Swedish
Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
Beef and pork meatballs simmer in a peppery beef gravy until the centers reach 160°F. Sour cream stirred in at the end makes the sauce smooth.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 3 hr
- Total
- 3 hr 25 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
Why you’ll love it
- Browning the meatballs first gives the gravy a toasted flavor.
- Allspice and nutmeg mark the sauce as Swedish, not Italian.
- The slow cooker holds them at a gentle simmer so they stay round.
- Sour cream goes in off the high heat so it does not curdle.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Thaw the ground beef and ground pork completely in the refrigerator if they were frozen. Do not put frozen meat in the slow cooker.
- 2
Mix the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, onion, salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg until just combined. Roll into 18 meatballs of similar size.
- 3
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the meatballs on two sides, about 2 minutes per side. They do not need to be cooked through yet. Transfer them to the slow cooker.
- 4
Sprinkle the flour into the skillet drippings and stir for 30 seconds. Whisk in the broth and Worcestershire and simmer 2 minutes, until slightly thick. Pour the gravy over the meatballs.
- 5
Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. Check a meatball in the center with a thermometer. The meatballs are done when the center reads 160°F and no pink remains. Cook longer if needed.
- 6
Stir the sour cream into the cooker and turn it to warm, or stir it in with the cooker off so the sauce stays smooth. Cook the egg noodles in salted water on the stove until tender, drain, and serve the meatballs and gravy over the noodles.
Pro tips
- Grate the onion so you do not bite into raw chunks. Squeeze it lightly if it is very wet.
- Same-size meatballs finish at the same time. A very large one can lag behind the 160°F reading.
- If the sour cream looks like it might split, temper it with a ladle of hot gravy first.
Easy substitutions
- Ground pork
- More ground beef, for 1.5 lb beef total. Still cook the centers to 160°F.
- Sour cream
- Full-fat plain Greek yogurt, stirred in off the heat.
- Egg noodles
- Mashed potatoes.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate meatballs and gravy for up to 3 days. Store leftover noodles separately.
Reheating
Warm the meatballs and gravy in a covered saucepan until a meatball center reads 165°F. Refresh the noodles with hot water.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 454
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Moderate · Slow Cooker, Stovetop
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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