Swedish Meatballs

By Tom421

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1 cup milk or half-and-half
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck or round
• 1/2 pound lean ground pork, or use all beef
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can (10 1/2 oz) condensed beef broth or concentrated homemade beef stock, divided
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream or heavy whipping cream

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 335mins
Adapted from southernfood.about.com

Preparation

Step 1

Soak bread crumbs in milk for 5 minutes in a large mixing bowl. Add ground beef and pork, eggs, onion, 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt, nutmeg, and allspice; mix well. Shape into 1-inch meatballs.

Place the meatballs on a rack in a broiler pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 400° or until cooked through. They should register at least 160° F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball.

Put the browned meatballs in slow cooker. Add 1/2 can beef broth and the pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 5 hours.

To thicken gravy, turn slow cooker to high. Combine butter and flour to make a smooth paste. Add paste to remaining 1/2 can beef broth and pour over meatballs.

Cook until thickened, about 45 minutes.

Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon. Stir sour cream or cream into the broth until smooth. 

Pour the sauce over the meatballs and serve with noodles or potatoes.

Tips and Variations
Since the meatballs are cooked, you may want to skip the 3 to 5 hours in the slow cooker. Bring the beef broth to a boil before adding it to the slow cooker with the meatballs, and then cook for about 1 hour. Thicken the gravy and proceed with the recipe.