recipe follows).

Brown Gravy

  • After making the Swedish meatballs, transfer their drippings to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook until light gold in color, then slowly pour in stock while whisking constantly.
  • Simmer the gravy until thick, about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
    Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Just before serving the meatballs, stir in the sour cream.
  • Serve warm with mashed or boiled potatoes, lingonberry sauce and Swedish cucumber salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 526kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 177mg | Sodium: 986mg | Potassium: 665mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 718IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 3mg