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These tasty Swedish Meatballs are always a hit with my family and I know you will love them too! Made with a combination of ground turkey and beef, they’re lighter than most recipes but still have all the flavor.
Lightened Up Swedish Meatball Recipe
While most Swedish meatball recipes call for a mixture of pork and beef, I use half beef and half turkey to make them lighter. This mixture gives them a wonderful beefy flavor with fewer calories. I also don’t use heavy cream — instead, I use reduced-fat cream cheese to make the sauce creamy. Like my Salisbury Steak Meatballs and Turkey Meatballs, these Swedish meatballs are the perfect cozy dinner recipe when you’re craving something hearty and satisfying!
Why These Swedish Meatballs Are the Best Healthy Comfort Food
My family loves these Swedish meatballs. They are so tender and flavorful and much lighter than traditional recipes out there. And, let’s not forget the sauce! The creamy sauce really makes the dish.
- Classic comfort food: Tender, juicy meatballs in a creamy sauce are about as comforting and cozy as you can get! Kids will love this recipe.
- Rich without being heavy: So many Swedish meatball recipes are heavy and indulgent, but my recipe tastes indulgent without weighing you down.
- Fast enough for weeknights: This recipe takes 40 minutes to make and 20 of those minutes are hands-off cooking time, which makes this the perfect easy weeknight dinner.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Yield: servings
Serving Size: 4 meatballs
Cook Mode
In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add celery and parsley and cook until soft, about 3-4 more minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, combine beef, turkey, egg, onion mixture, breadcrumbs, ¼ teaspoon salt, pepper and allspice. Mix well and form into 16 meatballs.
Add beef broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly drop meatballs into the broth. Cover and cook about 20 minutes, until cooked through.
Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside in a serving dish. Strain the broth, transfer to a blender with cream cheese and blend until smooth. Return to the skillet with the meatballs and simmer
Last Step:
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This makes 16 meatballs, nutritional info is based on 4 meatballs with gravy.
Serving: 4 meatballs, Calories: 293 kcal, Carbohydrates: 8.5 g, Protein: 30 g, Fat: 14 g, Saturated Fat: 5.5 g, Cholesterol: 131 mg, Sodium: 784 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 3 g
Swedish Meatball Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make these lightened up Swedish meatballs. See the recipe card for the exact measurements.
- Olive oil for cooking the aromatics so they’re softened before adding to the meatballs.
- Onion, garlic and celery adds depth to the flavor of these Swedish meatballs.
- Parsley for both the meatball mixture and for garnish.
- Ground turkey and beef: Using a combination of lean ground turkey and beef is a nice way to make the meatballs rich, tender, and juicy while still cutting calories.
- Egg to bind the mixture.
- Seasoned breadcrumbs: Also for binding; use gluten-free crumbs if needed.
- Seasonings: Kosher salt, black pepper, and allspice, which adds a lovely warmth.
- Reduced-sodium beef broth: The base of the sauce, and also to keep the meatballs juicy while they cook.
- Reduced-fat cream cheese to blend into the broth to make a rich cream sauce without heavy cream.
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
Here’s a step-by-step guide to making these Swedish meatballs. The recipe card contains printable instructions.
Sauté the aromatics.
Mix the meatball ingredients.
Form meatballs and cook.
- Sauté the aromatics: Cook the onion and garlic in olive oil until they’re softened, then add the celery and parsley.
- Form the meatballs: Combine the ground meat, egg, breadcrumbs, seasonings, and cooled vegetables. Form the mixture into 16 meatballs.
- Simmer in broth: Bring the broth to a boil, lower the heat, and gently drop in the meatballs. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Make the sauce: Remove the meatballs, then blend the strained broth with the cream cheese. Return the sauce and meatballs to the skillet to simmer until the sauce thickens a bit.
Serving Suggestions
The classic way to serve Swedish meatballs is over egg noodles or mashed potatoes, but that’s not your only option. I’ve also served them over cabbage noodles, which are basically sautéed shredded cabbage. Here are a few more ideas.
Storage & Reheating
- Refrigerate: Store leftover Swedish meatballs with the sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze the meatballs and sauce together in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat: Warm the meatballs and sauce gently on the stovetop over low heat. Add a splash of broth or water if you need to thin the sauce.
More Meatball Recipes You Will Love
You can see more meatball recipes here or check out these five delicious recipes.
