These Swedish meatballs are so delicious, and easy to make too! From start to finish, you can have this meal on the table within 3o minutes, and your family will love it!
This year, I have vowed to make meals as easy as possible from start to finish. I also wanted to add some new recipes to our weekly menus that our kiddos will actually eat. On a recent trip to IKEA, my daughter and I discovered Swedish meatballs, and WOAH! They are so delicious! My daughter loved them so much that she asked if we could have it at home sometime, and of course, I said yes!
On a recent trip to Walmart, I was perusing the frozen food section and saw that Cooked Perfect® offered frozen Homestyle Meatballs made with chicken, pork and beef. I have used their Italian Style Meatballs many times for meatball subs and spaghetti and meatball dishes, but for this dish I didn't want the Italian flavor, so these were the perfect choice for Swedish meatballs! So, I grabbed a bag and brought them home!
To start this recipe off, I followed the instructions on the back of the Cooked Perfect Meatballs bag, and cooked them in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
While the meatballs were cooking in the oven, I started melting ¼ cup of butter in a saucepan on medium-high heat.
Once the butter was melted, I added in ⅓ cup of all-purpose four and whisked it together with the butter until it browed up a bit, making a roux.
Once the roux was slightly browned, I slowly stirred in 4 cups of beef broth, whisking the entire time. I let it cook for 2 minutes, and it thickened up.
Once the sauce thickened up a bit, I added ¾ cup of sour cream and whisked it in until fully combined.
Now it's time for the fun part! Let's add in the cooked meatballs to the hot tub! Once the meatballs are in the sauce, I let them cook in the sauce for 10 minutes so all the flavor from the meatballs and sauce would really combine well.
Once they finished cooking, I wanted to make sure to serve them with something that could soak up some of the sauce and pair nicely with the meatballs too, so I chose egg noodles.
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Delicious Swedish Meatballs Using Frozen Meatballs
Description
These Swedish meatballs are so delicious, and easy to make too! From start to finish, you can have this meal on the table within 3o minutes, and your family will love it!
Ingredients
- 1 bag of Cooked Perfect® Frozen Homestyle Meatballs
- ¼ cup of butter
- ⅓ cup of all-purpose flour
- 4 cups of beef broth
- ¾ cup of sour cream
- Cooked egg noodles (optional)
Instructions
Bake meatballs on a sheet pan for 20 minutes at 350°
While the meatballs are cooking, melt ¼ cup of butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once butter is melted, whisk in ⅓ cup of all-purpose flour and continue to whisk until it browns up and thickens a bit. Slowly stir in 4 cups of beef broth and whisk while cooking for 2 minutes, or until it starts to thicken. Once the sauce has thickened, add ¾ cup of sour cream and stir well. Now add your baked meatballs to the sauce and let cook for 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately over cooked egg noodles.
Y'all, I can't even tell you how delicious these Swedish meatballs turned out! The meatballs were nice and moist, and really soaked up the sauce that I made. My entire family gave them two thumbs up, and Kate said they were even better than the meatballs that we had at IKEA! The best thing for me was not having the pressure of having to make homemade meatballs, brown them and then cook them on top of creating the sauce to go with them. These Cooked Perfect® Meatballs really were just that...cooked perfectly and delicious! I could really tell that they had been made with quality ingredients and flame-broiled before freezing, which made them taste just like homemade!
You can Find Cooked Perfect Meatballs in your grocer's freezer section, and believe me, you will want to pick up several bags to keep stocked in your freezer for those nights when you don't know what to cook! They are a huge time saver, so delicious and you can use them in tons of meatball recipes!
Ali says
This was delicious! My roux was WAY thicker than yours with 3/4 cup of flour, so next time I'll definitely be reducing that. Other than that plus some baby bella mushrooms and seasonings, I'll definitely make again! :)
Teresa says
The ratio of butter to flour is not right. It had no real gravy; just a sticky, glue-like substance although the flavor wasn't bad.. I think with a 1:1 ratio of butter to flour would be more appropriate, at least that is what I intend to try the next time I want Swedish meatballs and don't have a lot of time to make them. Thank you for the recipe.
