Swedish Meatballs

Swedish meatballs are tender, savory ground beef balls in a rich sour cream and beef broth sauce with warm spices. The trick is mixing the meat gently so the meatballs stay loose and light rather than dense, and finishing the sauce with sour cream at the very end so it stays silky instead of breaking.

Ingredients for Swedish Meatballs

Ground beef forms the base and carries the savory flavor. Onion adds sweetness and moisture to keep the meatballs tender. Breadcrumbs and milk work together to absorb liquid and make the texture light and airy rather than compact. Egg binds everything without making the meatballs tough. Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard add tangy depth. Salt, black pepper, and ground allspice season the meat itself. Butter browns the meatballs and starts the sauce. Beef broth becomes the liquid base for the sauce. Sour cream added at the end makes the sauce rich and silky. All-purpose flour thickens the broth into a proper sauce.

Why This Swedish Meatballs Works

The meatball mixture uses a panade, which is breadcrumbs soaked in milk. This keeps the meat from compacting as you mix and cook, so the meatballs stay tender and almost fluffy. The egg binds it all without adding too much, and the onion melts into the meat as it cooks.

Browning the meatballs in butter gives them a flavorful crust and starts building the sauce. Once they are brown, you make a simple pan sauce by stirring flour into the drippings, then pouring in broth. This becomes the base for the finished sauce.

Sour cream is stirred in at the end, off the heat. If you boil sour cream, it curdles and breaks, turning grainy and broken. Adding it to a hot sauce off the heat keeps it smooth and creamy.

Mistakes To Avoid

Overmixing the meat makes the meatballs dense and rubbery. Ground beef has long protein strands that tighten when you work them too much, squeezing out moisture. Mix just until the ingredients are combined, even if the mixture looks a bit shaggy.

Crowding the pan when you brown the meatballs steams them instead of browning them. They need direct contact with the hot pan to develop a flavorful crust. Brown them in two batches if necessary.

Boiling the sauce after you add sour cream curdles it and breaks the sauce into grainy, separated curds. Stir in the sour cream off the heat and serve right away.

Making the meatballs too large means the outside browns before the inside cooks through. Roll them to about one inch across so they cook evenly in the time it takes to brown.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, minced
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Stir the breadcrumbs and milk together in a small bowl and let sit for 1 minute to soak.
2. Add the ground beef, onion, egg, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, pepper, and allspice to the breadcrumb mixture.
3. Mix gently by hand until just combined, about 30 seconds. Do not overmix.
4. Roll the mixture into 24 meatballs about 1 inch across and place on a plate.
5. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until foaming, about 2 minutes.
6. Working in two batches so the pan is not crowded, add the meatballs and brown on all sides for 8 to 10 minutes per batch, turning occasionally. Transfer to a plate.
7. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan, then sprinkle the flour over the drippings and stir constantly over medium heat for 1 minute until the flour browns slightly.
8. Pour in the beef broth while stirring and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes until slightly thickened.
9. Return the meatballs to the pan and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes until heated through. Check one with an instant-read thermometer at the center: it should read 160°F (71°C).
10. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the sour cream until smooth, then taste and season with salt and pepper.