A few things elevate this recipe above all other Swedish meatballs.

The first is adding sour cream to the meat mixture, which makes the meatballs extra tender and adds that signature flavor to the dish without it going in the sauce. The second is the beautiful translucent gravy that gets its rich flavor from browning one helpful meatball in the pan, creating fond, or browned, bits. Deglaze the pan with a bit of piquant vinegar, and you have the base of a really delicious sauce. Caraway seeds, egg noodles, and loads of bright parsley lend authentic flavor to this take on a traditional dish.

Makes

6 servings (22 Meatballs)

Hands-on time

50 minutes

Total time

1 hour 50 minutes

Swedish meatballs

8 ounces ground pork
8 ounces ground sirloin
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1⁄4 cup sour cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs

11⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
1⁄8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice
1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (16-ounce) package egg noodles

2 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1⁄4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 recipe Sweet and Savory Cranberry Chutney (below), prepared

Steps

1. In a large bowl, use clean or gloved hands to mix together pork, beef, onion, sour cream, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg until well combined. Shape into 23 13⁄4-inch balls. Reserve one meatball to use in sauce. Place remaining meatballs on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and freeze 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and reroll each meatball in hands to make round again, if needed.

2. Heat oven to 350 ̊F. Bake meatballs until browned and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

3. While meatballs are cooking, prepare noodles according to package directions. When meatballs are almost finished cooking, whisk together the broth and cornstarch in a medium bowl and set aside.

4. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add reserved meatball and break up into small pieces. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until pieces are deep brown. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan by scraping up browned bits. Cook until vinegar is almost evaporated. Whisk in reserved broth and cornstarch mixture. Bring to a simmer and stir until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

5. In a large bowl, toss cooked noodles with melted butter and caraway seeds. Serve noodles topped with meatballs, sauce, and plenty of chopped parsley. Serve with cranberry chutney.

Sweet and savory cranberry chutney

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped (about 1⁄3 cup)

1 (12-ounce) bag fresh or frozen cranberries

2⁄3 cup granulated sugar
1⁄3 cup pomegranate or cranberry juice 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch ground black pepper         

Steps   

1. Heat oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Sauté shallot until just softened, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Stir in cranberries, sugar, juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until berries just begin to burst, and sauce is thickening, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and let cool. Serve warm or chilled. Refrigerate chutney in an airtight container up to a week.

Tara’s Tip

Instead of cooking all the meatballs in a skillet just to create flavor for the sauce, I add the step of browning one meatball in the pan, then baking the rest. It’s my flavorful- sauce gift to you. Make a double batch and freeze meatballs for up to a month. Just add an extra 15 minutes onto the baking time.