More often than not, a trip to IKEA for us includes a stop for some Swedish meatballs. It’s been awhile and there’s no IKEA here on Vancouver Island so I decided I need to start making some myself. These are so good AND I make a dairy-free cream sauce (thanks for nothing lactose intolerance) which tastes totally spot on.
for the meatballs:
~45O grams ground beef / ~450 grams ground pork / 1/2 cup panko crumbs / 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley / 1/2 tsp ground allspice / 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg / 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped / 1/2 tsp garlic powder / 1 tsp sea salt / 1/2 tsp ground black pepper / 2 large eggs / 2 tbsp unsalted butter / 1 tbsp olive oil
for the cream sauce:
6 tbsp unsalted butter / 7 tbsp all-purpose flour / 3 cups beef stock / 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce / 2 tsp dijon mustard / 3/4 cup heavy cream OR plant-based cream (I like Earth’s Own ‘for cooking’ oat cream) / salt and pepper to taste
optional: chopped fresh parsley for garnish
First, in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, heat up 1 tbsp of the butter and then add in your chopped onions. Cook while stirring until soft and translucent. Then in a large mixing bowl, add in the cooked onions, beef, pork, panko, chopped parsley, allspice, nutmeg, garlic powder, salt and eggs. Using your hands, mix everything together until just combined – over-mixing will make the meatballs tough so mix just until it’s all come together.
Using your hands, roll the mixture into 1 inch meatballs and set aside on a tray.
Preheat the oven to 200F.
Using the same large skillet as for the onion, heat up the remaining 1 tbsp of butter and the olive oil over medium to medium high heat. Add the meatballs, working in batches, and cook while turning occasionally so that all the sides brown up nicely. Keep cooking until the meatballs are cooked through; about 10 minutes or so (I like to just cut one open to check, just to be sure).
When your meatballs are cooked through, transfer to an ovenproof dish and and cover with aluminum foil. Put in the preheated oven to keep warm and get started on your next batch of meatballs. Continue and repeat until you’ve finished cooking all the meatballs.
Then it’s time to do the sauce. In the same skillet without cleaning it, add in the butter for the sauce over medium high heat and once melted, whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook while giving it a stir for a few minutes and then add in the beef stock. Whisk while cooking until the stock has thickened up and then add in the Worcestershire sauce, dijon and cream. Whisk until smooth and the sauce is the consistency of a thick gravy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Take the meatballs out of the oven and ladle the sauce over top. You’ll have more than enough sauce which is perfect so you can serve alongside some cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes. If you’d like, scatter some chopped parsley on top. Enjoy!
eating in moose jaw 