Made with tender, juicy meatballs, hearty egg noodles, and a deliciously creamy sauce, this Swedish Meatball Soup is the ultimate comfort food. It’s hearty, satisfying, and melts in your mouth delicious!
Homemade Swedish Meatball Soup
There’s nothing more comforting than perfectly seasoned Swedish meatballs. Put those meatballs in a deliciously creamy sauce with Kluski egg noodles, and you have a perfect weekday meal! If you’re looking for a hearty soup to warm you up on a cold winter’s day, you just can’t beat this Swedish meatball soup.
Swedish meatball soup is similar to the classic Swedish meatballs, except they are swimming around in a delicious soup. The soup tastes like the sauce in traditional Swedish meatballs but slightly thinner and with noodles added in.
Why You’ll Love this Meatball Soup Recipe:
- HOMEMADE MEATBALLS: Sure, frozen meatballs are good, but there is nothing quite as delectable as homemade meatballs!
- CREAMY BEEF SAUCE: Made with beef bouillon, butter, Worcestershire sauce, sour cream, heavy whipping cream, and plenty of seasonings, this sauce is to die for.
- EASY TO MAKE: Although it may seem complicated, this Swedish meatball soup is quite easy to make.
Whether you are looking for something different or you want a hearty soup to warm you up on a cold winter’s day, this Swedish meatball soup is warm, comforting and delicious!
How to Make Swedish Meatball Soup
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Combine your breadcrumbs, milk, cream, egg, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and parsley into a large bowl.
- Melt your butter on a skillet and saute the minced onion until translucent.
- Then, add the minced garlic and saute another 30-seconds.
- Transfer the onions and garlic to the breadcrumb mixture.
- Add the ground beef and ground sausage to the bread mixture. Mix everything together well.
- Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake your meatballs for 12-15 minutes.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet, add the flour and whisk well.
- Add beef broth, chicken broth, cream, sour cream, bouillon granules, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, sugar, and black pepper to the roux. Whisk well.
- Bring the roux to a boil over medium heat, and then add the noodles.
- Bring it back to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer until the noodles are al dente.
- Next, add your meatballs and simmer until the noodles are cooked.
- Add the chopped parsley and gently stir your soup.
- Serve and garnish with dollops of Lingonberry jam, sour cream, and a sprinkle of additional chopped fresh parsley.
Swedish meatballs are a little different from regular meatballs. The main difference is that they are made with a 50-50 ratio of ground pork AND ground beef. Regular meatballs just use ground beef. Additionally, Swedish meatballs tend to be smaller in size making them perfect to throw into a soup or casserole. They are made with Swedish spices like nutmeg and allspice for a truly divine flavor that can’t be beat.
Yes, you can use frozen Swedish meatballs for this recipe instead, but from my experience, it isn’t nearly as good as homemade meatballs. Just follow the directions for heating your frozen meatballs and use the rest of the recipe to make your sauce and noodles.
Absolutely! You can make the Swedish meatballs ahead of time and store them in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3-months. Or, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3-days.
You can freeze the meatballs and sauce without the noodles with no problem. I would freeze the meatballs and sauce separately. However, if you freeze this soup with the noodles, your noodles may become mushy and unappetizing when you are ready to reheat it.
Serving Suggestions
Swedish meatball soup is packed with protein and noodles for the perfect entree. It’s perfect on its own, or with a few delicious sides. Here are a few side ideas to try:
Although a little time consuming, this recipe is super easy to make. It makes great leftovers and freezes well.
Tips!
- Don’t overmix the meat. If you overmix the meatballs, they will come out tough. You just want to mix enough that everything is fully incorporated.
- Use a cookie scoop. To get perfectly round meatballs, use a 1-inch cookie scoop.
- Al dente noodles are noodles that are almost done just not quite mushy.
You can even double this recipe so that you can freeze it for later. Or make a double batch and give the second portion to family or friends. They will love this comforting soup!
How is this recipe different from classic Swedish meatballs?
Classic Swedish meatballs are still made from scratch and cooked in a delicious creamy broth sauce. However, this recipe is a little different because you are adding egg noodles to the recipe and making it into more of a soup. Thus, you won’t have to worry about thickening the sauce.
Can I make this soup in a slow cooker?
Absolutely! However, that’s a whole different recipe because you’ll be adding the ingredients at different times. You’ll still cook the meatballs first, but then you’ll add the sauce and noodles to the slow cooker. Follow this Slow-Cooker Swedish Meatball soup recipe to make it in your crock pot.
