This recipe for Swedish Meatballs is made with lean ground turkey and a creamy sauce to create a delicious, lighter version of traditional Swedish Meatballs.
Preheat oven to 425℉. Spray a rimmed sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, soak 2 slices of bread in ¼ cup milk.
While the bread is soaking, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the butter has melted, saute the onions and thyme leaves until the onion has just softened.
Add the sauteed onions and thyme to the bowl with bread, along with the salt, pepper, allspice, and egg. Whisk or mix together until the bread falls apart and the ingredients are well combined. Add the ground turkey to the mixture and using your hands, gently mix together until the seasonings are well distributed throughout the meat. Be careful to not overwork your meatballs, to prevent tough meatballs.
Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture, using a tablespoon measuring spoon or medium cookie scoop, and then gently shape into 1-inch meatballs. Place the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet. Slowly pour 1 cup of chicken stock around the meatballs.
Bake the turkey meatballs for 25 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 162-165 degrees F. (They will continue to rise a few degrees as they rest after baking.)
Swedish Meatball Sauce
While the meatballs are baking, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Once the butter has melted, slowly whisk in the flour, until a thick paste forms. Cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste from the sauce.
Slowly add in chicken stock, whisking to incorporate. Season with salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, and 2 sprigs of fresh thyme. Bring gravy to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Add in half and half and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until sauce is thick, whisking often.
Remove the gravy from the heat, remove the thyme sprigs, and stir in the Worcestershire Sauce. Serve the sauce over the baked meatballs with noodles or mashed potatoes, as desired.
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Notes
Turkey: Use lean turkey ground turkey breast or dark meat. Alternatively, you can replace the turkey with ground pork or beef (or a combination of the two).Thyme: Feel free to omit fresh thyme, this is not traditional, I just find it adds tons of flavor. Bread: You can opt to use white bread, wheat bread, or even your favorite gluten-free bread to make these meatballs.Milk/Half and Half: The meatballs and the gravy use milk or half and half. Use milk to keep the gravy and meatballs lower in fat or use half and half to really make these meatballs decadent.Gluten-Free SwedishMeatballs: Use gluten-free bread in place of regular bread in the meatball mixture and use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce for the sauce.Egg-Free Swedish Meatballs: Instead of using an egg in this recipe, use an additional 1 slice of bread and 2 tablespoons of milk. The extra bread will work as a binder for the meatballs.