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swedish meatballs with dill sauce

Swedish Meatballs with Dill Sauce Appetizer

Kitchen Ready Betty
A party favorite that never seems to go out of style is Swedish meatballs. These scrumptious little morsels have so many things going for them! They're easy to make and can be made in advance from frozen. They're easy to eat and are quite the savory treat. They also keep warm in their amazing, creamy dill sauce.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Swedish
Servings 15
Calories 169 kcal

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Ingredients
  

Swedish Meatballs (makes about 60):

  • ½ cup onion finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef

Dill Sauce (makes about 2 ¼ cups sauce)

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 1 cup reduced fat sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill finely chopped

Instructions
 

Meatballs:

  • Sautée the onion and butter in a small frying pan until tender.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, eggs, salt, allspice and pepper; beat well.
  • Stir in meat and onion; mix well--but DO NOT OVERMIX!
  • Lightly grease your 13x9 baking dish or shallow pan. Then use a melon baller/cookie scoop to form meatballs. Place meatballs in the prepared dish.
  • Cover the baking dish/pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Dill Sauce:

  • Dice the dill. Set aside for last step.
  • In a small pan, melt the butter over low heat.
  • Blend in the flour, salt and dry mustard. Then raise the heat to medium.
  • Add the whole milk; cook and stir constantly until thickened.
  • Reduce heat back to low and stir in sour cream and dill. Keep warm unitl ready to serve.

Serving:

  • After baking, place meatballs in a chafing dish or crockpot (set on lowest setting) to keep them slightly warm. Add the dill sauce and you're good to go!

Storage and Reheating:

  • Store cooked meatballs and dill sauce together in an airtight container; refrigerate and enjoy within 3-5 days. Reheat meatballs and sauce together in a covered dish at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
  • You may choose to freeze the leftover meatballs if they weren't in sauce. Wrap them well in freezer-safe packaging and store for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge; reheat covered in 300 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
  • You can also freeze the meatballs before baking them. Store in your freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge; then bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Notes

I always use fresh dill for the sauce, but you may substitute dry dill if you prefer.
Whole milk works best for the dill sauce to keep it thick.
The more you handle the meat in shaping it, the less tender your Swedish meatballs will be. A melon baller or cookie scoop is highly recommended!

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 16gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 497mgPotassium: 303mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 220IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 2mg
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