Swedish Meatball Pasta Bake

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 1/4 cups plain panko bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Pasta

• 2 cups egg noodles or shell pasta

Sauce

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups (32 ounces) beef broth (low sodium or regular)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or sour cream
• 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Meatballs

1. Place the panko bread crumbs in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
3. Add the onion, salt, pepper, allspice and nutmeg and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir often.
4. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Turn the heat down to low/medium, and add the milk. Stir everything together and bring it to a simmer.
6. When the onion mixture has come to a simmer, pour it from the pan into the bowl of panko bread crumbs and stir everything together. The mixture will be very thick. Set this bowl aside to cool.
7. Add the eggs to a separate extra large bowl, and beat them.
8. Add the ground beef, ground pork and cooled onion mixture. Mix everything together.
9. Form about 30 balls and then chill them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
10. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil.
11. Add the meatballs to the skillet in batches and cook them until they are browned on all sides, about 15 minutes.
12. Transfer the meatballs to a dish and set them aside.

Pasta

1. Cook the pasta al dente according to the directions on the box, drain it and add it to a 9 x 13 inch oven safe baking dish.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Sauce and Assembly

1. Place the meatballs into the baking dish, nestling them into the pasta.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the flour, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the beef broth, water, Worcestershire, salt and pepper and bring it to a simmer, stirring often.
5. Reduce the heat to low/medium, and add the parsley and heavy cream or sour cream. Stir everything together constantly and cook it until it thickens, about 10 minutes.
6. Carefully pour the sauce over the meatballs and pasta.
7. Bake the Swedish meatballs, pasta and sauce for 30 minutes.

Attribution

Photo credit: (c) Can Stock Photo / MSPhotographics