More Cozy Soup Recipes We Love
- Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Hash Brown Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Turkey Noodle Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
This Swedish meatball soup is the ultimate comfort meal. If you’re looking to impress the family with a delicious meal, this is the recipe for you.
More Homemade Meatball Recipes to Try:
- Meatball Parmesan
- Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Meatballs
- Grandma’s Best Meatballs
- Grape Jelly Meatballs
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs
- Crockpot Honey Garlic Meatballs
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Swedish Meatball Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- ⅓ cup regular breadcrumbs
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ medium yellow onion minced
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- 1 pound ground chicken or pork
- 1½ pounds ground chuck
For the Sauce & Noodles
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Beef instant bouillon granules
- 1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Salt if needed
- 8 ounces egg noodles medium, narrow or Kluski egg noodles (1 standard package)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
To Garnish
- Lingonberry jam or cranberry sauce
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Sour cream
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 400°F. Cover 2 large baking sheets with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs, milk, cream, egg, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and parsley. Set the mixture aside to allow the milk to soak into the breadcrumbs, at least 10 minutes.⅓ cup regular breadcrumbs, ½ cup milk, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 large egg, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the minced onion and sauté until translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Transfer the onion/garlic mixture to the breadcrumb mixture.1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon oil, ½ medium yellow onion, 1 large clove garlic
- Once the breadcrumb mixture is ready, add the ground chuck and chicken. Mix well (but don’t over-mix or meatballs will be tough) using a wooden spoon.1 pound ground chicken or pork, 1½ pounds ground chuck
- Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls (or use a 1-inch scoop) and place on the prepared sheet pan 1 inch apart.
- Bake meatballs for about 12-15 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.
- Remove from the oven and place the meatballs on a paper towel-lined baking sheet until ready to use.
For the Sauce & Noodles
- While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the sauce.
- Make a roux by melting the butter in a large skillet. Add the flour to the butter and whisk well. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking often, until mixture is creamy and turns a dark golden brown.4 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Add beef broth, chicken broth, cream, sour cream, bouillon granules, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, sugar, and black pepper. Taste, then season with salt, only if needed.3 cups low-sodium beef broth, 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 2 cups heavy cream, ¾ cup sour cream, 1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, Salt, 1 teaspoon Beef instant bouillon granules
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, and add the noodles. Restore the soup to a boil and reduce heat to low to simmer until noodles are al dente.8 ounces egg noodles
- Add the meatballs, and simmer, stirring gently & often, until noodles are cooked through and soup has reduced to desired consistency. (See recipe note.)
- Add chopped parsley and stir gently.2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- Serve and garnish with dollops of Lingonberry jam, sour cream, and a sprinkle of additional chopped fresh parsley.Lingonberry jam or cranberry sauce, Chopped fresh parsley, Sour cream
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- For a Thicker Soup: Before adding the meatballs, mix together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold milk or cold water and add it to the sauce, stir over medium-high heat until mixture thickens then reduce heat to simmer.
- Quantity: The meatball portion of this recipe makes about 60-70 (1-inch ) meatballs. Add as many meatballs as you like to the soup and save any extras for a quick snack or meal.
Nutrition Information
Made this tonight for dinner. It was delicious. I added a few seasonings such as garlic powder, onion powder, etc. I also used coconut milk instead of heavy cream. I did thicken it with cornstarch and well. Definitely will make again.
Thanks so much for sharing what worked for you, Shea!
Soup is best served on a cold winter day after being Outside Hot Soup is a good way to warm up
I needed a burger recipe for venison and this is perfect! Flavors all worked. Yum!
Thanks for sharing, Lisa!
Didn’t like it at all. Not sure why this is called swedish meatball soup. Definitely not “swedish” by any means. It’s taking something simple and way overcomplicating it with the 500 ingredients
I am sorry it wasn’t your taste, Vaughn.
This was not what I expected. When it cools in the fridge, the ingredients congeal. I should have known it was pretty fatty by the ingredients. I didn’t think it was particularly flavorful either.
I am sorry it didn’t work out for you!
The meat depends where in Sweden you from, some, like my grandmother, use only minced pork, other places use 50/50 pork/beef. Not every where in Sweden cook put the meatballs in a sauce.
It is a brown sauce, most of the time it’s made with double cream/whipping cream and or milk.
Meatballs: bread crumbs, egg, salt, black pepper, swedish allspice, chopped onion, water/milk. The size of the meatballs varies too.
We serve it with potatoes mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam or pickled cucumber
There’s nothing swedish with these meatballs. We don’t use nutmeg. The sauce is not what we have with them either. We never make meatballs soup. IKEA meatballs are not typical swedish meatballs