When I think meatballs, I think spaghetti and meatballsand an overwhelming tomato sauce taste. This Swedish Meatball recipe is nothing like that. It has a yummy, beefy gravy over wide noodles. The original recipe called for half ground beef and half ground pork. I did not have the ground pork, so I used our mild sausage. It was perfect and leaner! These meatballs are a huge hit with my boys.
Ingredients:
1 beaten egg (I use fresh from the coop)
¼ Cup milk
¾ Cup dried bread crumbs
¾ Cup finely chopped onions
½ pound deGraan Farms Grass-fed ground beef
½ pound deGraan Farms mild sausage
1 Tbls butter
2 Tbls All-purpose flour
1 beef bouillon cube or 2 tsp instant beef bullion granules
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 cups milk
3 cups hot cooked wide noodles
To prepare these yummy Swedish meatballs, first mix the egg and the ¼ cup milk in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the bread crumbs and onion. Add beef and sausage and mix well. Since our beef and sausage comes in 1 pound packages, I just thaw out enough for the recipe. I put the rest of the frozen packages in a zip lock bag and back into the freezer.
Form the meat mixture into 30 meatballs. I like all my meatballs to come out the same size, so I divide the mixture in half and make 15 meatballs out of each half. If I am still having a hard time getting them the same size, I will cut the mixture into fourths and make 7-8 meatballs out of the each fourth.
In a large skillet, cook the meatballs in half batches in hot butter over medium heat about 10 minutes or until done. I turn the meatballs so that they are browned evenly. Make sure to insert an instant-read thermometer to ensure the meatballs reach 160 degrees. Remove the meatballs from skillet. There will not be many drippings, so add enough canola oil to make 2 tablespoons of drippings. Be sure to leave the brown bits in the skillet. The brown bits make the gravy!
Stir the flour, bouillon and pepper into the drippings. Scrap the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet into the mixture. Once the flour starts to simmer, gradually stir in the 2 cups of milk being sure to stir the whole time. Cook and continue to stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for one minute more. Return the meatballs to the skillet. Heat thoroughly. Serve over noodles.
I have one tip to add. If you do not have our mild sausage, do not use store bought sausage. It does not have the same flavor and will be too strong. Instead, use ground pork, 1 Tbls dried parsley, ¼ teaspoon, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.