Slow-Cooked Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Sauce:
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon beef base (such as Better Than Bouillon®)
• ½ teaspoon steak sauce
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt

Step 1

In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, oats, egg, garlic, allspice, ginger, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to mix everything together until it’s well combined. Then, shape the mixture into meatballs about the size of two tablespoons each—you should end up with around 17.

Step 2

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt a couple of tablespoons of butter. Brown the meatballs in batches, turning them so they get a nice crust all over—this should take about 4 to 6 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, flip the meatballs, and cook for another 3 minutes. Once browned, transfer them to your slow cooker, but keep the pan handy because you’ll use the drippings for your sauce.

Step 3

Back on the stove, add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Stir in the flour and whisk for about 30 seconds until it forms a smooth paste. Slowly whisk in the water, beef base, and steak sauce, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce come to a boil and thicken, which should take around a minute. Pour this sauce over the meatballs in the slow cooker.

Step 4

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 to 5 hours until the meatballs are tender and flavorful.

Step 5

Before serving, scoop out about a quarter cup of the cooking liquid into a small bowl. Stir in the yogurt slowly to temper it and prevent curdling, then gently mix it back into the slow cooker. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Enjoy!