Kelly P says
I followed recipe exactly and sauce never thickened. Ended up stirring some of the sauce and 2 tbsp cornstarch and adding that. That did the trick for mw
Jacque says
I had the same problem. I had to add more thickening.
Taylor says
This recipe is sooo delicious! I did also have an issue with thickening, however, when it comes to pasta I ALWAYS add finely grated cheese to my sauces and that definitely did the trick! 100% will keep this in my recipe book :)
Bonnie says
The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of flour not 3/4. The sour cream was 3/4. But even with 1/4 c of flour my sauce was a bit thin but still tastes delicious.
Diane says
The recipe I'm reading shows "1/3 cup flour"...not, 1/4, not 3/4.
1 bag of Cooked Perfect® Frozen Homestyle Meatballs
1/4 cup of butter
1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
4 cups of beef broth
3/4 cup of sour cream
Cooked egg noodles (optional)
Nelly says
The recipe said 1/4 cup of all purpose flour!! Lol
Diane says
It says, 1/3 cup flour.
Connie says
The recipe says ⅓ cup flour. The butter to flour ratio was wrong. I had to add more butter 1½ tsp. It didn't thicken up enough so I mixed a little corn starch and water then added to thicken. Taste great!
Debbie says
Said 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 cup butter read it again
Jane Camero says
No, it doesn't - it says 1/3 Cup flour.
Michelle says
She said 1/4
Diane says
1/3 cup flour.
Tenna says
It's 3/4 cup sourcream not flour
Cheryl says
Recipe as it is, like others have said, is too thin so I use a 1/2 cup flour and that works well. I also add a good amount of fresh cracked black pepper.
★★★★
Debbie Dierking says
You read it wrong. It's 3/4 cup of SOUR CREAM. 1/3 cups of flour.
Kristie says
Butter to flour ratio should always be equal for gravy.
Lisa says
Yum! So easy and delicious! I'll definitely use less flour next time (I should have read the comments first!). There is no need to bake the meatballs in the oven -- I just put them in the sauce and let them simmer until heated. I did add the sour cream at the very end because I didn't think it was a good idea to let sour cream simmer for so long. This recipe makes a lot! With two adults and two teenagers, we have a lot of leftovers.
Frank says
What size bag of meat balls
Roxie says
26 oz or 1.6 lbs.
Barb says
How many meatballs would that be?
Hadley says
46 meatballs
Shannon says
I tried this recipe today because of the simplicity. It was amazing! I have never made Swedish meatballs before and I was sure missing out. Thanks for the great recipe!
Vhush says
You need to try real Swedish Meatballs next they are amazing, this is good but its also too thin and not at all Swedish meatballs
Erika B says
I made this for my husband and daughter tonight... it was a hit! I added the meatballs a bit sooner than the recipe called for and added some dehydrated onions from our garden as well as a bit of nutmeg. We served it over egg noodles like my mother used to. Thank you for sharing this quick easy recipe!
Cheri H says
I only used half a bag of meatballs and it was plenty. The sauce was a little thin but it was fine. I also added 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg plus 1/4 teaspoon of allspice to make it more like the traditional recipe.
Very good, and simple.
★★★★★
Jessica says
Thank you!
Laura Dodmead says
Hi Jessica, I came across this recipe and thought it could be perfect to make for my daughter who just had a baby. Can this be frozen and prepared as needed?
Pat says
I am a mediocre cook and I am not good with gravies, sauces or roux. But I did the best I could with this recipe. Everything went just like it should. It was delicious. Thank you, thank you.
Bonnie Olson says
This is my 2nd time making this recipe...Love it!!!!! Thank you!!!
Sarah says
This looks great! But is the amount of flour 1/4 cup or 3/4 cup? The list of ingredients and the directions say different amounts. Thanks!
Chef James says
The recipe calls for a quarter cup of flour my Adviceis to use less than a quarter cup and then gradually add some more if it needs thickening.
