Freezer-Friendly Swedish Meatballs

Some recipes will just never go out of style, or out of the kitchen and Swedish meatballs are one of them. This recipe dates all the way back to Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book published in 1956, and it’s still a keeper. Serve this Scandinavian favorite with egg noodles and tart lingonberry jam and you’ll have a classic, comforting meal on hand. Bonus: It’s incredibly freezer-friendly, too, so you can make a double batch and save one for dinner down the road. 

To make this delicious dish, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl either with a spatula, wooden spoon or the best tool I have: my hands.

Divide the mixture into small, walnut-size meatballs (you’ll end up with about 36 meatballs). Brown the meatballs in oil in a large skillet – in batches, if necessary – then transfer them to a plate. No need to cook the meatballs completely through yet, as they’ll come back to the skillet in a bit.

Leave the oil in the skillet and quickly stir in flour, paprika, salt and pepper to make a roux for the gravy. Stir in some boiling water and sour cream until everything is smooth.

Return the meatballs to the skillet. Reduce the heat and cook everything together for about 15 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.

Make sure to turn the meatballs every once in a while so they get coated in the gravy and cook evenly.

If you plan to freeze your meal, divide the meatballs and the gravy into separate food-safe, airtight containers. You can freeze them for up to three months. The night before you plan to serve them, let them thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat everything on the stove the next day. You may need to add a little bit of water to the gravy to thin it out, but otherwise, everything is set!

But if you’re less patient like me and are ready for your meatball meal now, serve the meatballs on top of egg noodles with gravy spooned on top, minced parsley for garnish and lingonberry jam on the side. Sometimes I’ll swap the egg noodles for mashed potatoes. Enjoy!