Oven Baked Swedish Meatballs

Oven-Baked  Swedish meatballs are seasoned and baked in the oven then covered in a rich and creamy sauce for a flavorful meatball. These tender Swedish meatballs are the ultimate comfort food that the whole family will love!

This recipe was originally published in 2017, it's been updated for content and photos.

I am not sure if this is an authentic Swedish meatballs recipe, but whenever I make them, they don't last long. I like to serve them with traditional sides such as tangy cucumbers in vinegar a side of lingonberry jam.

Why You Will Love this Recipe

• These savory meatballs are baked in the oven instead of being fried in batches which saves time and less clean-up!
• Baked Swedish meatballs are easy to make! While the meatballs are baking, you can make the creamy gravy sauce.

Here Is What You Will Need

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This is an overview of the ingredients and steps to make this recipe; scroll down for a printable recipe card with exact measurements and instructions.

Ingredient List

• Lean ground beef such as ground round or ground sirloin
• Ground pork
• Onion
• Egg
• Seasonings: ground allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves
• Low sodium beef broth or beef stock
• Heavy cream or light cream
• Unsalted butter
• Flour

Equipment List

• Large Bowl (to mix the meat)
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper (to make cleaning up easy!)
• Large skillet, dutch oven or large pot to make the gravy
• Small cookie scoop or ice cream scoop (to shape the meatballs)
• Wire whisk (to blend the gravy)

Here is how to Make this Swedish Meatball Recipe

Prepare: mince or grate the onion, measure the spices, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Fun Fact! Did you know that Swedish meatballs actually originated in Turkey?  They were brought to Sweden by Charles XII  when he returned home from Turkey in the early 18th century.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutes

Ground pork can be substituted with an additional pound of ground beef.

Onion - any type of onion will work in this recipe, and fresh onion can be replaced with 1 teaspoon of onion powder, but won't taste as fresh.

Unsalted butter can be replaced with an equal amount of olive oil or avocado oil.

Heavy cream can be substituted with an equal amount of light cream, half and half, whole milk, sour cream, yogurt.

Beef broth can be substituted with low sodium chicken broth or chicken stock.

Serving Suggestions

These flavorful meatballs taste delicious with so many things! We like to serve them for dinner garnished with fresh parsley with any of these: cucumbers in vinegar, mashed potatoes, green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, arugula salad, egg noodles, lingonberry preserves or tart cranberry sauce.

This is also a great recipe to serve as an appetizer. Make small meatballs and serve them with vegetables and hummus, zucchini rolls or a vegetable charcuterie board.

How to Store Leftover Swedish Meatballs

Refrigerate leftover Swedish meatballs and gravy in an airtight container for up to four days.

Reheat them on top of the stove over low heat.

Freeze cooked Swedish meatballs before adding them to the gravy. Arranged room temperature baked meatballs on a baking sheet and pop them into the freezer.

Once the meatballs are frozen, place them into a freezer-safe container for up to three months.

Freeze uncooked Swedish meatballs on a baking sheet. Once they are frozen place them into a freezer-safe container.

Thaw the meatballs in the refrigerator overnight.

To Serve - make the brown gravy, if you are using uncooked meatballs, bake them and add the cooked meatballs to the sauce for a quick dinner.

Freezing the meatballs in the gravy is not recommended if the cream has been added, the cream will separate.

Tips

• For tender meatballs, don't over mix the meat. Gently combine the ingredients using your hands or a wooden spoon.
• Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the meat and form them into meatballs.
• Thicken the sauce if necessary by gradually adding more flour, and you can also make the sauce thinner by gradually adding more beef broth.
• If you have extra time, refrigerate the meatball mixture for 30 minutes before making the meatballs.

Recipe Variations

Ground Turkey Swedish Meatballs. For a lighter version, replace the ground beef and pork with ground turkey and the beef broth with chicken stock or broth.

Swedish Meatballs with Mushrooms. Saute 6 ounces of sliced mushrooms and add them to the brown gravy with the meatballs.

Diary-Free Swedish Meatballs. Replace the cream with dairy-free milk such as oat milk, almond milk, or coconut milk, and the butter with olive oil or avocado oil.

Swedish Meatball Meatloaf. Instead of making meatballs, form the ground meat mixture into a meatloaf. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Make the gravy and serve it as a side to the meatloaf.

Gluten-Free Swedish Meatballs. The meatballs don't have bread crumbs in them, so all that you need to do is replace the flour in the gravy with corn starch, tapioca starch, or gluten-free flour blend.

Instead of mixing the flour with butter in the skillet, mix the starch with ¼ cup of broth or water to form a paste. Gradually add it to the broth in the skillet until the sauce thickens to make a rich gravy that is gluten-free.

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You Might Also Like These Meatball Recipes

• Turkey Cranberry Meatballs
• Chicken Piccata Meatballs
• Eggplant Meatballs

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