Christina says
This was perfect! Very tasty and it took exactly 30 minutes to make and my toddler was licking his fingers! My husband ate the leftovers two days in a row. The instructions were easy to follow. Thanks
Sheryl says
Very easy recipe. Tasted yummy. Next time I will use more flour. Or use less broth. I couldn’t get the sauce to thicken once I added the broth.
Lee says
My sauce was thin in which I prefer. I added onions Italian season,garlic, and parsley. Def a good quick recipe and this was my first time ever making Swedish meatballs. Thumbs up from me
Chris says
I had those meatball they are very good with tomato based sauce and melted cheese on and toasted roll yum yum yes .but I'm no way are they Swedish ( Do it right or you know). Theres not a oz of pork,no all spice, no nutmeg, no heavy cream, no plain dried bread crumbs, no parsely. And no tender loving care or pride in a frozen meatball rolled not not by hand, but by machine. And real Swedish meatballs have ground veal ( but that's hard too find and they kill baby cows to get veal. But talk about tender.) I was looking for the perfect sauce and this recipe and thought in twenty more years all Swedish meatballs
Will be made from( You guessed it frozen meatballs.If We are such a hurry to cook classic dishes like these beauties, do We deserve the real thing anyway?
LisaA says
Goodness to all the haters of this recipe. This isn’t authentic Swedish meatballs but it is a shortcut take on them. Not everyone has hours to make a weekday meal. I added Worcestershire sauce and sliced onion and mushrooms and simmered the frozen meatballs for about an hour in the sauce. When I started the sauce was thin but simmering it longer thickened it up. Delish!
LisaA says
Goodness to the negative comments of this recipe. This isn’t authentic Swedish meatballs but it is a shortcut take on them. Not everyone has hours to make a weekday meal. I added Worcestershire sauce and sliced onion and mushrooms and simmered the frozen meatballs for about an hour in the sauce. When I started the sauce was thin but simmering it longer thickened it up. Delish!
Jerry says
Are you drunk?
Angela says
After adding the sour cream and letting summer for a while (stirring constantly) there seems to be white flakes on top of the sauce. Does this mean my sour cream was bad??? Is it safe to eat??? I also added some beef gravy for more flavor.
Jessica says
I'm not sure what the flakes could be, but I hope your sour cream wasn't bad. I can't tell you if it is safe to eat without seeing, but fingers crossed that you figured it out. Best of luck!
Joann says
The sour cream probably curdled from the heat.
Valerie Perry says
If you add the sour cream in slowly it allows you to mix it in the way the sauce needs it to. and that way you wont have little white flakes :)
Ashley says
These we're very easy to make on a busy weeknight and yummy! Even my two-year-old and 8 month old loved it, thanks for sharing!
Jessica says
I'm so glad they loved it!
Teresa says
Can I use frozen italian meatballs instead of the homestyle ? I grabbed the wrong bag.
Jessica says
Absolutely...the taste will be a little different, but I'm sure it will still be delish!
Ms.Adriana Vargas says
Hi Jessica,
I made this awesome recipe, but the gravy did not get thick at all, I had to add more butter and another 1/4 of a cup of flour, and by the time all was done, it took an hour and 33 mins.
Y. Denise Stephenson says
Looks good to me. FYI- IKEA sells their Swedish Meatballs at their store. Just remember to bring an insulated bag when you go to shop. Thanks for sharing.
Leslie says
Any suggestion for a sour cream substitute?
Doc says
Plain yogurt can be substituted for sour cream.
Gregory Williams says
INSTEAD OF SOUR CREAM I USED ONION DIP AND CREAM CHEESE WITH CHIVES EXTRAORDINARY FLAVOR !! WOWWW!
Doc says
I just served these and they were a hit. One change I made was I added 1/4 tsp of both nutmeg and allspice to the sauce.
★★★★
Sophie says
The sauce was too thin. The flavor is good but I prefer a thicker sauce.
