Very rarely do I gravitate toward a creamy sauce, however I love this. My husband is half Swedish and this is one of the few things that I have in my arsenal of his heritage.
If you are looking for true Swedish authenticity, I can’t guarantee that… but this is a really delicious sauce with a garlicky-dill flavor. The Greek yogurt obviously saves some calories while providing a protein boost.
You can use either shallots or onions for this. Shallots are a little milder than onions so the dill shines through a bit more – but onions will work just fine.
Its up to you if you prefer to sauté your meatballs before baking. I don’t do it because it doesn’t make a big difference and just throwing them into the oven saves time.
One step that I wouldn’t skip is the sautéing of the onion; it really helps the meatballs hold together.
You can choose to omit the spinach, if you prefer.
The sauce isn’t at all fussy and should come out just fine no matter your ratios. If it is too runny, you can either make more of the starch/water mixture, or add more yogurt. If it gets too thick, add more broth.
This dish can be done in around 30-40 minutes and is great over egg noodles or rice.
I think it is awesome for breakfast, too.
Swedish Meatballs with Spinach, Yogurt and Dill
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 32 oz ground turkey
- 2 shallots, chopped very fine and sautéed 1/2 chopped onion works just fine, too
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped very fine
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp dill dried
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 4-6 oz frozen spinach, thawed a bit
- 1 1-2 cups chicken stock Or more
- 1 tbs butter
- 2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in water
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt any % fat Greek yogurt that you prefer (0% doesn't come out quite as nice…)
- salt and dill to taste
- egg noodles, rice, or vegetables to serve with
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Combine the ground meat, onion, garlic, eggs, Parmesan, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, spinach and salt.
- Roll into balls and place on lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes (depending on size of meatballs – internal temp should reach 160°). Remove from oven and set aside.
- In a pan, simmer the chicken stock to a boil on medium-high heat.
- Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water and add it to the pan, stirring constantly.
- Once the mixture begins to thicken, add the butter.
- Once the butter melts, add the Greek yogurt and stir.
- Season the sauce WELL with salt and dill. Roughly 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp dill should do the trick.
- Settle the cooked meatballs into the sauce and stir to coat.
- Serve over rice or egg noodles.
Notes
Nutrition info is for 1/6 of the recipe made with 93/7 ground turkey and low-fat Greek yogurt. Pasta is not included.
285 calories – 13 fat – 5 carbs – 37 protein