Swedish Meatballs with juicy seasoned meatballs simmered in sauce—serve over noodles, rice, or inside a roll.
A Simple, Cozy Take on Swedish Meatballs
Juicy meatballs made from a mix of turkey and beef, quietly spiced with allspice and nutmeg, simmered in a silky sauce—ready in about 50 minutes and perfect over noodles, rice, or inside a roll.
These meatballs answer the familiar weeknight question: how to get something comforting on the table without fuss. Using both ground turkey and ground beef keeps the flavor rounded while trimming excess heaviness, and a pinch of ground allspice and nutmeg gives that classic warm, slightly sweet note that makes each bite unmistakably Swedish. The result is tender, well-seasoned meatballs that are at once cozy and surprisingly fresh.
A few little technique choices are what make them work: finely sautéed onion and a quick hit of garlic add aromatic depth, while breadcrumbs soaked in milk keep the interior soft. Mix the meat gently—overworking makes meatballs dense—then chill them briefly so they hold their shape when you brown and simmer. Making uniform 1 1/4–1 1/2–tablespoon balls (about 20–24) helps them cook evenly and look picture-perfect on the plate.
If you’re serving over whole wheat egg noodles, reserve some of the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce into a glossy finish; the starchy water is a tiny trick that turns a good sauce into a great one. These meatballs are also practically designed for leftovers: they reheat well, and the uncooked portion freezes beautifully so you can pull dinner together on a night you don’t feel like cooking.
Serve them over noodles or rice for a full meal, spoon them into a toasted roll for a fun sandwich, or pair with a simple green salad to balance the plate. Small touches—a grind of fresh black pepper, a sprinkle of chopped parsley—brighten the rich flavors and make this an easy, protein-forward weeknight main you’ll reach for again and again.
Ingredients
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
- Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic; heat 1 tsp of the olive oil in a skillet over medium and sauté the onion until translucent, 4–5 minutes, then add the garlic for 30 seconds and remove the pan from heat to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl combine breadcrumbs and milk and let sit 2–3 minutes, then add the egg, chopped parsley, salt, black pepper, ground allspice and nutmeg and mix; add the cooled onion/garlic and the two ground meats and gently mix with your hands until just combined—avoid overworking.
- Form the mixture into 20–24 uniform meatballs (about 1 1/4–1 1/2 tablespoons each) and set on a plate; chill 10 minutes in the fridge to help them hold shape.
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the whole wheat egg noodles according to package instructions; reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, drain, and keep warm.
- Heat the remaining 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs in batches, turning so all sides get color, about 6–8 minutes total; transfer browned meatballs to a plate.
- Pour the low-sodium beef broth into the skillet, scrape up browned bits, return the meatballs to the skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 8–10 minutes until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F and are cooked through.
- Stir Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard together in a small bowl, then temper by whisking in 3 tablespoons of the hot cooking liquid; stir the tempered yogurt mixture into the skillet, add frozen peas, simmer 1–2 minutes to heat and thicken the sauce, and adjust thickness with reserved pasta water if needed.
- While the sauce finishes, steam or microwave the broccoli florets until bright green and tender-crisp (3–5 minutes). To serve, divide noodles among four plates, spoon meatballs and sauce over the noodles, and add a portion of broccoli on the side; garnish with additional parsley if desired.
Recipe Card
Swedish Meatballs
Swedish Meatballs with juicy seasoned meatballs simmered in sauce—serve over noodles, rice, or inside a roll.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic; heat 1 tsp of the olive oil in a skillet over medium and sauté the onion until translucent, 4–5 minutes, then add the garlic for 30 seconds and remove the pan from heat to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl combine breadcrumbs and milk and let sit 2–3 minutes, then add the egg, chopped parsley, salt, black pepper, ground allspice and nutmeg and mix; add the cooled onion/garlic and the two ground meats and gently mix with your hands until just combined—avoid overworking.
- Form the mixture into 20–24 uniform meatballs (about 1 1/4–1 1/2 tablespoons each) and set on a plate; chill 10 minutes in the fridge to help them hold shape.
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the whole wheat egg noodles according to package instructions; reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, drain, and keep warm.
- Heat the remaining 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs in batches, turning so all sides get color, about 6–8 minutes total; transfer browned meatballs to a plate.
- Pour the low-sodium beef broth into the skillet, scrape up browned bits, return the meatballs to the skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 8–10 minutes until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F and are cooked through.
- Stir Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard together in a small bowl, then temper by whisking in 3 tablespoons of the hot cooking liquid; stir the tempered yogurt mixture into the skillet, add frozen peas, simmer 1–2 minutes to heat and thicken the sauce, and adjust thickness with reserved pasta water if needed.
- While the sauce finishes, steam or microwave the broccoli florets until bright green and tender-crisp (3–5 minutes). To serve, divide noodles among four plates, spoon meatballs and sauce over the noodles, and add a portion of broccoli on the side; garnish with additional parsley if desired.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 60
- Saturated Fat
- 7
- Sodium
- 640
- Fiber
- 7
- Unsaturated Fat
- 13
- Protein
- 56
- Fat
- 23
- Cholesterol
- 140
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 780
- Sugar
- 6