I came across some pre-made meatballs at the supermarket and I thought I’d try and recreate the delicious little morsels of Swedish heaven swimming in their rich, creamy bath of gravy.
The following is my recipe for Swedish Meatballs with a Creamy Gravy. If you are a fan of the same famous dish at IKEA – and let’s just admit that we ALL love IKEA’s version – this recipe is an even more delicious, yet homemade, version.
I don’t know why it took me so long to make it – it’s so easy to make and it really tastes a million times better than the Ikea version (Sorry Ikea).
And the sauce – you can’t forget about that creamy, heavenly gravy sauce that these meatballs are smothered in with the browned up meatball bits. Those meatball bits stuck to the bottom of the pan really make the gravy what it is. I could practically drink it – you’ll really want a portion to slurp down!
I’m rather excited to share my Ultimate Swedish Meatball recipe, I think you’ll really enjoy them.
The number of servings depends on what you’re serving it with. If you’re going to spoon them over a lovely bowl of pasta then this recipe serves 4. If *ahem* you’re going to sit cross legged and eat them right out of the pan with a spoon and then drink the gravy like soup… it serves 2.
You’ll need:
Around 500g free-range pork meatballs
Knob of butter
1 tbsp plain flour
300 ml chicken stock
1tbsp mustard
1-2tbsp Worcester sauce
1 tsp honey
300 ml double cream
Salt n pepper
Big pinch of dried parsley
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Drop a knob of butter in, you want enough so that when it melts it covers the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle salt & pepper over your meatballs and when the butter’s melted add them to the pan. Fry and keep moving them around until they’re brown almost all over. Not beige, properly browned. While they’re cooking preheat your oven to about 100C/200F. When your meatballs look done, transfer them to an oven-proof dish and pop them into the oven to keep warm.
You should have a little fat and butter left in the pan. Tilt the pan to one side so it makes a pool. Add your flour and stir it in until you have a pretty smooth paste. Now add your stock, turn the heat up a little and bring it to the boil while stirring and scraping all the flour from the bottom of the pan.
Let it bubble away for a couple of minutes and thicken. While it’s working its magic, add your mustard, honey and Worcester sauce. Turn the heat down to medium again, remove your balls from the oven and pour your cream into your sauce. Stir it all together and add your balls to the gravy.
When you think it’s perfect, sprinkle your parsley over the top and serve!
Of course, the moment of truth is the taste test - I think I have the meatball battle won.
Bon appetit!
