Köttbullar netto
Keftedes (Greek meatballs)
Forget the frozen version, traditional Swedish meatballs köttbullar are easy to make at home and taste delicious. These gently spiced meatballs in a flavorful cream sauce are classic comfort food. This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page. Many cultures have a version of meatball and pretty much all of them have a slightly different flavor.
The combination of meats can also vary. These Swedish bites are no different, with a gentle warm spice of allspice and sometimes nutmeg. As with all traditional recipes, you will find slight variations in the exact ingredients and method for these. Some pre-cook the onion, others don't. Most use breadcrumbs or bread that you soak before combining with the other ingredients, but the soaking liquid can vary.
Some use milk, others cream, and a few part or all stock or water. The seasoning is kept pretty simple in pretty much all. Some only use salt and pepper, but many have at least one or more spice - allspice is most common but others also have nutmeg or ginger. Don't go too heavy on any of them, though. While a paler, almost white sauce might be more common in Americanized versions of this dish, traditionally, the sauce is more of a pale brown as you see here.
Traditional Swedish meatballs (köttbullar)
Why, you may ask? Well, two things: one is a touch of soy sauce and the other is all the wonderful browning from cooking the meatballs. Both add some great flavor and really help make this dish extra delicious. To get the brownings, you can either use some of the drippings from the skillet or, more easily, use the same skillet after cooking the meatballs.
The only slight downside is you may have a little excess fat that you need to drain first, or else larger pieces of browning. Especially if the browning is a bit lumpy, you might find you need to strain the sauce to make it smoother.
Kofte-style lamb meatballs in a tomato-pepper sauce
Or just leave it, it will still taste good. Then, add back the meatballs to warm them through in the sauce before serving. Despite the few variations in the meatballs themselves, what is consistent is how to serve them. Well, sort of. The cream sauce is pretty much a must, as are the lingonberries as a delicious sweet contrasting flavor and pop of color. The most common side is mashed potatoes, but you might also have these with boiled potatoes or noodles.
Some Swedish pressed cucumbers on the side are pretty common and are great for cutting through the richness. You may think you know Swedish meatballs, but you probably don't know how good they can really be unless you have had homemade. Yes, they take a little more effort than from a packet, but they are easy to make, especially using the tips above, and the result is comforting, flavorful and delicious.
Köttbullar
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I made this for my family last night and they turned out delicious! Saved it for us to make again in the future. Thanks for sharing your recipe.