Hey there Honey's and New-Bees!

Growing up I never had Swedish meatballs and really had no idea what they were; seriously not a clue. I honestly assumed they were just a variant of the classic Italian tomato sauce meatball served with a Swedish twist (I don’t even know what that was supposed to mean). When I finally resurrected and started using my slow cooker I went on a meatball fad for a couple weeks, and it was only then that I discovered that Swedish meatballs are nothing like the Italian tomato sauce version, and are acrtually a combination of my favourite spices, served with a thick sour cream gravy… 😋

My first batch was a complete flop of course – I overcooked the meat, and my “gravy” was thin and watery. But I didn’t give up! I tried it again, and this time instead of just tossing a bunch of ingredients in the slow cooker, I took a little extra time, added a couple of extra steps, and ended up with the most flavourful and comforting dish I had made to date with my slow cooker.

Whether your a New-Bee meatball maker, or you’re like I was and have never tried Swedish meatballs – try it out! It’s easy, delicious, and you won’t regret it!

Start by very finely dicing a medium sized onion; not only will they cook faster but they will blend in better with the meatball. If your onion is chunky you’ll end up with big onion clumps in your meatball, which isn’t appealing-looking (or tasting).

Once chopped, fry them on medium heat with some olive oil and add a little salt and pepper as needed. Optionally, you can also add a dash of cinnamon to your onions while they are frying – it gives off a nice warm aroma as it is absorbed into the onions, and also nicely compliments the nutmeg and All-Spice you are adding to the meat.

You don’t necessarily have to fry your onions before making your meatballs, but after a lot of trial and error I’ve discovered that doing so helps make sure your onions get cooked thoroughly in your meatballs, as well as adds more dimension to your meatball’s flavor.

Once your onions are translucent, transfer them to a cool bowl and set them aside until you are ready make your meatballs. Do not place them directly on your meat, because since they are still quite warm they will start cooking your meat if you mix them together right away.

Using the same pot you fried your onions with, melt your butter and add flour. Make sure your pot is still warm before starting your gravy, as it’s important that you always start with a warm pan when making a roux; it creates a more even melting surface and will prevent your roux from burning. Continue to whisk roux until flour gives off a toasted smell then gradually add your stock. It’s super important to gradually add your liquid whenever you are making any type of gravy; if you add it all at once you’ll end up with a very clumpy gravy 😞. Continue to whisk on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, and you’ll notice that your sauce will thicken up pretty quickly. Once it’s reached the desired thickness lower theheat and stir in cream and worcester sauce  with a little bit of salt and pepper. Then remove from heat and set aside.

Now the fun part! Combine, beef, pork, onions, eggs, quinoa, nutmeg, all spice, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand. For best results I strongly recommend mixing with your hands, as it avoids over mixing your meat while making sure your ingredients are evenly blended. If you’re a little squeamish try using a pair of vinyl gloves….and take off any rings you may be wearing (not only is it more hygienic,but it’s really annoying to clean the meat out of your ring crevices later).

Once your meat is well mixed start rolling your meat into 1 inches balls either by hand or using a meatballer which will speed up the process but also assure all your meatballs are the same size – which makes sure everything cooks evenly and it’s also nicer when serving to guests.

After all your meatballs are rolled, cover them your gravy, put the lid on your slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low.

Once they’ re ready serve them alone or on a bed of mashed potatoes or rice and enjoy!