CONFESSION: I am one of those shameless individuals who goes to IKEA to buy food and not furniture (and I know I’m not the only one – raise ya hands y’all!) But have you guys ever stopped to think how and why a furniture shop sells such good food?! It is beyond me. I remember when I first moved to Germany and hardly knew anyone, I would go to IKEA on the weekends to chill, use their wi-fi and eat good food. It was like living in my huge dream house for free, only on Saturdays..for a couple hours…and then I had to face reality and leave ha!

I’m sure that if you’ve shopped at IKEA you would’ve come across or tasted their Swedish Meatballs which I must say are divine. It’s literally just juicy meatballs smothered in a brown butter gravy. And if you also shopped at IKEA, you will know that the line for food can sometimes be ridiculous. I got tired and annoyed of waiting in line for so long just to get these meatballs that I told myself I must learn how to make these! And I did! So we about to save some coins and make these beauties ourselves!

Swedish Meatballs Recipe – (Svenska Köttbullar)

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

• 3 slices of white bread (crusts off and cubed)
• 2/3 cup milk
• 500g pork mince
• 500g beef mince
• 1 egg
• 1 onion (grated)
• Seasonings: 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon parsley, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons butter

Gravy:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/4 flour
• 4 tablespoons double cream (the more cream you add, the lighter the gravy gets)
• 2-4 cups beef broth (adding gradually)
• 5 drops of soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parsley to garnish

Method:

1. In a bowl, soak cubed bread pieces in milk and leave to sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes the bread should have swelled up – now stir together so the bread and milk have fully combined. (Tip: Adding milk soaked bread pieces into meat mixture makes the meatballs so moist and light!)
2. Then add eggs (and stir), then the grated onions (and stir), then the seasonings (and stir). Add in both the pork and beef mince gradually and mix until combined using your hands or wooden spoon. Roll the meat into small meatballs (Tip: Wet hands with very cold water or ice to make it easier to roll the meatballs without the meat sticking to your hands)
3. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter on med-high heat and fry meatballs until its browned and cooked (5 minutes). Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and rest.
4. To make the gravy, heat the meat drippings in the frying pan from the meatballs and add butter. When the butter has fully melted, gradually stir in the flour with a whisk until all is incorporated and mixture is brown in colour. Gradually stir in the beef broth, soy sauce and double cream with a whisk until it thickens. Leave to simmer on medium heat and season with salt and pepper (if needed).
5. Add meatballs into gravy and stir to make sure they are fully coated. Simmer for another 5 minutes whilst stirring occasionally.
6. Serve hot, garnish with parsley and ENJOY!

Serving suggestions: Boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, pasta and spaghetti.