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Written ByDorothy Kern
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Easy Swedish Meatballs with frozen meatballs: a delicious 30-minute dinner! Frozen meatballs make it so easy to make, and the quick homemade sauce takes them over the top! Serve it with noodles for a cozy, comforting dinner with tons of flavor.
30 Minute Swedish Meatballs Recipe
One of our favorite easy dinners to make is Swedish meatballs and noodles, and my recipe is so easy you can make it on a weeknight.
Instead of making meatballs from scratch, I use my favorite frozen meatballs – it cuts the work in half and makes this a quick 30-minute dinner. At our house, that’s a good thing because we get cravings for this rich and hearty dinner pretty often, especially when it’s cold.
Make this when you’re craving cozy comfort food, and I promise it won’t disappoint. We love to pile the meatballs with the sauce on top of hot noodles, but I’m sharing other ways to serve too! Easy Swedish meatballs have been in our dinner rotation for quite a while, and we never get tired of it.
Easy Swedish Meatball Ingredients
- Frozen meatballs– beef meatballs or turkey meatballs will work! I like using lean turkey meatballs, homestyle meatballs or Italian style meatballs.
- Unsalted butter and flour– they work together to thicken the sauce
- Chicken Broth– you can use chicken stock or beef broth
- Worcestershire sauce– adding this makes the sauce taste like it was cooked for hours
- Half and half– this gives the sauce a rich and creamy texture. My mom always used sour cream – which you can substitute (or use heavy cream).
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
How to Make Easy Swedish Meatballs
- Bake the meatballs following the package instructions. The ones I use take about 15 to 20 minutes at 375°F.
- Boil the noodles, and while they’re cooking, you can make the sauce, which only takes about 10 minutes.
- In a large skillet on the stove top, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk it into the flour. Whisk for 30 to 60 seconds to cook the flour.
- Add the stock and whisk again until there are no lumps. Add all of the seasonings and Worcestershire sauce while whisking continuously.
- Add the half and half and whisk until the sauce thickens. Once the meatballs are done, add them to the gravy and stir to coat them.
- Serve the sauce and meatballs with the cooked noodles.
Other Ways to Serve It
Pasta: We love this dish with egg noodles, but you can substitute other pasta if that’s what you have on hand.
Rice: Or, serve the Swedish meatballs over brown or white rice to switch it up. For a real comfort food dinner, pile it all on top of mashed potatoes. For a lighter version, you can also use cauliflower mash.
Vegetables: Add a cooked vegetable on the side like green beans, broccoli, or cauliflower. A crisp green salad is excellent, too, or skip the veggies and add some toasted bread for soaking up all the delicious sauce.
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- You can make the meatballs from scratch – try my turkey meatball recipe (which you can substitute with ground beef if you prefer).
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. Put leftovers in the freezer – you can freeze them for up to a month.
FAQs
Should you thaw frozen meatballs before baking?
No – frozen meatballs are made to bake from frozen. But always read the package directions.
How are Swedish meatballs different from regular meatballs?
Mainly it’s in the sauce – the creamy sauce is what makes the meatballs Swedish meatballs.
How to store leftovers
Store leftover meatballs in the sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Easy Swedish Meatballs Recipe
5 from 8 votes
This Swedish Meatball Recipe is an easy 30-minute dinner. Frozen meatballs make it so easy to make, and the quick homemade sauce takes them over the top! Serve it with noodles for a cozy, comforting dinner.
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
Total Time 30 minutes minutes
Yield 4 servings
Serving Size 1 serving
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Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen meatballs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken or beef stock
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup half and half
- Egg noodles cooked, for serving
Instructions
Bake meatballs according to package directions. (Mine baked at 375°F for about 15-20 minutes.)
Boil the noodles while meatballs are baking, if using.
While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce (the sauce only takes about 10 minutes to make). Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 30-60 seconds, then whisk in the stock until no lumps remain. Add onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk in half and half and cook, stirring often, until thickened.
Once the meatballs are cooked through, add to the sauce and toss to coat.
Serve hot with noodles.
Recipe Notes
We love this dish with egg noodles, but you can substitute other pasta if that’s what you have on hand.
Or, serve the Swedish meatballs over brown or white rice to switch it up. For a real comfort food dinner, pile it all on top of mashed potatoes. For a lighter version, you can also use cauliflower mash.
Add a cooked vegetable on the side like green beans, broccoli, or cauliflower. A crisp green salad is excellent, too, or skip the veggies and add some toasted bread for soaking up all the delicious sauce.
Recipe Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 647mg | Potassium: 621mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 282IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern
Did you try this recipe? Click the stars to rate the recipe below
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Swedish Meatballs don’t have to be complicated or super time consuming! This is an easy dinner recipe that’s one of our favorites!
Last Updated on February 4, 2024
Dorothy Kern
Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.
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10 Comments
Just made this for diner it was simple, fast, cheap and delicious!! Thank you, my family appreciates your recipes cooking for 8 can be very spendy at times and your recipes tend to be more on the affordable side. Also living in Alaska ingredients can be a challenge and you don’t tend to use weird things I cant get here! So in a nut shell thank you from the bottom of my poor broke cold heart!
ReplyI will definitely be making this one again my clan can be picky at times and hard to please not with yhis recipe! Thank You
ReplyCan I use sour cream instead of half and half? And how many does this serve ? Thanks .
ReplyYes – it serves about 4, depending on portion size.
ReplyUsed heavy cream In place of half and half. It is a nice and simple recipe. I might have to double next time for this hungry family. 😊
ReplyWhen do you add the beef stock?
ReplyIt’s in step 3 of the instructions.
ReplyEasy and yummy! Great flavor in the sauce. Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner!
ReplyThis is delicious and very easy! A few tweaks that upped the flavor quotient considerably and I promise, doesn’t make it any harder: add a small can or two of mushrooms, drained, to the sauce along with your meatballs; add 1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard (more to taste) to the sauce and whisk in; off the heat, stir in 1/4 cup of sour cream. Okay, so my husband says (this will make it harder, though); ‘you know what would be great in here? Sauteed onions!’ I immediately knew he was right. But still…EASY is the goal here, and this Recipe nails it!
ReplyI’m going to do sour cream as well. How many does this serve ?
Reply
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