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All-beef crockpot Swedish meatballs in creamy gravy over egg noodles with lingonberry jam

Crockpot Swedish Meatballs

Tender all-beef meatballs simmered in a silky nutmeg-scented cream gravy. A holiday classic made hands-off in the slow cooker.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs ground beef, 80/20 (900g) 100 percent beef
  • 0.5 cup plain breadcrumbs (60g)
  • 0.5 cup milk (120ml) for soaking breadcrumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 small onion, very finely minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp salt (6g)
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper (1g)
  • 0.5 tsp ground allspice (1g)
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg (1g)
  • 2 tbsp butter (30g), for browning
  • 2 cups beef broth (480ml)
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour (24g) for the slurry
  • 1 cup heavy cream (240ml)
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (15ml)
  • 12 oz egg noodles (340g), cooked for serving

Equipment

  • 6-quart slow cooker
  • Large skillet

Method
 

  1. Stir the breadcrumbs and milk together in a large bowl and let soak for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the ground beef, egg, minced onion, garlic, salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg to the soaked breadcrumbs. Mix with your hands just until combined. Do not overmix. Roll into about 24 meatballs.
  3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in batches, turning to sear all sides. They do not need to cook through. Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.
  4. Pour 1 cup of the beef broth into the hot skillet and scrape up all the browned bits. Pour over the meatballs. Add the remaining 1 cup of broth to the slow cooker.
  5. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, until the meatballs are cooked through and tender.
  6. Whisk the flour into 0.5 cup of cold water or cold broth to make a smooth slurry. Stir the slurry, heavy cream, and Worcestershire sauce into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 45 more minutes, until the gravy is silky and thickened. Serve over egg noodles.

Notes

Browning the meatballs first is essential for flavor and structure. Whisk the flour slurry with cold liquid to avoid lumps. Nutmeg is the signature seasoning. Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge and freeze for up to 3 months. Estimated nutrition: about 560 calories per serving.