Swedish Meatballs
You know those stories that your family tells over and over again? And while the stories are still funny…you wonder when we will ever stop telling the same story…..well…here comes a story.
My older sister studied in Sweden many years ago, and we were fortunate enough to be able to visit her. When we arrived, we were exhausted and hungry. My sister was not able to meet us right away, so my mom, dad, little sister, and I went searching for food after checking into our hotel.
Now, I will fully admit, I was not well-traveled and certainly didn’t do the research I do now before traveling, and didn’t even think that the “breakfast” items we know and love in America were not going to be the same in a different country. I mean…who doesn’t love pancakes?
So upon searching…all we could find for breakfast was bread with tomato and boiled eggs on top or yogurt with berries. We were searching for pancakes or a hot breakfast and had no such luck. We (mainly me) started to get hangry until we finally spotted those golden arches that we knew would have an American breakfast that we knew…..right?
Well….no….and I may have made an announcement such as “What the hell is this?” after taking my first bite into the Swedish Egg McMuffin. It was definitely not the same and my American in me definitely came out.
Now…I have to say, I was in my early 20s and didn’t appreciate the different cuisines and customary cuisine differences in other countries as I do now. And now that I’ve put my disclaimer preventing you from shunning me….on with the story.
Unfortunately, we continued on our trip, not having good luck with our food choices. UNTIL….we went to a market hall in Stockholm called Östermalm and tried one of the vendor’s Swedish Meatballs with lingonberry jam. I am not joking when we all inhaled the food and in our week-long trip, came back two other times. I think my little sister was made out of Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, and lingonberry jam while we were there.
So, even after many years, I crave that dish and will try to find lingonberry jam and a local grocery store. If you can, I insist you try it with this recipe. Do you need lingonberry jam? No…my kids actually eat this dish without and still love it, but there is something about the savory with the sweetness of the traditional jam. If you are a lingonberry fan, I do love this brand I get off of Amazon.
Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 3 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1/4 c sour cream
- Lingonberry sauce
- Mashed Potatoes
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix together the beef, pork, egg, minced onion, garlic, panko, nutmeg, allspice, parsley, and salt and pepper. Divide the meat into approximately 20 balls (I use the largest melon scooper).
In a large cast iron or deep pan, heat the avocado oil over medum-high-(watch these closely because I definitely lost track of mine) heat and brown the meatballs on all sides. Transfer to a plate and then add all the other ingredients to the cast iron (beef broth, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, cream of mushroom soup, and sour cream. Bring to a boil and then add the meatballs back to the sauce. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.
Serve over mashed potatoes with a side of sauteed green beans or glazed carrots. And don't forget the lingonberry sauce! Enjoy!
Serve over mashed potatoes with ligonberry sauce.
