Swedish Meatballs

It must've been my trip to IKEA because I had Swedish Meatballs on the brain. I don't even remember the last time I ate Swedish Meatballs so to crave them suddenly was a bit odd. As far as I know, the only place that serves them is IKEA and I was not about to do another trip up there. 

I had ground turkey so I rolled my own "meatballs" for the first time. I usually have Costco's frozen Italian Meatballs in my freezer for quick dinners, but since I'm out, I made turkey "meatballs" instead. They were tasty!

My very first "meatballs." They turned out pretty good.

We LOVE sauce!

I drizzled some sauce on the pasta, too. YUMMY!

Swedish Meatballs

Yield: 6-8 servings (or ~24 "meat" balls)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c bread crumbs (I used panko)
• 1/4 c milk
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 tbs garlic, minced
• 1 tbs ginger, minced (It's not a typical swedish meatball ingredient, but I had it so I added it.)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

sauce:

• 1 tbs butter
• 1/8 c flour
• 1/2 tbs garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 c chicken stock
• 1/2 c heavy cream (I used half and half)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine panko and milk. Set aside.
2. In large skillet, heat a little oil and saute onions, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper for 3-4 mins. Set aside when cooked through.
3. In stand mixer bowl, combine turkey, bread crumb/milk mixture and sauteed veggies. 
4. Form 1 oz sized balls. You'll probably make about 24.
5. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
6. In same onion skillet, heat a little oil over med-high heat. Cook "meatballs" in batches until browned on all sides. Transfer to baking sheet.
7. Bake for 18-20 mins or until cooked through.
8. While "meatballs" are baking, prepare sauce. Use same skillet, melt butter, add flour and whisk together for 2-3 mins. Add remaining ingredients and continue to whisk to ensure flour does not clump up. Simmer until you get desired sauce consistency. The longer the simmer, the thicker the sauce.
9. Add meatballs to sauce, stir gently and simmer for 3-4 mins. Serve immediately. 

Source: Adapted from food is luv.