Swedish Meatballs (Svenska Kottbullar)

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Description

Our family’s traditional Christmas recipe, frequently doubled and kept warm in a crock pot. Worth the effort, and the meatballs are even better the next day! Reserve brown gravy and add sour cream to it the day you serve the leftovers.

Ingredients

  • 2 slices day-old white bread, crumbled
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • ⅔ pound ground beef
  • ⅓ pound finely ground pork
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar (Optional)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger (Optional)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
  • 2 cups beef broth, or as needed
  • ½ (8 ounce) container sour cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Place bread crumbs into a small bowl; mix in cream. Allow to stand until crumbs absorb cream
  3. about 10 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile
  5. melt 1 teaspoon butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion until light brown
  6. about 10 minutes. Transfer onion to a mixing bowl.
  7. Mix ground beef
  8. ground pork
  9. egg
  10. brown sugar
  11. salt
  12. black pepper
  13. nutmeg
  14. allspice
  15. and ginger with onion in the mixing bowl. Lightly mix in bread crumbs and cream.
  16. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pinch off about 1 1/2 tablespoon meat mixture per meatball; form into balls. Place meatballs into the skillet and cook
  17. turning often
  18. until browned
  19. about 5 minutes. Insides of meatballs will still be pink. Place browned meatballs into a baking dish
  20. pour in chicken broth
  21. and cover with foil.
  22. Bake in the preheated oven until meatballs are tender
  23. about 40 minutes. Remove meatballs to a serving dish.
  24. Pour pan drippings into a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk flour into drippings until smooth. Gradually whisk in enough beef broth to total about 2 1/2 cups liquid. Bring gravy to a simmer
  25. whisking constantly
  26. until thickened
  27. about 5 minutes.
  28. Just before serving
  29. whisk in sour cream. Season with salt and black pepper. Serve gravy with meatballs.

Prep Time: 25 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins

Servings: 6

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