Swedish Meatballs

Tender, spiced meatballs in a rich, velvety sauce—one bite, and you're hooked!

We went to IKEA a few weeks ago to find some shelves for the plants I have at home. I have lots of them: orchids, little ficus trees, hibiscus flowers, peace lilies, ivies... It would be lovely to arrange them nicely by the windows - at the moment they are all on the floor. But you know

IKEA - before you reach (or don't reach) what you're looking for, you have to pass through many beautifully arranged rooms and corridors of mattresses, carpets, bathroom cabinets, etc. And it all seems so interesting... After about an hour, my boys were so tired that they wanted to go to the canteen for lunch – Swedish meatballs. We had to forget about the shelves and look for another object in this huge building - the canteen.      

These meatballs are one of my children's favorites... well, the adults' favorites too. Every time I mention that there will be meatballs for dinner or lunch, the anticipation elevates. And the clock starts ticking: when? When will the meatballs be ready?! 

Fortunately, they're easy to make and don't take too long. Everything can be ready in 30-40 minutes, from the moment you mix the meat with the other ingredients to the moment the meal is served. That's about the time it takes to get from the curtain department at IKEA to the canteen table - especially if you don't know where to go and there's a queue.  

The classic Swedish meatballs, “köttbullar”, are not served in gravy – after frying, the juices stuck to the pan are deglazed with a bit of butter, which is then poured over the meatballs, and everything is served with lingonberry jam and pickled cucumber salad. But IKEA may have changed this culture, and the gravy now seems irreplaceable.  

You can make it vegan and gluten-free! See how below.