Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs With Sour Cream Gravy

Traditional Sweden meatball.
Luke Chan/Moment Open/Getty Images
Prep: 12 mins
Cook: 6 hrs
Total: 6 hrs 12 mins
Servings: 10 servings

Serving slow cooker Swedish meatballs for dinner is all about convenience. Prepared gravy and frozen meatballs eliminate most of the work—although you could make your own meatballs from scratch—and the results are delicious.

The easy slow cooker Swedish meatballs are made with a nontraditional sour cream sauce. You may substitute heavy cream for the sour cream if you prefer a more traditional flavor, and serve them with boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam, just like in Scandinavia.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound mushrooms, sliced

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 2 (12-ounce) jars beef gravy, or 3 cups prepared brown gravy

  • 1 large onion, cut into chunks

  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice

  • 2 pounds frozen meatballs, thawed

  • 1 cup sour cream

  • 12 ounces egg noodles, cooked and drained, or mashed potatoes

  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Sauté mushrooms in butter until tender.

  3. In the slow cooker, combine the sautéed mushrooms, gravy, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and allspice. Stir meatballs into the sauce.

  4. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

  5. In a small bowl, slowly stir about 1/2 cup of the hot gravy mixture into the sour cream. Add the sour cream mixture into the slow cooker mixture and cook for 10 minutes longer, or until hot.

  6. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.

Tips

  • Serve the meatballs over hot buttered noodles or potatoes, whether mashed or boiled, along with a side salad and traditional lingonberry jam. If you can't find lingonberries, use cranberry sauce as a substitute.
  • If you're in a time crunch, set the slow cooker on high for three hours or make the meatballs in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
  • if you have an extra-large slow cooker, feel free to double the recipe. Just make sure that all the meatballs are covered with sauce, even if they are stacked on each other. If you only have a small slow cooker, halve the recipe.
  • If you prefer a thicker sauce, pour the liquid out of the slow cooker and into a saucepan once everything is cooked. Bring the sauce to a boil and let it reduce until it's reached the desired thickness. Speed up the process by making a roux out of flour and butter before adding the liquid to the saucepan and whisking the sauce until it's thick.

Recipe Variations

  • Instant Pot Variation: Set the Instant Pot on sauté and melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender. Add the gravy, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and allspice. Add the meatballs and stir until thoroughly covered with sauce. Cover with the lid, make sure the vent is closed, and set to high pressure for 8 minutes. When done, quick-release the pressure.
  • Meatballs From Scratch: Instead of using precooked frozen meatballs, make them from scratch. Mix 1 pound of lean ground beef with 1/2 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs and approximately 1/4 cup finely chopped onion. Add 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Mix with clean hands until just combined. Shape into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and place them 1 inch apart on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in a 400 F oven.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
429 Calories
29g Fat
24g Carbs
19g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 429
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 38%
Saturated Fat 12g 58%
Cholesterol 91mg 30%
Sodium 1041mg 45%
Total Carbohydrate 24g 9%
Dietary Fiber 4g 14%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 19g
Vitamin C 3mg 15%
Calcium 112mg 9%
Iron 4mg 20%
Potassium 564mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)