Jessica says
You could always thicken the sauce up a little bit at the end using some cornstarch.
Mary Sandmeier says
Good recipe! It's nice to not have to make scratch meatballs first. If you're looking for an authentic Swedish experience, you'll need to add allspice and grated onion to your meatballs. You can use nutmeg, though, as the flavor is similar. The sauce needs cream, not sour cream, and they are served with mashed potatoes. It was a popular dish growing up. My fathers mother was from Sweden (she spoke almost no English!) and my mother learned her recipe before passing it on to me. I do like them over egg noodles, though!
Patricia Jean Viney says
how much allspice and nitmeg do you need to add?
Laura says
Can I put it in a crockpot to keep it warm?
Jessica says
Absolutely!
Sheree Burdette says
OH MY GOODNESS! I am vegan, so I substituted the ingredients and this was SOOOOO delicious! My husband was very impressed! Thank you for sharing!!
James says
Lol, after removing the beef, beef broth, and sour cream to adhere to your vegan diet, what was left?
k says
That made me laugh too but I admire her creativity. I am guessing you could use vegan "meat"balls, veggie broth, and a nut-based sour cream? I'm not sure how you could get the richness of beef though... maybe mushrooms. Probably also have to add in a thickener..
Lavonne says
Can I make this dish the day before and reheat the day if my party?
Jessica says
Absolutely...I almost like them better the next day!
Shaneese J. says
This came out really good! I was very surprised considering how simple this was. I followed the receipe mostly except that I used one can of beef broth and one can of chicken broth.(I had to use chicken broth because i didnt have another can of beef). I seasoned broth mixture with garlic and slap yo mamma seasoning. That's it. This is something i will definitely make more often.
★★★★
Stacey Crawford says
You can just buy frozen meatballs and the gravy from IKEA's Swedish Food Market!!! Easier and just at yummy!!! 😀
Mary says
You know what? You are in the wrong thread! This is an outstanding recipe, and if you want one calling for frozen IKEA Swedish meatballs, then google that! Just stop spreading meanness! This is a great idea for weeknights or any time you don't feel like spending hours in the kitchen. I guarantee, anyone hungry and having this, will love it!!!! Thank you for posting this recipe. I for sure found it helpful and quite delicious!
Denise says
Reply to Stacy Crawford: Our closest Ikea is almost 3 hours away so for some people this is definitely a good "substitute". I very much appreciate that Jessica took the time to share it with us!.
Sash says
I'm making this now and used mushroom broth with sauteed mushrooms with a tad thicker roux with no noodles, a little oregano in the roux, with mashed potatoes on the side, gonna use the rest of it tomorrow with noodles. DELICIOUS!!! Aaaaah!!!!!!
Jill says
I followed the directions as written and my sauce came out runny. I'll try again with less broth and possibly corn starch as a thickening agent.
★★★
Kristina says
Oh my gosh this was so good, thank you so much! Even the leftovers the next day were just as good! I followed the recipe exactly (topped it with some hot sauce because I add it to everything :P)
DJ says
2 minutes of stirring is not nearly long enough to thicken. I would up the flour a bit and simmer for 10 minutes to get a nice thick sauce. Easy and tasty otherwise
★★★★
Stacey Walton says
This was amazing! I added a can of cream of mushroom and it was delish!!
Fawn Gusk says
This recipe was SO good! I added 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce for added flavor. My whole family loved it. I will definitely make it again.
★★★★★
Jessica says
I'm so glad you and your family loved it! Happy New Year!
Marsha says
FYI What makes meatballs actual Swedish meatballs is nutmeg! While your meatballs may be good, they are in no way Swedish! Perhaps you should rename them...
Jo says
Ummm..I read 1/3 cup of flour! Recipes was fine. I too waited until the end to add sour cream. Added thyme and placed over noodles. It was good.
Kathy Oglesby says
Made it last night. First time for cooking meatballs. It turned out really good. Only difference was I used 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream instead of sour cream. Mom and I loved it
Rikki says
I thought this recipe was delicious. Thank you!
