Swedish Meatballs

Yield: 40 meatballs

Prep: 40 mins
Bake: 18 mins 400°F

Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 cups cubed fresh bread
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 pounds 90-percent lean ground beef
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fines herbs
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Spray two 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pans with vegetable cooking spray.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook about 8 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a large bowl and cool.

3. Soak the bread cubes in the milk in a small bowl 1 minute, then squeeze very dry, discarding milk. Add bread to onions with the beef, eggs, salt, nutmeg, fines herbs, paprika, mustard, and pepper; mix well. Shape into forty 1-1/2 inch balls. Arrange on the prepared jelly-roll pans. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, turning meatballs once and rotating pans halfway through. Remove meatballs from pans and set aside.

4. Pour 2 tablespoons of water into each jelly-roll pan, scraping up browned bits from bottom. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the beef broth, water, and drippings from jelly-roll pans. Bring to a boil. Add meatballs to skillet. Sprinkle with dill. Makes 40 meatballs.

Make Ahead Tip

Prepare meatballs and sauce as directed above. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Reheat in skillet with 1/4 cup more water about 20 minutes or until hot.