If you have followed along for a while, you know how much I appreciate a good meatball!
Having the freezer laden with all sorts of meatballs means that dinners or even appetizers are just moments away. A morning of prep work, and those meatballs will reward you many times over.
So, if you have Swedish Meatballs in the freezer, then may I present the greatest little appetizer that comes together in the blink of an eye. And if you don’t have Swedish Meatballs in the freezer, and just don’t have time to whip up a batch, feel free to substitute a bag of ready made meatballs from your grocer’s freezer section.
Everyone loves a savoury nibble at cocktail parties. When that nibble is glazed in the best sweet and sour sauce with a bit of heat, even better! Then that glass of bubbly or even martini will have something delicious to wash down.
Method
This recipe begins with a batch of my classic Swedish Meatballs. Jim would be thrilled if these were on the menu every few weeks. The recipe makes enough meatballs to feed eight people as a meal, so if you roll them just a little bit smaller, you will definitely have enough to satisfy everyone at your next get together or cocktail party. These can easily be made gluten free by using a gluten free cup for cup flour blend.
As with all my meatball recipes, always test a smaller meatball by sautéing it in a skillet to taste it, before committing to rolling all of them out. This guarantees that the flavour is exactly what you want it to be. Then, roll (gently in your palms that you keep moistened with water or a little oil to keep the mixture from sticking to you) and place them onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. From here you can place the baking sheet into a freezer. Once the balls are frozen, they can easily be transferred to a freezer bag and kept frozen till needed. Of course, if you plan on serving these for a party in the next day, don’t worry about freezing.
Oven Method
When ready to cook, place the desired amount of meatballs onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Place into a 425F oven till cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. For a bit more colour, turn on the broiler, and broil till the desired burnish is achieved. From here you can remove them to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside while you start the glaze on the stove top.
Stove Top Method
If you want to cook the meatballs in a skillet on the stove top, you will most likely need to do so in batches. Just heat a little butter in a skillet set over medium high heat. Brown on all sides, adjusting the heat if necessary and cook till an instant read thermometer reads 165F. Transfer to a plate till all meatballs are cooked through. Next will come the glaze.
Glaze
Since Swedish Meatballs are classically served with Lingonberry preserves, it only makes sense to use them as part of the glaze for this appetizer version. Lingonberry preserves can usually be found in any good grocer or European deli. Lingonberries are small, red and tart. Think of them as a cross between cranberries and red currants. They are perfect with Swedish Meatballs, since their tartness cuts through the richness of the meatballs blanketed in brown gravy and mashed potatoes.
So let’s use Lingonberry preserves as part of the glaze today. You will combine the preserves with Chilli Sauce, runny honey, Worcestershire Sauce and some red chilli flakes or even Sriratcha hot sauce. This will all get cooked in a skillet till bubbling. Then just add the cooked meatballs into the glaze and stir to coat. This is really just a spin on the retro glazed meatball appetizers that the 60’s made household dishes. But if it works, why fix it!? Keeping it simple, means that you aren’t stressing over the little things. And yes, if you simply can’t source lingonberry preserves, feel free to use a can of jellied cranberry sauce, the kind with the berries. If you find that the berries don’t break down enough for your liking with the back of a spoon or fork, just run an immersion blender through the sauce before placing the meatballs in the sauce.
Options: feel free to swap out the lingonberry or cranberries for apricot preserves, or even orange marmalade. The chilli sauce can be replaced with barbecue sauce.
Crockpot Method
Bake the meatballs first, if you made them fresh. If they are frozen (from your homemade stash, or ready made from the freezer section of the grocery store), just add them directly into the crockpot. Either way, the meatballs, along with the all the sauce ingredients will cook in the crockpot on high for 1-2 hours before serving (longer if using frozen meatballs) Once they are fully heated through and glazed, reduce the setting to low until ready to serve.
Serve
Place these all on a platter with toothpicks. And watch them disappear!! Having a platter of these, along with Mini Salt Crusted Baked Potatoes with Scallion Sour Cream, and Shrimp Pil Pil makes for a substantial spread. A dip like my Harissa Crab and Cheddar Dip with crusty bread adds the right amount of carbs. Of course you can add more options. I would go with a Crudités basket with light dips. Cocktails, or bubbly, and your gathering will be the talk of the town. Tunes are all that I leave up to you!
*The other serving option is to make these and serve over rice! If you have the meatballs baked or sautéed ahead of time, all you need to do is make the sauce and reheat the meatballs in the sauce while the rice is cooking. Count on 5 or 6 meatballs per person.
If you make these Glazed Swedish Meatballs, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.
Love Jen
Glazed Swedish Meatballs Appetizer
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 medium onion small diced
- 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or as desired
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 cup Panko or any fresh breadcrumbs, can use gluten free
- 1 extra large egg
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- kosher salt and cracked black pepper, don't skimp on the pepper, this is what this meatball loves!
- 2-4 tbsp milk, only use as much as needed
Glaze
- 1 3/4 cups lingonberry preserves, or 14 oz see Notes
- 1 1/2 cups Chilli Sauce, or 12 oz see Notes
- 3 tbsp runny honey
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Sriracha or other hot sauce, or to taste
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
Meatballs
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Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring regularly, until onion has become translucent and just starting to turn golden, about 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle with the cayenne pepper and stir well. Remove from the heat. Let cool slightly.
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In a large bowl, using your hands, combine ground beef, ground pork, Panko, egg, allspice, nutmeg and cooked onion and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Start with 1 1/4 tsp of each.
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Once combined well, stop. (to keep working it, will cause the meat mixture to become tough when cooked)
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Add 1 tbsp of milk at a time till the mixture binds but isn't watery. If you use panko breadcrumbs, you may need all four tablespoons.
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Reheat the skillet to medium high. Take a small portion (about the size of a thick quarter, and place in the skillet. Sauté until cooked through, about 4 minutes.
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Taste. If you are happy with the flavour continue to next step. If you feel it could still use more salt, pepper, or spices, now is the time to re-season.
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Roll the mixture into 1 inch or so meatballs, You should get at least 40 meatballs.
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At this point you can proceed with the recipe.
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* However, If you don't need them all immediately, spread them out on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet and freeze them. Once frozen, they can be removed and stored in freezer bags, in meal sized portions- approx 6-8 per person depending on how large you rolled them.
Oven Method
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Place the desired amount of meatballs onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a 425F heated oven till cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. If you want some extra colour, switch to Broil and broil till you are happy with the colour, keep an eye on them though. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
Stove Top Method
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Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add meatballs, in batches, and cook until all sides are browned, about 4-5 minutes. You may need to add more oil. Adjust the heat if you see that they are browning too harshly. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Glaze
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Combine all the glaze ingredients except the parsley in a large skillet, or heavy dutch oven. Bring the ingredients to a boil over medium low heat. Once the sauce is well combined, taste and adjust seasonings. Increase the heat to medium, bring it to bubbling for a minute, and then add the meatballs, stir to coat, and simmer on medium low for about 10 minutes, till heated through. Serve with skewers and fresh parsley.
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See blog post for more details.
Recipe Notes
If you can't find lingonberry preserves, feel free to use whole berry cranberry jelly. Cook the sauce to a bubbling boil for a minute, remove it from the heat, and then carefully use an immersion blender to break up the berries so that they can cling to meatballs. Return to medium low heat and add the meatballs.
Use a sauce like Heinz for best consistency.
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