Swedish Meatballs (with a Gluten Free option)

 Sweedish Meatballs

Ingredients:

Meatballs

1 lb ground beef 
1 lb Ground pork 
¼ cup Flat leaf parsley, minced 
½ tsp Ground allspice 
½ tsp Ground nutmeg 
¾ cup Yellow onion, grated (about 1 medium onion) 
2 tsp Salt 
½ tsp Pepper, freshly ground 
4 Cloves garlic, minced 
¾ cup Panko* 
2 Eggs 
2 tbsp Olive oil

Cream Gravy

½ cup Butter 
½ cup Flour* 
4 cups Beef broth 
1 tsp Salt 
¼ tsp Pepper 
1 tbsp Lemon juice 
¼ tsp Ground allspice 
¼ tsp Ground nutmeg 
1 cup Heavy cream

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix the beef, pork, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, grated onion, salt, pepper, garlic, panko and eggs until combined. 

2. Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, measure out the meat mixture into roughly 35 (1.5 inch) balls.** 

3. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ½ of the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides. is takes about 5 minutes. Set aside ** 

4. When all of the meatballs are browned, pour o any excess grease in the pan, into a heatproof vessel. Lower the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. When the butter begins to bubble, sprinkle in the our and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef broth to the pan a little at a time.*** 

5. Whisk the gravy until the broth is all incorporated. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, allspice and nutmeg. Whisk a few more times. Slowly add the cream. 

6. Once the gravy begins to simmer****, add the meatballs back into the pan. 

7. Simmer until the gravy has thicken up a bit and the meatballs are cooked all the way through*****, about 8-10 minutes. 

8. Serve warm over mashed potatoes or egg noodles, alongside steamed veggies and lingonberry jam. 

Cooking Notes: 

*Gluten Free Version: if you want to keep this recipe gluten free, you can sub the breadcrumbs for a gluten-free version. To keep the gluten out of the gravy, you will want to reserve 1 cup of beef stock and mix it with ⅓ cup corn starch. Add it to the gravy at the end to thicken it up. 

** I like to shape the meatballs and place them on a piece of parchment paper for easy clean up and less dishes. Then I use another piece of parchment to place the browned meatballs on, again, easy clean up, less dishes. 

*** If you take your time adding the beef broth, your gravy will stay thick, taking less time overall. 

**** Take care not to boil the cream. It might separate if you do. Keep it at a simmer until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. 

***** The meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 165° F and no longer be pink on the inside.