★★★★★
Shelbi says
I added 3 cups of beef broth instead of 4 cause we like a thicker sauce ..turned out good
Christine says
I made this tonight for dinner and it was delish! One minor change; I incorporated the frozen meatballs directly onto the sauce and simmer the mixture for 15 minutes. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Bigfambam says
Came out great used 1 stick real butter 10 TBS flour, 9 small beef bouillon cubes 8 C water, poured over 18 oz prepared egg noodles. Mixed in baked meatballs. 1/4 C sour cream. Was very good.
★★★★★
Jessie says
My whole family loved this! I followed the recipe as described. Thanks for sharing this - it’s definitely going into our favorite meals rotation. 😊
★★★★★
Jessica says
I'm so glad they loved it!
Jessica says
Is there any way to freeze these and if so how could you reheat them back up after frozen?
Kristin says
Hi! How many servings does this make?
Jackson’s Gigi says
I would say it will easily feed 5-6 adults.
★★★★★
Jackson’s Gigi says
OMG, Jessica!! I love when someone says, this meal will be on your table in 30 minutes and it actually happens!! I am the only vegetarian in my family, so I’m relying on what they told me. They all said that they loved this recipe better than mine that has handmade meatballs in it! Fine with me folks. My husband asked what to do with the cup of egg noodles that we had left. I told him to just mix it with the remaining sauce. My daughter laughed and said what sauce? Lol. I’m just glad that they loved it. We are a family of five. My skinny son had three helpings!! I added 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 2-3 tablespoons of defydrated onions. I let these cook for awhile, before putting the sour cream in. My family raves about this. Sauce was the perfect consistency, etc. If your sauce is too thin, add a little more flour. You can do this!
★★★★★
Virginia says
We absolutely enjoyed every bite. Tasted great! Easy to make. Will definitely make this one again...but, in bigger bulk so I can share with extra family members.
Thanks again for sharing your recipe 👍🏻
★★★★★
Amanda says
This was an amazing meal. I did just as the recipe calls, but I added a packet of mushroom soup/dip. At first my husband did not like it. He said it had no flavor, but he had seconds and loved it! Just needed a little time to absorb all of the flavor. We will wait a few minutes for it to cool off next time.
We normally make Swedish meat balls with cream cheese, I liked this so much more!
★★★★★
Jennifer says
Great easy recipe! I added some Worcestershire & garlic powder the 2nd time I made the dish & it was really tasty. I also let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for 20 minutes & that helped thicken the sauce. Thank you, Delish!
Erin says
I made this and added a can of Cream of Mushroom soup because I wanted mushrooms in it. Only going by what we had at home. Sauce was on the thinner side but was still a hit. My 1 yr old who only usually likes PB&J loves this dish. We will be having it again for sure! Thanks!
Tatiana Haas-Castro says
I hear that plane Greek yogurt is a good substitute. Especially cabot brand
Kate says
Everyone loved it but most altered it.
Also, what if you have no sour cream on hand? Does it matter?
Thanks
LMRead says
This was very easy to make and my family loved it! I liked that the ingredients were everything I already had on hand.
Joanna says
Thank you! I finally found a new meal that my family of 5 all enjoyed. It made dinner more pleasant not to see 1+ person quietly eat out of obligation. My picky crew (kids 13,11,9) even requested it to be added to our rotation. It's taken many tries of new recipes for us to agree on a keeper. Seconds and empty bowls! We found it here and it was easy, fast, and I can keep all the ingredients on hand!
★★★★
Amber Kilner says
This was really good. I made it twice. The first time I cooked exactly as written, and it came out perfect. The second time I added sauteed onions and mushrooms, which I think made it a little runny given the excess water that the veggies gave out. I just added a little corn starch and that did the trick!
★★★★★
Car says
This was delicious! Thank you! I did added 1/4 nutmeg and 3/4 tsp allspice per another reviewer to make it more "Swedish". I think the sauce was perfect and I mixed the noodles (we used bowties) and the sauce together. I think this would be very good over mashed potatoes also. It was very simple and definitely a quick meal. Husband asked to add it to rotation!
