The meal you need in your life!! Learning how to make Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs at home will not only make you a family hero, but you will also get to enjoy the most delicious meal of all time right in your own kitchen!
For anyone that's been to Ikea, please tell me you've tried the Swedish Meatballs?! Call me crazy, but I'll even come up with a reason to go close to a meal time, just so I can get the meatballs to eat, they are so yummy! But it's not super close to my house, so it doesn't happen very often given all the places everyone needs to be. Even with all of the crazy running around we have to do, I still like coming home to a nice hot meal when I can't get to Ikea. No reason to not have Swedish Meatballs on a weekly basis just because I don't need another 12 hour furniture assembly project. Using the slow cooker makes it all possible, and these Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs make the perfect dinner that will have your whole family coming home for a meal around the table.
What are Swedish Meatballs?
While the origins of these meatballs may be unclear, the dish that we call Swedish Meatballs generally includes meatballs with a gravy, a mixture of meats, some sweet jam, and all spice seasoning. I've made a few modifications to make these slow cooker friendly, so if you are a Swedish Meatball purist, these may cause a bit of distress. However, if you're willing to stick with me, I'll think you'll be surprised by just how delicious and easy these are.
How to make Swedish Meatballs in the Slow Cooker:
To keep my version of these meatballs simple and quick, I used my favorite shortcut method of panko breadcrumbs soaked in milk rather than homemade breadcrumbs. This will save a ton of time and effort without sacrificing the flavor or texture of the meatballs. Just a little sprinkle of nutmeg and allspice along with the traditional meatball mix in's gives it that tasty Swedish Meatball flavor. Another little trick I use here to keep it simple is using dried onions instead of fresh. Tons of flavor, little effort!
Tips for making meatballs in the slow cooker:
- Depending on the recipe, you may want to brown the meatballs first
- Roll them up into about 2 dozen ping-pong sized meatballs and brown them up in a skillet or multi-cooker with a little butter and olive oil.
- Let them cook for a few hours in the slow cooker while you take care of all your other "to do's"
- Once the meatballs are done, the sauce is a cinch to whip up, just by adding a little flour, sour cream and some preserves.
How to serve Swedish Meatballs:
But wait, meatballs were never meant to exist alone, right? They need a partner to help them deliver all that delicious sauce. And of course, no need to get complicated or add a lot of work here. Just pick up a package of bag of freezer egg noodles to cook up. Or, make some delicious Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes to go with them!! I made sure this recipe includes a little extra sauce, because I love how it pairs with the noodles and wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on one delicious bite!
So, pull up a chair and dish yourself up some delicious meatballs you won't believe were made in your slow cooker!
Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
The meal you need in your life!! Learning how to make Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs at home will not only make you a family hero, but you will also get to enjoy the most delicious meal of all time right in your own kitchen!
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Skillet
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken or sub beef if you prefer more traditional
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon all spice
- 3 cups beef broth
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup seedless blackberry preserves
- 16 oz Reames Frozen Egg Noodles
Instructions
- Add ground meat to large bowl
- Mix together panko and half and half and let soak for 5 minutes
- Add soaked breadcrumbs, egg, and seasonings to ground mix and use hand to mix until just combined
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil in skillet or multi-cooker
- Form meat mixture into ping pong sized balls and place in single layer in skillet
- Brown on each side for about 2 minutes then transfer to slow cooker
- Add broth, cover and cook on low for about 6 hours or high for about 3
- Heat remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in skillet
- Whisk in flour until smooth
- Slowly pour in broth from the slow cooker and continue to whisk
- Add in preserves and sour cream and bring to a simmer while continuing to whisk until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes
- Cook noodles according to package directions
- Serve meatballs with noodles and sauce and garnished with parsley if desired
Notes
Nutrition
Can you freeze these and then make the sauce when you reheat?
I think that would work!
What if you don’t want to use sour cream? What can be used to substitute?
I haven't tested other options in this recipe, but greek yogurt may work as the taste and texture is similar to sour cream.
I'd love to make these. What is half and half please?
Thank you
Beth
half cream/ half milk, usually available in US grocery stores but you could make your own or use whole milk.
Love me a good pile of meatballs! These look absolutely perfect. Perfect for a hearty dinner or a party app!
these sound and look yummy
YUm these look so good. I love meatballs.