Prep Time: 20 Minutes. Cook time: 1 hour. Yield: Serves 4 to 6.
I am proud to say that all of the recipes on my blog are Gluten Free.
All Swedish Goodness All the Time
In 2014 I took the girls to Sweden for the first time. I was concerned about how it would be on the Gluten Free side, but my best friend is Swedish and she said they were well prepared for us and that many people in Sweden are gluten free. WoW! Sweden is way ahead of the world (as always seems to be the case), within 10 minutes of leaving the airport, we were sitting in a McDonalds and the kids were eating their first ever Gluten Free Happy Meals. I was eating a gluten free Big Mac. Talk about mind blowing and the kids fell in love with Sweden immediately.
We went to a park by the name of Skansa, as we got hungrier we were trying to find gluten free lunch items for the girls. We ventured to a more formal (IKEA type) cafeteria where they were making gluten free pancakes and gluten free Swedish meatballs. Kavika ate a few bites of her pancake before she realized she should have ordered the meatballs. Since it’s so hard to find great gluten free foods they can indulge in, I went and got her some meatballs. The girls absolutely loved them and have been “pining” for them ever since.
I’ve been trying to master a gluten free recipe and today, I finally had success! This is a shortcut recipe too. I used IKEA lingonberry Jam and I also purchase the IKEA packaged gravy which is gluten free as well. All I had to do was make the meatballs and the mashed potatoes. My oldest daughter took one bite and said, “this is the new love of my life!”, my youngest proclaimed, “I like these meatballs better than the ones in Sweden”, and my husband, he repeatedly told me how much he loved them.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 large yellow or white onion, finely chopped
- 4 Tbsp Corn Starch
- 2 eggs
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce:
- Graddsas gravy mix from IKEA
- 280 ml water
- 70 ml whipping cream
Method
1. Melt the butter in a sauté pan on medium-high heat. Stir in the chopped onions and cook until translucent and softened, 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Mix the eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cardamom. Add the ground beef and ground pork and use your (clean) hands to mix everything together until well combined. Add the onions at the end.
3. Get a small bowl of warm water and dip your hands in them before making the meatballs. I find this an easy method to make the meatballs and avoid the meat from sticking to your fingers. Use your hands to form the meatballs about an inch-thick and place them on a plate or sheet pan. This recipe should make between 40 and 45 meatballs
4. Heat 6 Tbsp of butter in a large sauté pan on medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the meatballs to the pan. Cook the meatballs in batches so there is room to move and they don’t break down. Slowly brown the meatballs on all sides. Handle the meatballs gently so they do not break apart as you turn them.
Once the meatballs have browned on all sides, remove them from the pan and set aside on a cookie sheet. The meatballs don’t have to be cooked through at this point. I put them in the oven for another 20 minutes at 350 degrees
5. Follow the instructions to make the gravy mix.
6. Make mashed potatoes.
Pour gravy over the mashed potatoes and meatballs and be prepared to have a very happy family.
It’s rich but soooo delicious! Enjoy!
