Swedish Meatballs Over Egg Noodles: Your New Favorite Comfort Classic

Serves: 4–6
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 lb (450 g) ground beef
• ½ lb (225 g) ground pork
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 large egg
• ½ small onion, finely grated or minced
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• 2 tbsp butter or oil, for cooking

Creamy sauce

• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2½ cups beef broth
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

To serve

• 12 oz (340 g) egg noodles
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Lingonberry jam, optional

Instructions

1. Make the meatball mixture. Combine breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl and let sit for 2–3 minutes. Add beef, pork, egg, onion, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix gently until just combined.
2. Shape the meatballs. Roll into about 1-inch (2½ cm) balls. You should get roughly 30–35 meatballs.
3. Brown them. Heat butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the meatballs in batches, turning occasionally, until nicely browned on all sides. They don’t need to be fully cooked yet. Transfer to a plate.
4. Make the sauce. Melt 3 tbsp butter in the same skillet. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the beef broth, scraping up the browned bits from the pan.
5. Finish the sauce. Stir in the heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Simmer for 3–5 minutes until slightly thickened.
6. Return the meatballs. Add them back to the skillet, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 8–10 minutes, until cooked through and the sauce is silky and thick.
7. Cook the noodles. Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles according to the package directions. Drain well.
8. Serve. Spoon the creamy meatballs and sauce generously over the egg noodles. Finish with chopped parsley and, if you like the classic sweet-savory contrast, a spoonful of lingonberry jam on the side.