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5 stars (7 reviews)

Swedish Meatballs with Creamy Sauce and Homemade Lingonberry Jam

Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
Prep30 minutes
Cook45 minutes
Total1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 3 to 4
A tasty and authentic recipe for Swedish Meatballs with Creamy Sauce, full of fresh ingredients for maximum flavour. This easy to follow recipe is perfect served with mashed potatoes and homemade lingonberry jam.
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Ingredients

For the Swedish Meatballs

  • 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs, or fresh breadcrumbs
  • 60 ml (¼ cup) double cream, (heavy cream)
  • 500 g (1 lb) minced beef, (ground beef)
  • sea salt
  • black pepper, freshly cracked
  • 1 pinch allspice
  • 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence, or dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 small red onion, finely diced
  • 1 egg

For the Creamy Sauce

  • 250-375 ml (1 to ½ cups) beef stock
  • 125 ml (½ cup) double cream, (heavy cream)
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce, or to taste
  • 4 teaspoons cornflour, (US: cornstarch) mixed with some water
  • parsley, finely chopped
  • chives, finely chopped

For the Homemade Lingonberry Jam

  • 500 g (1 lb) lingonberries, fresh or frozen
  • 100 ml (⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon) water
  • 300 g (1 ⅓ cup) caster sugar, (superfine sugar)

Instructions 

For the Swedish Meatballs with Creamy Sauce

  1. Soak the breadcrumbs in the cream in a large mixing bowl to which you will add everything else later.
  2. Once the breadcrumbs have softened (this will take just a few minutes), add the remaining ingredients for the meatballs into the bowl.
  3. Mix everything together with your hands until it is well combined.
  4. Shape the meatballs. I prefer to keep the meatballs small, but make them as small or as large as you like.
  5. Heat some oil in a large frying pan which you will also use later to make the sauce.
  6. Fry the meatballs until they are golden brown all over. You may need to do this in batches. Don't worry if the meatballs are not cooked through completely, as you will continue to cook them later.
  7. Remove the meatballs to a plate.
  8. Pour the stock into the saucepan and use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pan.
  9. Return the meatballs to the pan, and simmer gently on low heat for about 20 minutes.
  10. Remove the meatballs to a plate.
  11. Add the cream and soy sauce.
  12. Slowly whisk in the cornflour (cornstarch) mixture to thicken the sauce to your desired consistency (you may not need all of the cornflour mixture).
  13. Taste for seasoning. If the sauce tastes too concentrated, add a bit of water.
  14. Return the meatballs to the saucepan, and garnish with parsley and chives before serving.

For the Homemade Lingonberry Jam

  1. Wash the lingonberries and remove any spoilt berries, leaves and stems.
  2. Place the lingonberries in a medium saucepan, together with the water.
  3. Bring to the boil.
  4. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
  5. Turn the heat down to medium-high, and continue simmering until the lingonberries have softened and broken down, and the mixture starts to thicken.
  6. If the mixture looks too thick, thin it with a dash of water.
  7. Make sure you stir frequently to prevent the jam from sticking to the bottom of the pan where it can burn easily.
  8. The lingonberry jam is ready when most of the berries have burst and you have a thick, jam-like consistency. If you like your lingonberry jam to have more texture, try not to squash the berries too much as you are stirring.
  9. The lingonberry jam will continue to thicken as it cools.
  10. Serve the lingonberry jam warm or cold with the Swedish Meatballs.
  11. Store any unused lingonberry jam in a sterilised jar and in the fridge.

Kitchen Notes

  • LINGONBERRY JAM
    I tend to make a small batch of lingonberry jam for this dish because it is quicker to cook than making a larger batch, and I can often make the lingonberry jam at the same time as the Swedish meatballs.
  • STERILISING GLASS JARS
    If you wish to make a large batch of lingonberry jam for storing, make sure you prepare enough sterilised glass jars in advance.
  • OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
    All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook.
  • CONVERSIONS
    To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 4g, Calories: 327kcal, Carbohydrates: 17.5g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 14.7g, Cholesterol: 133.6mg, Sodium: 375.5mg, Fiber: 1.2g, Sugar: 3.6g

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