Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs made with ground beef or turkey, simmered in a creamy mushroom sauce with fresh mushrooms. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

If you’ve ever been to Ikea you’ve probably tasted their Swedish Meatballs. These Swedish Meatballs are similar to theirs, but better. Way better. I kid you not.

A single pound of ground beef plus a few other ingredients are transformed into a meal that’ll have you gobbling up every bite with a sauce that begs to be ladled over some sort of carb like potatoes or egg noodles.

What are Swedish Meatballs?

As far as meatballs go, they’re pretty basic. The key to good Swedish Meatballs is the sauce. Velvety, earthy and loaded with fresh sauteed mushrooms.

What’s in Swedish Meatballs?

Meatballs:

• ground beef
• egg
• Italian bread crumbs
• salt and pepper
• onion
• Worcestershire sauce
• parsley
• olive oil

Sauce:

• fresh mushrooms
• Worcestershire sauce
• beef stock
• can Cream of Mushroom soup
• soy sauce
• dry thyme
• sour cream

How to make Swedish Meatballs:

The Meatballs:

In a medium bowl add the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, onion, Worcestershire sauce and finely chopped parsley. Combine using your hands without over-mixing then form into about 1 1/2″ meatballs.

Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil into a large skillet then then add the meatballs searing the top and bottom then remove them from the skillet to a bowl (they won’t be fully cooked through at this point).

The Sauce:

Add the sliced mushrooms and Worcestershire to the same skillet then season with salt and pepper and sauté the mushrooms 3-4 minutes (about 2 minutes per side). 

Add the beef stock, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet then fold in the can of cream of mushroom soup, soy sauce and thyme. 

Return the meatballs and any juices to the skillet then cover and cook over medium to medium-low heat 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Temper the sour cream (or Greek yogurt) then add it to the sauce.

NOTE: don’t skip tempering the sour cream or Greek yogurt before adding it to the sauce or it may curdle.

How to temper sour cream:

Stir 2 tablespoons of the sauce into the sour cream to warm it then add the sour cream to the sauce. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

What to serve with Swedish Meatballs:

Actually, you don’t need much more than a fork or toothpick to enjoy these meatballs, but if you’ll be eating as a meal, ladle them over egg noodles or creamy mashed potatoes.

Is there a way to make this recipe healthier?

Yes! To make these Swedish Meatballs healthier, use ground turkey instead of beef, wilt in some fresh spinach to the sauce and instead of sour cream, substitute plain Greek yogurt.

Can I use premade meatballs?

Yes – if can definitely use pre-made meatballs from the grocery store and of course, if you already have a meatball recipe you already like, feel free to use it instead of the one here. 

do you have other ground beef recipes?

Yes – Salisbury Steak – seasoned ground beef patties simmered in a rich mushroom-onion gravy also served over mashed potatoes or egg noodles is not only delicious, but one of the most popular recipes on the blog!

Enjoy!

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Swedish Meatballs

Meatballs in a creamy mushroom sauce - better than IKEA! Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: ikea meatballs, swedish meatballs,

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

The Meatballs

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons parsley
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

The Sauce

• 4 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
• 1/3 cup sour cream

Instructions

The Meatballs

• In a medium bowl add the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, onion, Worcestershire sauce and finely chopped parsley. Combine using your hands without over-mixing then form into about 1 1/2″ meatballs.
• Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil into a large skillet then then add the meatballs searing the top and bottom then remove them from the skillet to a bowl (they won’t be fully cooked through at this point).

The Sauce

• Add the sliced mushrooms and Worcestershire to the same skillet then season (don't clean the skillet) with salt and pepper and sauté the mushrooms 3-4 minutes (about 2 minutes per side). 
• Add the beef stock, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet then fold in the can of cream of mushroom soup, soy sauce and thyme. 
• Return the meatballs and any of their juices to the skillet then cover and cook over medium to medium-low heat 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
• Temper the sour cream then add it to the sauce. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper then serve right away over wide egg noodles or mashed potatoes.