Vegetarian Swedish Meatballs
Updated Jan. 30, 2020
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 2tablespoons bulgur wheat
- 4cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
- 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed (about 1½ cups)
- ⅓cup plain bread crumbs
- ¼cup sour cream
- 1large egg
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾teaspoon ground allspice
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- ½teaspoon onion powder
- ½teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- Canola oil, for greasing
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½cups mushroom stock (or vegetable stock)
- 1tablespoon sour cream
- 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Meatballs
For the Gravy
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
87 calories; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 90 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the meatballs: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring ¼ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the bulgur, remove from heat, cover and let sit until tender, 15 minutes. Drain, pressing to remove excess water. Cool.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse mushrooms until finely chopped with some pea-size pieces remaining (do not purée); transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the chickpeas: Pulse, then add them to the large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, sour cream, egg, salt, allspice, pepper, onion powder, nutmeg and the cooled bulgur and mix until well blended. Form into 1¼-inch meatballs (about 2 teaspoons each; you should have about 24). Arrange on a greased baking sheet and bake, turning halfway, until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Step 3
Make the gravy: While the meatballs bake, in a large nonstick saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth and lightly golden, 2 minutes. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking, until thickened, 2 minutes. Whisk in sour cream, parsley and mustard; season to taste with salt and pepper (you should have about 1 cup gravy). Add meatballs and simmer, spooning sauce over meatballs, until nicely coated, about 2 minutes more. Serve warm.
Private Notes
Comments
I was able to make this in the space of a relatively small boat galley. It was a dish that impressed vegetarians and meat eaters. Very filling and flavorful. It doesn’t make 24, realistically. I doubled the recipe, which made 23 meatballs. That fed 6 people, with seconds. Don’t go crazy with the sour cream in the gravy. You can always add. Same with the mustard. But you can’t add too much parsley. I had to add more flour than prescribed. Brown it more in the 1st step. That’s your gravy’s color.
How many ounces of cremini mushrooms? Come in a wide range of sizes where I shop.
I like a lot of sauce on my pasta dishes. I found that the meatballs pretty much absorbed all of the gravy. Next time I will make a separate batch of gravy to drizzle on the noodles that are not covered by the meatballs.
Should have read the notes before I jumped in to make this. The allspice is way too strong in this. I would definitely cut it back, maybe use 1/4 tsp? Same with the nutmeg, just use a touch. Maybe 1/4 tsp too. All I know is these spices have to dialed back or this dish is not so enjoyable. :(
Loved this recipe! Made the meatballs and sauce separate. The sauce needed more salt, but that’s just my palate. I’d make again!
I have made these meatballs three times and they are wonderful. This last time I modified the recipe by using rice rather than bulgur because one of my guests was gluten intolerant and the mushroom/meat balls were still great.