This recipe was requested by a member and I was immediately taken back to the one time I’ve had Swedish Meatballs – Ikea of course!! What makes these meatballs unique is their incredibly soft texture and the subtle flavor of allspice and nutmeg. The meatballs get served smothered in a thick gravy that’s classically made using a roux (flour + butter), heavy cream, and beef broth. Instead, we’re getting that same umami-rich savory flavor by blending up browned mushrooms in their own broth with a touch of soy sauce and tangy sour cream to add richness. Serve it over your base of choice for an extremely nostalgic, comforting dinner.
Ingredient highlight
Mushrooms! While classically not a Swedish meatball ingredient, we’re sneaking in some mushrooms to an umami/flavor-boost and a dose of fiber-rich and mineral-rich veggies. They are a great source of selenium, potassium and zinc and are also high in B vitamins.
Servings 4
Prep Time 20 minutes 
Cook Time 15 minutes Ingredients
- ½ small yellow onion, grated or very finely chopped
- ¼-½ cup finely chopped parsley, plus more for topping
- ¼ cup ground oats*
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground allspice**
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg**
- 8 oz ground beef***
- 8 oz ground turkey***
For the mushroom “gravy”:
- 2 tbsp olive oil and/or butter
- 8 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 2 heaping cups)****
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups water, plus more as needed
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- ½ cup sour cream
Choose your base:*****
- Mashed potatoes
- Egg noodles
- Roasted potatoes/veggies
- Crusty bread
- *Simply add rolled oats to a blender and blend/pulse until a coarse flour forms.
- **If you don’t have these spices, you could substitute one or both of them with pumpkin pie spice.
- ***The beef and turkey combo results in a juicy and not too fatty meatball. You could use all turkey for a leaner option or all beef for a richer option. You could also sub either with pork.
- ****Use 10 oz frozen mushrooms!! They work great in this recipe.
- *****I tried this with all of the above and my favorite was roasted potatoes and noodles, but all were delicious!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F convection or 500F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle the parchment with 2 tablespoons olive oil and use a brush or your fingers to spread it around.
- In a large bowl, use a box grater to grate the onion into the bowl (or finely chop it and add to the bowl). Add the parsley, oats, egg, salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg and use a fork to whisk up the egg and mix everything together. Add the meat and use your hands to mix until well combined.
- Form into small ping-pong sized meatballs (I ended up with 28 meatballs) and place them on the baking sheet. Roll them around in the oil to coat. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until deeply browned on the bottom and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, warm the oil and/or butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, spread them out, and cook undisturbed for 3-5 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Pour in the water and soy sauce and simmer rapidly for 5 minutes over medium or medium-low heat.
- Pour the mushrooms/broth into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth, making sure to allow the steam to escape while blending. Add the sour cream and blend again until just combined. Pour back into the skillet, then add the meatballs. Simmer gently over low or medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes to warm everything up again, stirring occasionally. If the gravy is looking too thick (it can thicken as it sits), add a generous splash (2-4 tbsp) of water to the skillet and shake the skillet/stir gently to mix it in.
- Serve the meatballs and “gravy” over your choice of base and top with a dollop of sour cream (if you’d like), plenty of fresh parsley, and black pepper.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make the meatballs mixture + form the meatballs
- Thinly slice 8 oz mushrooms
- Make the mushroom gravy
- Prep your base, if applicable (cook noodles, make mashed potatoes, etc…)
Substitutions:
- Since this recipe revolves around the meatballs, I wouldn’t recommend trying to make it vegetarian unless you simply want to replace the meat with crispy roasted tofu. If doing so, add allspice and nutmeg to the sauce and add an additional tablespoon of soy sauce for more salt and flavor.
- To make it dairy-free, replace the sour cream with ½ cup soaked cashews + 1 tbsp lemon juice. You may need to adjust the amount of water (and soy sauce/salt) depending on how thick it turns out.
- You can try replacing the sour cream with whole milk Greek yogurt, though it may break and not be as creamy.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 2 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up the meatballs/gravy in the microwave or in a small saucepan until warmed through. Add a splash of water to thin it out. Taste and season with salt or a splash of soy sauce, if needed. Serve it over your base of choice and top with lots of parsley, etc…
- These meatballs and gravy would be good on any base – turn it into a grain bowl, serve it over some cooked greens or roasted veggies or on top of a hearty kale salad.
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