Easy Swedish Meatballs with Sour Cream Sauce

Homemade Swedish Meatballs swimming in sour cream gravy, made with Dijon mustard and dried cranberries, all served with mashed potato and tenderstem broccoli! An easy filling and hearty dinner that is simply perfect for a cold night in!

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So, apparently, IKEA Swedish Meatballs are famous! How have I lived over thirty years of my life not realising that – I am not sure? We have only been to Ikea a handful of times, but every time we went, Seb was desperate to have some of their meatballs. Me, on the other hand, I always go for their Almond Cake.

Whilst I did like the Ikea meatballs when I got a little taste from Seb’s plate, I have to admit that I do our own recipe a lot more. Creamy, with a hint of Dijon mustard and sweetness of the cranberries, this dish has everything I like in my comfort food. Unlike traditional meatballs, ours are served without lingonberry sauce, but we make up for it by introducing some cranberries into our easy Swedish meatball sauce.

What Makes a Great Meatball?

We like our meatballs easy and unpretentious. Whilst most recipes call for a couple of different meat mince, we decided to stick to pork mince only. It will come as no surprise that for the best, most flavoursome meatballs you should avoid lean mince. Pork is perfect, as it has a higher fat content (use mince with at least 15% fat).

The right kind of breadcrumbs should also be used to avoid stodgy tough meatballs. We prefer using freshly made sourdough breadcrumbs. Simply cut off the crust of your stale sourdough and pop it into a blender. But if you’re using shop-bought dried breadcrumbs, don’t be heavy-handed. Only add enough to help you bind the meat.

And don’t forget to add flavour to your meatballs (and seasoning!). We flavoured ours with dill and allspice.

How We Make our Version of Easy Swedish Meatballs in Sour Cream and Cranberry Sauce?

In a large bowl, mix the pork mince, breadcrumbs, allspice and a tsp of dill. Season with salt and pepper and mix well (ideally, using your hands). Shape 18 small meatballs. We like to make small meatballs so that there’s more total surface area to be covered with the sour cream sauce.

Add a tbsp of oil to a large non-stick frying pan. Once hot, add the meatballs and cook, shuffling them around the pan so they brown evenly on all sides, for about 5 minutes. They will finish cooking in the sauce later. Take the meatballs out of the pan into a bowl and cover to keep warm.

To the emptied frying pan, add a tbsp of butter. Once melted, add a tbsp of plain flour and stir to combine into a paste (roux).

Pour in the stock and stir well until no lumps are present. Simmer on low heat for 3 minutes until thickened.

Add the cranberries and dijon mustard and stir again. Finally add the meatballs, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes on low heat, until cooked through.

Once the meatballs are cooked, stir in the sour cream and a tsp of dill.

And here you have it – Easy one-pan Swedish Meatballs with sour cream sauce. What are you going to serve them with?

What to Serve with Swedish Meatballs?

If you are wondering what goes well with our Easy Meatballs, we have some suggestions for you. We personally like to keep it Ikea-style, with a generous portion of creamy potato mash! Meatballs and gravy with mashed potato are a match made in heaven – the potatoes soak up some of the flavoursome cream sauce and add a lovely soft texture to the dish!

As for nutritious vegetables, we love some simple steamed (or boiled) tenderstem broccoli or sauteed spinach with it!

Other Easy Comfort Food Recipes

For other comfort food perfect for a cold evening at home, have a look at our recipes below:

• Vegetable Lasagne with Courgettes & Aubergine
• Double Cooked Pork Dumplings with Cheese & Creme Fraiche Blanket
• Poutine with Chicken and Garlicky Greens

Easy Swedish Meatballs with Sour Cream Sauce

Homemade Swedish Meatballs swimming in sour cream gravy, made with Dijon mustard and dried cranberries, all served with mashed potato and tenderstem broccoli! An easy filling and hearty dinner that is simply perfect for a cold night in!

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Swedish

Servings 3 portions

Calories 612 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 350 g pork mince
• 1 tsp allspice
• 40 g breadcrumbs ideally, freshly made
• 1 tbsp dill fresh or dried
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 250 ml stock hot
• 40 g dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 heaped tbsp sour cream
• 150 g tenderstem broccoli
• 800 g potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
• 150 ml milk

Instructions

 

• Add the potatoes to a pot of salted boiling water and cook for 15-20 min until tender.
• In a large bowl, mix the pork mince, breadcrumbs, allspice and half of dill. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Shape 15 small meatballs.
• Add a tbsp of oil to a non-stick frying pan. Once hot, add the meatballs and cook, shuffling them around the pan so they brown evenly on all sides, about 5 minutes. They will finish cooking in the sauce later. Take the meatballs out of the pan and keep warm.
• To the emptied meatball pan, add a tbsp of butter. Once melted, add a tbsp of plain flour and stir to combine into a paste (roux).
• Pour in the stock and stir well until no lumps are present. Simmer on low heat for 3 minutes until thickened.
• Add the cranberries and dijon mustard and stir again. Finally add the meatballs, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes on low heat, until cooked through.
• In the meantime, place your tenderstem broccoli in boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and keep warm.
• Drain the potatoes, add a tbsp of butter and milk and mash to a smooth puree.
• Once the meatballs are cooked, stir in the sour cream and the remaining dill.
• Serve the meatballs with the mash and tenderstem broccoli.

Nutrition

Sodium: 666mgCalcium: 171mgVitamin C: 99mgVitamin A: 1372IUSugar: 16gFiber: 8gPotassium: 1679mgCholesterol: 102mgCalories: 612kcalTrans Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 9gFat: 18gProtein: 36gCarbohydrates: 77gIron: 4mg

Keyword Easy Swedish Meatballs, Meatballs and Gravy with Mashed Potato, Meatballs in Cream Sauce, Sour Cream Meatballs, Swedish Meatball Sauce, Swedish Meatballs, Swedish Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes, Swedish recipes

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