I have fond memories of strolling a shopping cart around with my mother as a kid wandering through the living rooms of Ikea. It wasn’t that I loved Ikea per se, but I knew what was about to come just around the bend: the Ikea cafeteria. There, it was a Mecca for little Swedish meatballs slathered in gravy, and along with it often came a dollop of mashed potatoes and some lingonberry sauce of sorts. These little meatballs have always been in the back of my mind, one of those childhood food memories that seem to linger. This is why I was so exited to stumble upon many versions of this recipe here on Tasty Kitchen. This one, Turkey Swedish Meatballs by GottaFeedEmAll caught my eye in particular.
You begin by combining ground turkey with allspice, nutmeg, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, dried parsley, breadcrumbs and an egg.
I need to take a moment to give a shout out to one of my chickens for laying this egg. Isn’t it purty and bright? Good job girls!
Okay, where was I …
Separately, you’ll need finely diced onion and garlic (you can blend it in the food processor), along with flour and sour cream.
You’ll also need a healthy dose of my friend, butter. You can also use oil, but I love the flavor of butter when browning meat and vegetables.
And stock! (Not pictured). You’ll also need beef stock or whatever stock you have on hand.
You’ll sweat the onions and garlic in a bit of butter until they’re tender and translucent.
Then you’ll set them aside and let them cool for a few minutes.
Once the onion has cooled a bit, you mix it all together. I may or may not have added some fresh parsley in there. It was a gray day and I needed some color in my life.
Then you roll it all into precious little balls, about 1-inch in diameter.
Next, I diverged from the recipe a bit, because I wanted to make this a one-pan meal, but you could also bake these as the recipe suggests. Or you could get some butter bubbling like I did. It depends on your mood, really.
Brown these meatballs in batches, giving them a turn every so often so that they stay round. You don’t need to cook them through, since they will go back into the sauce in just a moment. Simply brown on all sides, then remove with a slotted spoon to a dish. Or like I said, you could bake them.
Next you make a roux. I noticed GottaFeedEmAll did something nifty by simply shaking the flour and stock together in a jar. I just tossed the flour into the pan grease though and whisked.
It will become brown and cook for a few minutes, and that’s when you can add the stock and continue to whisk.
As you whisk you’ll see it begin to thicken and the lumps will disappear. That’s when you add the meatballs back in and let them simmer and cook while the sauce reduces.
I should also note that I added an additional cup of stock than what the recipes says. It could be because I didn’t use the shaker method that I felt it was too thick. So if you decide to use the pan method, you’ll need some extra stock. I also find it helps to warm the stock before adding it to the flour. Extra gravy never hurt anyone, I say.
If you want to really go Ikea-style here, you could also add a bit of red currant jelly, raspberry jelly, or lingonberry sauce right into the mixture. It gives it a hint of sweetness, which I like. You could also just serve it on the side.
Once everything is cooked through, you turn off the heat and whisk in the sour cream. You won’t want to cook it much after that. Or if you’re not a fan of sour cream, thick plain yogurt would also be great.
It will lighten your sauce and give it a bit of a tang.
And there you have it! Ikea would be proud.
Thanks to TK member GottaFeedEmAll for the recipe and inspiration!
Here are some other mini meatball recipes here on TK:
Baked Turkey Teriyaki Meatballs by CookinCanuck
Family Favorite Swedish Meatballs by AngieN24
Swedish Meatballs by Mama-M
Cheesy Turkey Meatballs by MommieCooks
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Description
I came up with this recipe as a way to lighten up the original dish. Nobody in my family even realized they were eating turkey!
Ingredients
- FOR THE MEATBALLS:
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ cups Minced Fresh Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 20 ounces, weight Lean Ground Turkey
- 1 whole Egg
- ½ cups Dry Bread Crumbs
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ Tablespoons Dried Parsley
- 1 teaspoon Ground Allspice
- ¼ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- 14-½ ounces, fluid Low Sodium Beef Broth
- 3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ Tablespoons Dried Parsley
- ¼ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoons Salt, Or To Taste
- ¼ cups Light Sour Cream
Preparation Instructions
For the meatballs:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, saute 2-3 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine turkey, onions and garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, allspice, and nutmeg. Shape meat mixture into 1″ balls and place in a baking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through.
For the sauce:
Pour beef broth and flour into a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously until flour is dissolved.
Pour beef broth mixture into a large skillet with a lid and add Worcestershire and parsley, black pepper, and salt to taste. Heat to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in sour cream.
Add meatballs and cover. Simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over egg noodles, if desired.
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There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful book Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.
