Who doesn’t love a good, steaming hot bowl of saucy egg noodles? Seriously this is a guaranteed crowd pleaser 100% of the time!
I have to call this “Swed(ish)” because I genuinely have NO idea what a real, authentic, Swedish Meatball dish is exactly supposed to taste like. Rather I have Scandinavian roots- thank you, Mom!- and a husband with an affinity for sauce. So while this may not be the most authentic dish you have ever tried (or maybe it is?) I can promise you will not be sorry you made it!
This recipe is relatively easy to whip together and this recipe will generously feed 4 with leftovers. (Don’t invite 6 people though because, while this may feed 6, you would be very sad to not have leftovers… trust me!)
2 lbs. Meatballs- either pre-made from the grocery store (I won’t tell) or your favorite recipe
1/2 stick of butter
2 Tbs. Flour
1-2 Cups Chicken or Veggie Stock
1/2 Tbs. Spicy Mustard
1/2 Tbs. Mustard
1.5 Tbs. Worcester Sauce
1/2 Tsp. Honey
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
Parsley – dried or fresh, about 2 Tbs. plus more for sprinkling
Salt to taste
Red pepper flakes and black pepper
1 pound egg noodles, cooked- reserve some pasta water
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and get a good heavy bottomed pot heated over a medium high stovetop with a majority of the butter melted. First step- brown the meatballs. You want them to have a really good sear/dark brown color on them so once they are in the sauce they don’t turn into mushballs (because we are making MEATBALLS, remember?). You may have to brown them in shifts, I usually have to do about three separate batches. As they get browned you want to transfer them to a glass baking dish and then get those into the oven.
Side note- the first time I made these I made the mistake of believing that the meatballs were fully cooked because I browned them beautifully… Luckily I cut into one before it went back into the sauce bath and preempted the salmonella I almost voluntarily fed to my friends and family… So please, do me and those you are feeding a favor and put the meatballs into the oven until they are cooked to 160 degrees internally!
Once your meatballs are in the oven it is time to start making the sauce. This sauce comes together rather easily. You are going to take the pot you were just making the meatballs in and add in the remaining butter to the browning liquid in the bottom of the pot. Tilting the pot to make a small butter pool, whisk the flour into the butter/juice mixture to make a smooth paste. Next, slowly whisk in the stock to get a nice smooth consistency. You may need more or less stock depending on the amount of liquid that was in the pan to start. Once mixed add the Worcester, mustard and honey. This should have a very savory taste with a slight tang at this point. The first time I tasted it I thought I ruined it with the mustard and you will probably think the same thing. Don’t worry, you didn’t! Now we need to mix in the cream. I usually don’t add the full half cup, just enough to give it that beautiful creamy consistency and color. Then add the salt, pepper and parsley to taste. The sauce will thicken as it cooks and soon you will be left with a beautiful gravy for your dish.
If your meatballs still need more time at this point take some of the sauce and label it over the baking dish with the meatballs cooking in it. They will start to infuse with the flavor of the gravy making everything super delicious. Once those hit 160 degrees take them out of the oven and add them to the sauce.
If your egg noodles are dry take a bit of the reserved pasta water and stir a bit back into them to bring them back to life. then add a little slug of olive oil and garlic salt to make those noodles delicious. Plate a nice serving in a pasta bowl and top with the meatballs and gravy sauce. I added some of the extra parsley on top to keep the color a touch bright.
The perfect meal for a cold winter night! I hope you enjoy!
xoxo, Lizzie