Super Simple Swedish Meatballs

Mmm...Swedish Meatballs has to be one of my favorite comfort foods. For as long as I can remember, my "tried and true" recipe was on the back of a Swedish Meatball seasoning packet, and I liked it that way. After a recent lunch at IKEA with my daughter left her begging for more, I headed to the grocery store to pick up what we needed. And that's when it happened - the store was completely out of Swedish Meatball seasoning packets! None. Nada. Zip. Zero. After standing in disbelief and wondering how I was going to fulfill my dinner promises, I whipped out my phone and did a quick search, grabbed a few of the basics and tweaked them to my liking. The result was a creamy, flavorful dish loaded with serious amounts of yum. The best part is, this method is not any more time consuming nor labor intensive than my old method, and it's MUCH more authentic. I guess you could say I won't be needing those seasoning packets anymore ;)

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• ¼ cup Italian Style Panko bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• ¼ tsp. ground allspice
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ¼ cup onion, minced
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• ¼ tsp. seasoning salt (we use Meat Magic brand)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

Gravy

• 5 tbsp. butter
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. seasoning salt
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium sized bowl combine ground beef, panko, parsley, brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, onion, garlic powder, seasoning salt, pepper, salt and egg. Mix until combined.
2. Roll into 12 large meatballs or 20 small meatballs. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil and 1 Tablespoon butter. Add the meatballs and cook turning continuously until brown on each side and cooked throughout. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
3. Add 4 Tablespoons butter and flour to skillet and whisk until it turns brown. Slowly stir in beef broth and half and half. Add Worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard. Simmer until sauce starts to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add the meatballs back to the skillet and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Serve over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice.

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