There is something special about Swedish meatballs with cream of mushroom soup. The depth and richness of mushroom soup takes meatballs to the next level that can’t be replicated by other ingredients. Whenever possible, I make my own cream of mushroom soup, but a can of store-bought soup will do the trick. A cup of the soup is enough for this recipe but you can easily add another half a cup if you like.
To introduce some color and acidity, and more flavor, I like adding a tablespoon or two of Worcestershire to the mushroom sauce, but that’s totally optional in this recipe.
The trick to making the Swedish meatballs more flavorful is to roast bread crumbs before mixing them with ground meat. Very few recipes that I’ve seen recommend doing and that’s a big omission. Seriously, follow this tip and you will understand what I am talking about. It only takes a few extra minutes.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 lb lean ground pork
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or granulated garlic)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
For frying meatballs:
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
For the sauce mushroom soup sauce:
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup cream of mushroom soup (you can add 1 1/2 cups if you want more sauce)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (optional; plus more to taste)
For garnish:
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
Instructions
- In a large non-stick skillet, roast the bread crumbs over medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Bread crumbs are done when darker in color and smell toasty. That takes about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- In the same skillet, heat two tablespoons of olive oil, add the chopped onions and cook them until soft, about 3 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and transfer to the bowl with the breadcrumbs.
- Add the ground meat, milk, egg, parsley, salt and spices to the bread crumb and onion mixture. Mix well to combine.
- From the meat mixture, make approximately 20 meatballs of even size. Set aside on a plate.
- Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. If you skillet is not big enough, you may wan to do it in two batches so that it's easier to turn the meatballs. Set aside on a plate.
- Pour the broth to the skillet and bring a boil, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. If you used a non-stick pan, you probably won't have many of those, which is OK.
- Stir in the cream of mushroom soup and the sour cream.
- Return the meatballs back to the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Serve the meatballs while they are hot with noodles, with the sauce poured over and a sprinkle of fresh parsley on top. If you don't want to serve immediately, keep the meatballs warm, tightly covered.
Nutrition
Albert Rains
This was easy and absolutely delicious! Just the meatball recipe I was looking for.
Carrie
Delicious recipe. Omitted the nutmeg, allspice, and parsley. Used real garlic instead of powder. Didn’t toast the breadcrumbs, too much work. Used 2 full can of mushroom soup.
Sam
When there are 6 changes..is it still the “recipe”…???
Samantha
Love this recipe! So full of flavor.
Cathy
I’ve made something similar for the last 30 years but I wondered if there was something better, something to make the meatballs more tender, I just needed a little refresh on the recipe.
And sure enough I found that the spices and toasted breadcrumbs make a big difference. I ended up making them a couple hours early and putting them in the Crock-Pot to keep warm., and free up stove space. Delish!
GladysJ.
I had to substitute beef broth for chicken broth and sour cream for cream cheese since it’s what I had on hand but I followed the steps and the rest of the ingredients and it turned out delicious.
Cynthia
Very good! Easy to make. Tasty. I added a little extra sour cream.
Matt
Absolutely delicious and easy!
Sierra
Made it a few times now and it’s definitely a family favorite!
Heather
Delicious!
JimD.
My first time cooking Swedish meatballs and they turned out super delicious. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
victor
You are very welcome!
Jen
Love your recipes and this is one is no exception. These Swedish meatballs are delightful!
Malachi
I would add more sour cream to make it thicker, and definitely Worcestershire sauce. That is a must.
victor
I think it’s a great idea to add more sour cream to make the sauce thicker.
Elise
I’ve never been a fan of store-bought cream of mushroom soup so I don’t make recipes that use it. When I saw your meatballs I couldn’t resist and decided to make them but I made my own cream of mushroom soup using the recipe that you linked to in the post. It took some time but the dish turned out fabulous. The Swedish meatballs themselves are quite delicious even without the sauce. It’s a great recipe.