The Scoop
Swedish Meatball Bake is a comforting dish with rich flavors, perfect for new beginnings like moving to a cozy new house.
Transitioning from a small apartment to our first cozy house, my partner and I wanted to celebrate the move with something comforting yet substantial. As we shuffled boxes and made sense of the chaos, I realized our pantry had everything needed for a robust meal: ground beef, pork, and, of course, panko breadcrumbs that are my go-to for texture in meatballs. The weather was crisp, and a Swedish Meatball Bake felt like the right kind of indulgence.
With the kitchen filled with the inviting smell of onions sautéing in butter, we laughed about our mismatched plates and chairs. I added nutmeg and allspice, those little secrets that bring warmth to the dish. Assembling the meal was a dance – rolling the meatballs, letting them chill, and pulling out the hidden stash of shell pasta. A sprinkle of fresh parsley at the end always adds a burst of color, making everything feel pleasingly complete.
Cooking together amidst piles of moving boxes, we learned that letting the meatballs chill in the fridge not only enhances flavor but makes them hold together beautifully during a quick fry. Our new dining room, albeit sparse, was filled with the joy of shared food as we savored this rich and creamy dish. The move had been full of challenges, but over that meal, home began to feel like ours.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 1/4 cups plain panko breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2/3 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 3 tablespoons oil
For the pasta and the sauce:
- 2 cups shell pasta
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
- Add the panko breadcrumbs to a large bowl.
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter.
- Add the onion, 2 teaspoons of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper, the allspice, and the nutmeg and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic to the onion mixture and cook until it is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Adjust the heat to medium-low and add the milk to the onion mixture, stirring everything together, and bring it to a simmer.
- Pour the simmering onion mixture into the bowl of panko breadcrumbs and stir everything together.
- Allow the breadcrumbs mixture to cool.
- Add the eggs to a separate extra-large bowl and beat them.
- Add the ground beef, the ground pork, and the cooled breadcrumbs mixture to the beaten eggs and mix everything together.
- Form about 30 meatballs from the meat mixture.
- Chill the meatballs in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil.
- Add the meatballs to the hot oil in batches and cook until browned on all sides, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer the meatballs to a dish.
- Cook the shell pasta to al dente, according to the package directions.
- Drain the pasta and pour it into a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place the meatballs into the baking dish and nestle them into the pasta.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining butter.
- Add the flour to the butter, stirring constantly, until the raw flour smell dissipates, about 2 minutes.
- Stir the beef broth, the water, the Worcestershire sauce, the remaining salt, and the remaining pepper into the butter mixture and bring it to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the parsley and the heavy cream to the broth mixture.
- Cook the broth mixture, while stirring constantly, until it has thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Carefully pour the sauce over the meatballs and the pasta.
- Bake the meatball bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Serve hot.
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