Two hours. 124 miles. That is how far from our home is to the closest IKEA. As a result, I do not want to drive two hours to get Swedish Meatballs. So, homemade From Scratch it is! The tanginess of the mustard blending with the flavor of the nutmeg in the meatballs comes together to a sumptuous dinner, however, the one thing I would have changed would be to mince the onions way smaller than just diced. Being larger sized, they almost caused the meatballs to crumble apart and not stay together in a meatball form while cooking. Had the onions been minced, they would have blended into the ground beef much better and then not caused the meatballs to fall apart.
Disclosure
Published October 22, 2021
Updated March 20, 2022
This page might contain affiliate links. In the event of a sale, I will be awarded a small commission (at no extra cost for you).
Cost breakdown for this recipe
This meal was very reasonably priced for the actual amount of ingredients included. Although now that it is 2022, and prices have risen, the cost of ground beef has increased to well over $10 for 2-pounds. Below is a list of each ingredient and the cost it was to make this dinner in 2021.
ground beef $8.75
1 pack noodles $1.99
1 egg $0.11
2 tsp mustard $0.01
1 onion $0.30
2 Tbsp flour $0.01
1 tsp salt $0.01
3 Tbsp milk $0.10
2 pieces bread $0.00 as it was left over from a loaf that was made the other day
1/2 tsp garlic powder $0.05
1 3/4 cup beef broth $0.05
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce $0.05
1/4 tsp nutmeg $0.05
5 Tbsp butter $0.40
1/2 cup sour cream OR Greek yogurt $0.75
The total cost to make this meal was $12.62 making each serving $1.57.
Additionally, Tyler and I each had leftovers the next day. This recipe resulted in twenty-eight meatballs that were palm sized, however, had I made them smaller we could have had more than forty small meatballs. Honestly, any time we manage to get a dinner under twenty dollars, that is a win.
However, buying a bag of 2-pounds of meatballs right from IKEA is $9.99. Just the meatballs. That is without the sauce and without the two-hour drive there and back. Additionally, buying them online is an option. Making them from scratch is the way to go, at least for our family it is.
*IKEA is not a sponsor*
Not only does IKEA sell their meatballs, but they also sell chicken and vegetarian versions as well!
Why this recipe is great
IKEA is a staple, not only in the United States but the world resulting in over 465 stores in 60 different countries. The most stores are located in Europe, as the store was founded in Sweden in 1958.
Swedish Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients for Swedish Meatballs
2 pounds ground beef
1 pack noodles
1 egg
2 tsp mustard
1 onion
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
1 3/4 cup beef broth
2 pieces bread
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp nutmeg
5 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup sour cream OR Greek yogurt
Directions for Swedish Meatballs
1. Firstly, in a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat.
2. Dice onions on a cutting board, then place them in the melted butter and cook until tender, around 5-7 minutes. Our boys and I wished the onions would have been minced up way smaller, honestly, these onions will be cooked and then added to the meatballs once cooled. Make sure they are minced smaller, so they mix well with the ground beef.
3. When cooked, remove the onions from the saucepan and transfer to a bowl to let cool.
4. In a bowl, place 3 Tbsp milk and then press 2 pieces of bread that has been cut into cubes into the milk. Let the bread rest for 5-minutes to fully soak up the milk.
I used two pieces of bread from a loaf made earlier this week. This was a whole wheat bread and if you want the recipe, check out my blog on how to make homemade bread by clicking the link below.
5. Then, in a large bowl, place the ground beef, cooled onions, 1 egg, 1 tsp salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and bread chunks.
6. Mix the beef and ingredients with two forks, but do not over mix as it will cause the meatballs to be tough. For example, gently mixing with the forks helps to keep the chunks of beef fluffy.
7. Using your hands, shape the beef mixture into 1-inch meatballs and then place in a baking dish.
8. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp butter, and then add meatballs to cook.
9. Cook the meatballs for 6-9 minutes, turning often with a spatula to sauté on every side. Levi took these two top pictures of me adding the meatballs and then cooking them, turning into a camera pro!
