Swedish Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce

Swedish meatballs are a popular dinner menu for everyone in my family. It has hearty, tender meatballs in rich, creamy sauce that is spiced with nutmeg and allspice. Served over egg noodles or mashed potatoes, these meatballs surely pleases the crowd.

In Sweden, lingonberry jam is typically served with Swedish meatballs. Lingonberries are tart, slightly sweet berries that are popular in Northern European cuisine. However, I find it difficult to find them at grocery stores here in the U.S.. Fortunately, there is a great alternative for the tart red berries: Cranberries! In the fall when the cranberries are in season, you can easily find them fresh. Even when they are not in season, you can always find them in the freezer section at the stores.

The fresh homemade cranberry sauce is not only a festive addition to the thanksgiving turkey, but it is also a perfect side for the Swedish meatballs. The sweet and tart cranberry sauce brings a punch of bold flavor to the rich, yet mild flavored meatballs.

These Swedish meatballs are easy to cook, and takes only 30 minutes to make. It is a great menu for any night of the week. Scroll down to see how you can make these delicious meatballs!

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs Ground beef
• 1 Onion, medium
• 1 cup Breadcrumbs
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 cup Flat-leaf parsley, extra for garnish
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/4 cup Flour
• 2 cups Beef broth
• 1 cup Heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp Allspice
• 1/2 tsp White pepper

Cranberry Sauce

• 12oz Cranberries
• 1/2 cup Orange juice
• 1/2 Lemon
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Instructions

The first step in making the Swedish meatballs is preparing the onion and parsley that go in the meatballs. You could finely chop them by knife, but I find it easier to blend the onion and parsley in a blender or a food processor. Using this method also yields the most evenly textured meatballs. Add the blended onion and parsley mixture to a large mixing bowl. To the large bowl, add ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of nutmeg. Mix all the ingredients and form meatballs that are about 2 inches in diameter.

Preheat a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Place the meatballs on the pan and cook for 15 minutes, rolling them over to cook all sides every few minutes. Once the meatballs are browned on all sides, sprinkle the flour over the meatballs. Roll the meatballs to coat them in the flour, then add the beef broth and cream. The flour will thicken the liquid and turn it into a creamy sauce. Add 1/2 tsp nutmeg, allspice and white pepper to season. The Swedish meatballs are done!

Making the pretty and delicious cranberry sauce is easy. You can cook them at the same time as the meatballs. In a sauce pan, add cranberries with orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes until the cranberries have softened and has become thickened jelly-like sauce. Most of the cranberries will have bursted, but you can stop cooking when some of the cranberries are still intact.

Serve the Swedish meatballs over egg noodles or mashed potatoes with cranberry sauce on the side. Garnish with extra chopped parsley.

If you like this recipe, you might also this Perfect Salisbury Steak or Korean Sweet and Savory Meatballs. Lastly, subscribe via email or follow on Instagram to get the latest recipe updates!

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5 from 1 vote

Swedish Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce

Beef meatballs in creamy sauce, served with sweet and tart cranberry sauce

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Swedish

Keyword: 30-minute meal, beef, comfort food, creamy, kid-friendly, meatballs

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2½ lbs Ground beef
• 1 Onion medium
• 1 cup Breadcrumbs
• 1 Egg
• ¼ cup Flat-leaf parsley extra for garnish
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Pepper
• 1½ tsp Nutmeg
• ¼ cup Flour
• 2 cups Beef broth
• 1 cup Heavy cream
• ½ tsp Allspice
• ½ tsp White pepper

Cranberry Sauce

• 12 oz Cranberries
• ½ cup Orange juice
• ½ Lemon
• ½ cup Sugar
• ¼ tsp Nutmeg
• ½ tsp Cinnamon

Instructions

• Finely chop or blend onion and parsley in a blender or food processor. In a large mixing bowl, add onion, parsley, ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, 1 tsp nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix and form meatballs that are 2 inches in diameter.
• In a large pan or skillet preheated over medium heat, cook the meatballs for 15 minutes while rolling them every few minutes.
• Once the meatballs are cooked, sprinkle the flour over the meatballs and stir to coat the meatballs with flour. Add beef broth, heavy cream, ½ tsp nutmeg, allspice, and white pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes with a side of cranberry sauce.

Cranberry Sauce

• In a sauce pan, add cranberries, orange, lemon, sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Cook for 15 minutes over medium heat while stirring occasionally. Cook until about three quarters of the cranberries have softened and burst.

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