★★★★
Erin says
Made this tonight! Added mushrooms and onion to the sauce also and omg. It was so good. It tasted like a mix of Swedish meatballs and beef stroganoff. Highly recommend.
Jennifer says
I made this for the second time tonight. The first time, I made it as directed and it came out bland and runny. This time made as directed, but increased flour to just under a half a cup and I added a little over a teaspoon of roasted beef better than bouillon and the flavor came out much better this time around. It’s STILL on the runny side though so maybe I’m doing something not quite right I don’t know.
★★★★
Julie says
This is a great recipe for a busy weeknight! I tried it today on a whim and it didn’t disappoint. I only had a 12 oz bag of frozen turkey meatballs and I only had chicken broth instead of beef. I used 3 cups of the broth instead of 4 and I stirred the sauce for a while (about 10 minutes or so) to get it nice and thickened. I added plenty of black pepper and a few other seasonings and it came out great! Tossed it with cooked egg noodles :) In the future, I’ll try it with cream of mushroom and a splash of Worcestershire.
Kathy says
I was wondering if I could even cheat a little more and use prepared brown gravy and doctor that up with mushrooms and spices??? I can not make a good gravy to save my life!
Ko says
This recipe is truly awful. Awful, I’ll say it again. It’s a liquid, not a gravy, and there’s no flavor so be prepared to essentially create your own gravy. Truly terrible that this recipe has as many stars. Please find another recipe on another site; this one is a doozy!
★
Cheryl says
Made this recipe last night. I added a packet of onion soup mix and reduced the broth to 3 cups. It was delicious. Thanks.
Lindsay says
Just made this! I tweaked a few things, added nutmeg like I read above, some onion powder, and chopped up 4 cloves of sautéed garlic. I didn’t have beef broth on hand, but I made some with Better than Bullion. My family loved it!
Tammie says
Loved it !
Used recipe as written with the exception of substituting gluten free flour (what it had )
Worked perfectly!
★★★★★
Candice says
Made it tonight for dinner. I added more flour to it. Took a while to thicken. I added spices to it. Parsley, seasoned salt, pepper, onion powder. It was bland until added the spices. But it turned out than I thought. Family says yeah to recipe. So it’s a keeper.
★★★★
Cindy says
Followed the recipe except I added onion powder and some minced garlic and a can of sliced mushrooms. My sauce was runny. Next time I will decrease to 2-3 cups of beef broth or double my rue.
★★★★
Heidi says
Easy and delicious! I substituted 2 cans of beefy mushroom soup for some of the beef broth and added sautéed onions. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Wendy davis says
I followed this recipe to a T and i did not like them..At all. I should have looked up Ikeas recipe instead ….my boys did not like them either what a bummer!
★
Mrs. says
Air fry the meat balls. Very good recipe. I wouldn't add much extra salt, beef broth is naturally so salt.
★★★★★
Ms. Carol says
Hi Jessica,
This recipe was amazing!! Made it for my father and I. He went back for 2nds, (which he never does). I did add a 1/4 tsp of allspice and nutmeg before I added the sour cream and meatballs. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I am not a cook, my mother was. I was looking for something different to make for dinner for a picky eater (dad) and this was perfect! Can you tell me if I can freeze the leftover sauce or does it not keep for very long? Thank you again for sharing
Mary Hemmingsen says
This sauce recipe is great! I used to have the perfect Swedish meatball recipe in high school. It called for dill weed in the sauce. Unfortunately that recipe was lost in a move, as it was written on school notebook paper and tucked in between the pages of a cook book. I've finally found a recipe I can add dill weed to and it tastes just as good! Thank you!
★★★★★
Hairstyles says
May I request that you elaborate on that? Your posts have been extremely helpful to me. Thank you!
Donna Schroeder says
The recipe says 1/3 c flour and I just made this and it came out fine
★★★★★