10. Remove the meatballs from the pan and then place on a clean plate. Additionally, Levi took this picture of Elliana showing off her unicorn princess dress. This girl is all about unicorns and princesses!
Make the sauce
11. Add remaining 3 Tbsp butter to the hot pan and then melt on medium-low. Make sure to use the same saucepan as the drippings from the cooked meatballs will help season and then flavor the sauce.
12. Sprinkle in 2 Tbsp flour and then whisk into the melted butter, making sure to get all of the bits off the bottom of the pan. Additionally, you may need to use a flat-ended spatula to scrape any hard pieces off the pan to incorporate them into the sauce. Make sure to use the same pan you cooked the meatballs in for the sauce, so you get all of those flavors infused into the sauce.
13. Slowly pour in beef broth and then whisk to combine with the flour/butter mixture. I say slowly, because it will steam and bubble.
14. Whisk in 1/2 cup sour cream OR Greek yogurt, we typically use Greek yogurt, and I do not remember when sour cream was last on a grocery list! For example, Greek yogurt adds protein and no fat compared to sour cream! Just make sure it is plain flavored.
15. Add 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp mustard and 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, then whisk to combine and simmer for 6-10 minutes or until thickened.
16. Finally add the meatballs to finish cooking with the simmering sauce. Levi was the best cameraman tonight and he did such a great job focusing the camera and holding it safe while following directions for the Swedish Meatballs recipe.
Serve the Swedish Meatballs with pasta and then enjoy! This recipe is so quick and easy to follow resulting in a delicious meal with plenty of food.
~Monica
Recipe for Swedish Meatballs and Pasta
Swedish Meatballs and Pasta
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- 6-Quart Pot
- Sink Colander
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Ground Beef
- 1 pack Noodles
- 1 Egg
- 2 tsp Mustard
- 1 3/4 cups Beef Broth
- 2 Tbsp Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 Tbsp Milk
- 1 Onion
- 2 pieces Bread
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 5 Tbsp Butter
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream OR Greek Yogurt
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat.
- On a cutting board, dice the onion, then place the finely diced onions in the melted butter and cook until tender, around 5-7 minutes.
- When cooked, remove the onions to a bowl to let cool.
- In a small bowl, place 3 Tbsp milk and press 2 pieces of bread into the milk, and then let it rest for 5-minutes to soak up the milk.
- In a large bowl, place the ground beef, cooled onions, 1 egg, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and bread chunks.
- Mix the beef and ingredients with two forks, but do not over mix!
- Using your hands, shape the beef mixture into 1-inch meatballs, then set them aside in a baking dish.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp butter, and then add the meatballs to cook.
- Cook the meatballs for 6-9 minutes, turning often to sauté them on every side.
- Remove the meatballs from the pan and then set aside on a clean plate.
- Next, add the remaining 3 Tbsp butter to the hot pan and then melt on medium-low.
- Sprinkle in 2 Tbsp flour and then whisk into the butter, making sure to get all of the bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Slowly pour in beef broth and then whisk to combine with the flour/butter mixture.
- Then whisk in 1/2 cup sour cream OR Greek yogurt.
- Add 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp mustard and 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, then whisk to combine and simmer for 6-10 minutes or until thickened.
- Add the meatballs to finish cooking with the simmering sauce.
- Serve the Swedish Meatballs with pasta and then enjoy!
4 responses to “Swedish Meatballs and Pasta – an IKEA recipe hack”
-
You have an awesome kitchen helper! Your Swedish Meatballs look delicious — a perfect Autumn meal.
-
Awesome blog! Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any ideas? Thanks a lot!
-
Thanks a bunch for sharing this with all of us you actually know what you’re talking about! Bookmarked. Please also visit my website =). We could have a link exchange contract between us!
-
Hey, you used to write magnificent, but the last few posts have been kinda boring?I miss your tremendous writings. Past several posts are just a little bit out of track! come on!
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Copyright: All content and photos on Monica's Scratch Kitchen are copyright protected. Please do not use them without written permission. Thank you.
Leave a Reply