The Best Venison Swedish Meatballs Recipe
These Venison Swedish meatballs are the best you'll ever eat. Gently warmed with allspice and nutmeg and covered in a heavenly creamy sauce, then served with fluffy mashed potatoes.This Swedish meatball recipe is beginner home cook friendly, well-seasoned, and totally drool worthy! You will want to make this easy meatball recipe again and again.Swedish meatballs get their distinctly different flavor from allspice and nutmeg and typically served in a creamy white sauce.My recipe for Swedish meatballs also has a little garlic but gets its richness from the combination of beef broth and heavy whipping cream, and freshness from the fresh spinach. Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles for a hearty, comforting weeknight dinner.SWEDISH MEATBALL INGREDIENTSTo make these Swedish meatballs, start with ground venison and ground pork. You’ll also need yellow onion, panko breadcrumbs, eggs, fresh spinach, allspice, nutmeg, kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, beef broth, all-purpose flour, and heavy whipping cream. For serving, you’ll also need some fluffy mashed potatoes or egg noodles (or your other choice of starch).HOW TO MAKE SWEDISH MEATBALLSMake the Meatballs: In a large bowl, mix the venison, pork, onion, fresh baby spinach, minced garlic, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, panko and eggs until combined. Then roll the mixture into meatballs about 1 inch in size. Cook Meatballs: Place meatballs in a hot skillet with oil, rotating them with a fork until all sides are browned.Make the Swedish Meatball Sauce: Melt butter in a skillet and whisk in flour until it gets slightly browned. Gradually whisk in beef broth, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Add salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Whisk a few more times. Then slowly add the heavy whipping cream.WHAT DO SWEDISH MEATBALLS TASTE LIKE?Swedish meatballs are tender and juicy, with the flavor of the allspice and nutmeg in the background, and the freshness of the baby spinach coming through. The gravy sauce is creamy and shiny with a rich consistency. SWEDISH MEATBALL RECIPE TIPSIf you like the sauce a bit thinner, decrease the amount of flour to only 1/4 cup instead of the 1/2 cup I use for this recipe. Likewise, you can increase it for a thicker sauce. Please note, this recipe yields a substantial amount of sauce and might actually look like it's too much when you're nearing the end. But it’s actually the perfect amount if you plan to serve the meatballs over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice.I use a combination of lean venison and pork for an added dimension of fattiness, but you can also make this recipe entirely with venison if you prefer.SWEDISH MEATBALLS WITH LINGONBERRIESSwedish meatballs are traditionally served with lingonberries, but at $15 a jar, I opted to leave it out. But by all means, if you want to serve a jar of lingonberries with these meatballs to impress family, friends, and co-workers GO FOR IT!MAKE AHEAD AND FREEZING INSTRUCTIONSTo Make Ahead: These venison meatballs can be made ahead of time (cook them until they reach internal temperature of at least 145 degrees F) and kept in the fridge for up to 4 days or freezer for up to 6 months until ready to use.SWEDISH MEATBALLS FOR THE HOLIDAYSThis time of year, I'm always on the lookout for recipes that bring people together, can be served for different kinds of occasions, and most importantly, taste great. Like my Deer Sausage Balls and my Buffalo Pheasant Dip. I'm a big believer that when you’re gathered around delicious food, like these deliciously moist Swedish meatballs, you can create great memories with family, friends, and co-workers – even amidst the busy and chaotic holiday season.AN EASY WEEKNIGHT DINNER OR POTLUCK APPETIZERI've turned this classic Swedish meatball recipe with its warm with wintery spices of allspice and nutmeg into an easy dish that can be served tonight for family dinner, as an appetizer for your next potluck party, or even a special occasion like Christmas day! It's one of my absolute favorite dishes to whip up when my wife is trying to figure out what to bring to a potluck at work. If a co-worker is going to try wild game for the first time, these Venison Swedish meatballs are a great choice.You can also check out all my venison recipes for more inspiration when planning your holiday menu.If you are headed our way for North Dakota deer season, check out the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here.CONNECT WITH ME AND JOIN OUR WILD GAME COOKING COMMUNITYIf you make this Venison Swedish Meatballs Recipe, I’d love for you to join our community and connect with me so we can all see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #wildgameandfishDid you enjoy this Venison Swedish Meatballs Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE!
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
- 1 pound ground venison
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach, finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 stick of butter
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups venison or beef broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the venison, pork, spinach, onion, panko, eggs, garlic, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until combined.
- Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, measure out the meat mixture into about 24 1-inch balls.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. When the butter begins to bubble, sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth to the pan a little at a time.
- Whisk the sauce until the broth is completely incorporated. Add salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Whisk a few more times. Slowly whisk in the whipping cream.
- Once the sauce begins to simmer, add the meatballs back into the pan.
- Simmer until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are cooked all the way through (a minimum of 145 degrees F), about 8 minutes.
- Serve warm over mashed potatoes or egg noodles or your other favorite starch.
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