Turkey Swedish Meatballs are delicious small meatballs in a creamy sauce. Eat them on their own or place on top of noodles or rice.
I was flipping through an old cookbook recently when I saw a recipe for Swedish Meatballs. It's not something I think I ever made myself, nor did I grow up eating it that often, but my kids seem to gravitate toward them at parties.
I wanted to try them out for myself, but also wanted to make them a little healthier so I made these Turkey Swedish Meatballs instead.
How do you make Turkey Swedish Meatballs?
For the meatballs you'll need extra lean ground turkey, panko breadcrumbs, onion, egg, EVOO, parsley, salt and pepper. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl, mix well; then form the mixture into 1 ½-inch size meatballs. I got 32 meatballs out of 1 pound of ground turkey.
Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides; approximately 5-8 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside and keep warm while you make the gravy.
How do you make the gravy?
To make the gravy you'll need butter, all purpose flour, milk, chicken bouillon cube and parsley. In the same skillet, melt the butter; then whisk in the flour to form a roux.
Add the milk, bouillon cube and parsley and whisk until the cube is dissolved. Turn the heat on high and allow to come to a boil until the mixture thickens. Reduce the heat to low, add the meatballs back to the pan; then cover with a lid.
Allow to simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring the meatballs halfway through so they get covered. You can serve these meatballs over egg noodles or rice for dinner or serve as an appetizer or game day snack.
These Turkey Swedish Meatballs were SO easy to make and the family loved them.Well, all of us except Gab, who prefers the beef version, though she did say they weren't horrible and ate them anyway.
I also like the fact that the entire meal was prepared in under 30 minutes and they're a bit healthier; which is a life saver now that the kids are back in full swing.
I'm sure you could even prepare the meatballs ahead of time, make a little extra gravy and keep them heated in the crock pot during the day so that they're nice and hot when you get home from work. ~Enjoy!
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Turkey Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb. Extra Lean Ground Turkey (99/1)
- ¾ c. Panko Breadcrumbs
- ¼ c. Red Onion, small dice
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
For the Gravy
- 1 tbsp. Butter
- 2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour
- 2 c. Milk
- 1 Chicken Bouillon Cube
- 1 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- In a bowl, add the turkey, breadcrumbs, onion, egg, 1 tbsp. of oil and parsley and mix well.
- Form the mixture into 1 ½" meatballs. (My batch yielded 33)
- Heat the remaining 1 tbsp. of oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides; approximately 5-8 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside while you make the gravy.
For the Gravy
- In the same saute pan, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour to form a roux.
- Add in the milk, bouillon cube and parsley and whisk until the cube is dissolved.
- Turn the heat on high and allow to come to a boil. The mixture will begin to thicken.
- Reduce the heat to low, add back in the meatballs and cover the pan.
- Allow to simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring the meatballs halfway through so they get covered. Serve over egg noodles or rice.
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Skywest says
Carrie, does the calorie count for the 6 meatball serving include any noodles? Thanks.
Carrie Farias says
No. The calories are for the meatballs only. You have to add on anything you would serve it with like egg noodles or rice separately.
Anita at Hungry Couple says
I'm sorry to hear you're having this medical issue but hopefully it'll be under control soon. I do like Swedish meatballs although they're not something I indulge in often. Making them with turkey is a great idea!
Carrie Farias says
Thanks Anita, and I hope so too. It runs high in my family so I'm hoping it's just that.
Spicie Foodie says
I love Swedish meatballs, and your turkey twist sounds fantastic! Welcome to your first YBR and thanks for being a part of it.:)
Carrie Farias says
Thank you and glad you like them. 🙂
Joanne T ferguson says
G'day love Swedish Meatballs, true!
Now I have a craving for them thanks to you!
Cheers! Joanne
Viewed as part of Your Best Recipes Sept
Carrie Farias says
I'm so glad you like them Joanne,thanks for stopping by.
Jen says
Made this tonight, the roux is very bland. The ratio of sauce to meatball was kind of disappointing, but the meatballs themselves were pretty good! Extremely mushy texture, almost like liver. Needs a lot of salt.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm sorry you didn't like the recipe and yes, it probably does need salt. I don't cook with much because I tend to use a lot of salt myself and salt my own dish afterwards.