Swedish Meatballs
December 30, 2011 in Ground Meat, Proteins
I have to make a special thank you here to one of my twitter followers, @paleoanton, who sent me his recipe for making Swedish meatballs a few weeks ago. For the Swedish-speaking among you, check out his blog: www.paleowithdessert.blogspot.com
Meatballs are a kid (and grown-up) favorite but often recipes require filler and binders that are typically grains. Swedish meatballs are a minimally spiced version (my husband calls them boring, but I vehemently disagree), so you really get to just enjoy the flavor of good meat. They are typically served in gravy, often with something like plain noodles on the side. I like them with some braised cabbage and sautéed mushrooms. I made these with grass-fed beef and they were delicious! Makes: 16 meatballs
A note about arrowroot powder: Arrowroot powder is a great thickener (made from a tuber). It doesn’t lump and doesn’t alter the flavor. When you first add it, it will seem cloudy, but it will turn translucent as it cooks. The resulting gravy is clearer than what you’re used to, but still thick and tastes great.
Ingredients (meatballs):
1 lb lean ground beef (grass-fed is preferred for this recipe)
1 medium yellow onion, very finely diced
1 Tbsp tallow or coconut oil
2 eggs
1/8 tsp salt, to taste
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp allspice
1. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add oil and onion and
sauté until completely cooked, approximately 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Mix all ingredients in a bowl (I find it easiest to use my hands). Form 1 ½” meatballs by hand and place on prepared baking sheet (you should get approximately 16 meatballs).
4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
Ingredients (gravy):
- 1 cup low-sodium beef or chicken broth (homemade is great if you have it)
- ½ Tbsp grass-fed butter or tallow
- 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
- 1. Place broth and butter in the skillet that the onions were cooked in. Stir in the arrowroot powder. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- 2. Stir frequently until thick, approximately 3-4 minutes.
Toss meatballs in gravy (including any juices from the baking sheet) and enjoy!
These are awesome! Thank you for this post!! I didn’t make enough. Next time-double batch! And, the sauce is perfect too! Even my 8.5-month-old son is enjoying these with the sauce!
Would these work with ground turkey as well? Today I went to my local farmer’s market and bought almost 2 pounds of nice dark meat ground turkey and need to find a simple recipe to use! ~Tanya
I think they would!