Swedish meatball meatloaf is juicy and delicious, complete with gravy and lingonberry jam. This cozy family meal is also perfect for the holidays!
Swedish meatball meatloaf elevates an old standby
Meatloaf has a reputation for being bland and boring, but it’s really the perfect canvas for all sorts of exciting variations. Depending on what you mix into it, and what you slather on top of it, meatloaf can be not only cozy and comforting, but a super cool, unexpected meal (have you tried my bourbon glazed meatloaf??)
This recipe is fabulous, and takes no more effort than the same old loaf you’ve been making for years. It’s basically a giant Swedish meatball, complete with all the trimmings. Swedish meatballs are made with a combination of beef and pork, spiced with white pepper and allspice. The meatballs are always served swimming in a nutmeg scented creamy gravy that makes the dish so special. If you’ve ever been to Ikea you know them well.
what you’ll need
for the meatloaf
- ground beef and ground pork ~ the combination makes an extra juicy meatloaf.
- onion ~ finely minced so it blends in for a fine texture.
- eggs ~ add moisture and bind the meat together.
- bread crumbs ~ use what you like, but avoid Panko, which are too crunchy for this use.
- mashed potatoes ~ a traditional ingredient that I love. Instant mashed potatoes work fine if you aren’t up for homemade. Why put mashed potatoes in your meatloaf? They help keep it moist and tender!
- salt
- white pepper ~ I love the gentle heat that this pepper gives this dish.
- allspice ~ probably the most unusual ingredient in this recipe, and distinguishes this meatloaf from any you’ve had before.
- butter
for the gravy (arguably the best part)
- butter and flour ~ you’ll make a simple roux in a saucepan.
- beef stock or broth
- Worcestershire sauce
- soy sauce
- salt
- white pepper ~ again, love that gentle heat.
- nutmeg (freshly ground, if possible!)
- sour cream ~ the secret to the light creamy consistency of this gravy, it’s so silky.
- fresh parsley ~ the only color in this pale meatloaf, so don’t skip it.
my best meatloaf making tip
Meatloaf is fairly straightforward and is pretty hard to mess up, but there is one tip that I swear by. It makes the whole process so quick and effortless! I use my stand mixer to blend up the meat mixture. Since this recipe calls for 3 pounds of ground meat, plus other ingredients, it’s quite a bit to blend. The mixer does the perfect gentle but thorough job, who knew?
what to serve with Swedish meatball meatloaf
To start off I’d suggest mashed potatoes, and, full disclosure, I use the dehydrated flakes from a box for convenience with this meal. No shame there. Along with potatoes I’d suggest a veg to round out the meal…
- Favorite Green Bean Casserole from scratch!
- Ina Garten’s Cauliflower Gratin ~ Updated!
- Maple Candied Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Creamed Brussels Sprouts
- Broccoli Cheese Casserole (the ultimate make ahead recipe)
don’t forget the lingonberry jam!
Swedish meatballs are always served with a tart lingonberry jam, which is somewhat similar to American cranberry sauce. Look for it in larger supermarkets in the jam aisle, or find it online. The flavor is wonderful and really makes this meal extra special. Use any leftovers to make my lingonberry jam tart!
Swedish Meatloaf
Equipment
Ingredients
meatloaf
- 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and minced
- 2 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup dried bread crumbs
- 1 cup mashed potatoes
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp allspice
- 2 Tbsp butter, soft
gravy
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 cups beef stock or broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt Note: add more or less to taste, this will depend on how salty your broth is, and whether you used salted butter)
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg, or more to taste (freshly ground, if possible!)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Put all the meatloaf ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl if doing by hand.) Note: I like to break apart the meat as I add it to the bowl, and intersperse the other ingredients to get a head start on mixing. Over mixing can result in a tough meatloaf.
- Blend the mixture until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil and form the meat mixture into a oval loaf, about 6×10 and approximately 3 inches high. You want it to be more or less evenly thick and wide so it cooks at the same rate throughout. So basically a squat oval shape. Note: If you are making your loaf ahead of time, just wrap the loaf in plastic and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake let the meatloaf sit on the counter for an hour to come up to temperature before baking.
- Slide the meatloaf into your preheated oven and bake for about an hour and 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 155F (it will continue to rise as it sits to reach the safe temp of 165F.) Let sit, loosely covered with foil, for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
gravy
- While the meatloaf is cooking, prepare the gravy. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and stir in the flour. Stir over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Note: Swedish gravy is supposed to be pale, so I don't let this take on any color, but if you love a deeper color in your gravy you can let this roux get nice and brown.
- Slowly whisk or stir in the broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until it comes to a boil and has thickened a bit.
- Take off the heat and let sit for a minute or two to cool down, then stir in the sour cream. If you need to reheat the gravy, be sure to do it gently, and don't bring it to a full boil again, or the sour cream can split.
- Serve the meatloaf with the gravy and sprinkle the parlsey on top. Serve extra gravy tableside. Don't forget the Lingonberry jam!
Nutrition
I’m not ashamed to admit that IKEA Swedish meatballs are a guilty pleasure of mine. This recipe is just as tasty and way better homemade!
I can’t wait to try this meatloaf. That gravy though – totally drooling!
Everyone at my house really loved this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
This was delicious! So much better than my regular meatloaf.
Nice!
Thank you for this recipe! Do you have a tip or trick for preventing the top of the meatloaf from splitting? Yours is beautiful!
Make sure you mix your meatloaf well so there are no large pockets of air, and then smooth it down really good with your hands as you form it into the loaf. Make sure your oven isn’t cooking too hot, as well. Hope this helps!
do you add the mashed potatoes to the meatloaf or is it a side dish??? This looks amazing and am looking forward to trying it.
The mashed potatoes are an ingredient in the meatloaf Sharon, but they’re also a great side dish to serve with it.
Okay, I’m giving it 4 stars based on the smell alone. I’m allergic to wheat and your recipes look like they’d be well adapted to GF living, so I’m giving it a try. My breadcrumbs are from the honey white Canyon Bakehouse bread I have. I toasted them to make the crumbs. I am using King Arthur Baking’s All Purpose GF Flour for the sauce. I think it’ll work out, but it hasn’t thickened as well as I’d like. The regular 1:1 mix they make works so well for so many things, but the xanthan gum can make a roux, well, gummy.
So far, though, the taste of the sauce is amazing and the loaf is almost out of the oven! Your recipes are heavenly. While we won’t be doing this one too often (it’s a leeeettle bit heavy on the calories), it’s a great meal. First time doing it always takes the longest, but it’s in my Pinterest (with about 20 other of your recipes!).
I look forward to reporting back on how the baking goes with the KAB 1:1 Flour. Maple Pecan Loaf here I come!
In the directions you make a loaf on a cookie sheet. But also mention a 9×5 pan. Is the oven temp and minutes baking the same for a loaf on a sheet and a 9×5 pan?
It’s for the sheet pan, Nicole. I originally made this meatloaf in a loaf pan, but wasn’t happy with the results, so I ultimately decided to form it on the sheet pan.
Sounds fabulous. I was told over a year ago to put Mace in Swedish meatballs, it makes the difference.
When I have time I will make this recipe!
I have mace in my spice collection, I’ll try that next time, nice idea. Mace is one of those spices that I never think about!