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RecipeSavory Swedish Meatballs

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
  • Calories: 170
  • Protein: 21 g
  • Total Fat: 8 g
    • Unsaturated Fat: 5.5 g
    • Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 45 mg
  • Total Carbohydrate: 6 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 1 g
  • Total Sugar: 2 g
    • Natural Sugar: 2 g
    • Added Sugar: 0 g
  • Sodium: 730 mg

Full disclosure: I don’t have a long, celebrated family history with Swedish meatballs, no recipe passed down from generations or inspired by a beloved aunt or grandparent. My introduction came while shopping at IKEA. Since everyone in my ginormous family drools over them, I was inspired to create my own spin as soon as I returned home from one of my shopping trips. I use oats soaked in milk (to keep them super moist) and allspice as the secret signature flavoring. Then, I simmer them in a lightened-up yet completely indulgent cream sauce to take them over the top. Let’s just say they go faster than we can wind our way through the entire store and find the exit!

  • Prep time
  • Total Time
This recipe makes 35 meatballs
Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

  • • 1¼ pounds ground turkey (93% lean)
  • • ¼ cup rolled oats
  • • ¼ cup skim milk
  • • ½ yellow onion, finely minced
  • • ¼ cup minced parsley (plus more for garnish)
  • • 1 large egg
  • • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the sauce:

  • • 2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
  • • 6 tablespoons lite cream cheese
  • • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350˚. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the oats and milk and set aside for about 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining meatball ingredients with the oat-milk mixture, using a rubber spatula or your hands. Do not overmix. Shape into about 35 small meatballs, about an inch in size. NOTE: The batter will be wet—this is normal. If you find it too fussy to shape, cover and place in fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up. I suggest forming each meatball with your fingers versus rolling with your palms.

Place meatballs on prepared baking sheet and bake in oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. *Note: In some instances, moisture will settle around the meatballs, simply discard the fragments when transferring from baking sheet into the simmer sauce.

While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce. Add all sauce ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth and no lumps remain. Pour into a large sauce pan or deep skillet and warm over medium-high heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will eventually start to thicken. Season with additional salt and allspice to taste. Add cooked meatballs to pot with warm sauce, reduce heat and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Nutrition provided for 5 meatballs with sauce; each plain meatball without sauce is 25 calories

Try my Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs.

Nutrition analysis courtesy of Genesis® R&D