Best Ever Homemade Healthy Swedish Meatballs

I was lucky enough to go to Sweden recently on a very fun girly holiday with my mum and sister, and if you’ve never been I can’t recommend it enough! We went to Stockholm and out to the Archipelago which were simultaneously beautiful and fascinating. One thing that I was dead set on giving a go whilst there was Swedish Meatballs, which seem to have become something of a cult classic outside of this beautiful country due to their association with Ikea. I had the pleasure of enjoying a traditional Swedish Meatballs meal on one of the Archipelago and vowed then and there to give it a go myself at home!

Healthier Swedish Meatballs

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ll know that I have a bit of an obsession with taking delicious meals and making healthier versions which don’t lose any of the flavour, integrity or enjoyability-factor of the original dish. That was what I was determined to achieve with this Swedish Meatballs recipe. It seemed to me that traditional Swedish Meatballs recipes weren’t incredibly unhealthy, except for their heavy focus on double cream, but I knew that with a few tweaks I could make a dish that was not only much lower in fat but had the same great taste!  

There are a number of factors which make these Swedish Meatballs healthier than their traditional cousins. First and foremost are the meatballs themselves, which are a mixture of pork and beef mince, both of which are 5% fat. This immediately increases the health factor of the recipe without effecting the taste. Trust me, meatballs made with 5% fat taste just as good as those made with 20% fat mince, and your arteries will thank you later!

Swedish Meatballs & Slimming World

If, like me, you thought that you couldn’t possibly enjoy such a thick, creamy sauce on Slimming World, then think again! I’ve made this recipe specifically so that it’s low syn, ensuring that you stay on plan and get to enjoy a sumptuous meal without worrying. I achieved this by using ‘Low Fat Creme Fraiche’ in the recipe instead of double cream, using only a teaspoon of flour to thicken the sauce and removing any oil or additional fats from the sauce. 

With these adjustments this entire saucepan full of Swedish Meatballs, including the creamy sauce, is just 3.5 syns. That’s 1.5 per tablespoon for the Creme Fraiche and half a syn for a teaspoon of plain flour. The recipe itself will serve between 2 and four, depending on portion size. Just remember if you’re enjoying this on Slimming World that a third of your plate should be speed foods. 

Making Best Ever Homemade Healthy Swedish Meatballs

This recipe isn’t a complicated one to make, however there are a couple of optional steps. For instance, I wanted a smooth sauce so I blended it to smooth out the onions, before I added the meatballs. This is an additional step which might make a little bit more washing up but I think works really well. Of course, you should feel more than free to keep the onions slightly more chunky in your sauce. It’s all down to personal preference and so long as you stick to the basic bones of this recipe you’ll be guaranteed a delicious, creamy pan of Swedish Meatballs! 

I served my Swedish Meatballs with some super creamy mash which I made using this syn free recipe and then blended for extra creaminess! I also added a side dish of steamed veg! Swedish Meatballs also go great with pasta, and work particularly well with a bit of lingonberry jam or sauce stirred in at the end…! 

Cliona Keane

Yields 20

Serves 2-4

Best Ever Homemade Healthy Swedish Meatballs

A healthy take on the authentic Swedish Meatballs recipe. Low syn on Slimming World.

5 minPrep Time

20 minCook Time

25 minTotal Time

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

4 based on 1 review(s)

My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

Ingredients

• 500g 5% Pork Mince
• 250g 5% Steak Mince
• 1x Onion (finely diced)
• 2x Garlic Cloves (minced)
• 1x Egg
• 30g Parsley (Roughly Chopped>
• 1 Pint Beef Stock
• 2tbsp Low Fat Creme Fraiche
• 1tsp Plain Flour
• 2tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1tsp Lemon Juice
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)
• Fry Light

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together the pork and beef mince along with the egg, half of the parsley and salt & pepper.
3. Spray a baking tray with Fry Light and roll the mince mixture into approximately 20 meatballs. Lay them out on the baking tray, spray with more cooking spray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked all the way through.
4. Meanwhile, add your diced onion and garlic to a frying pan over a medium heat and saute until the onions begin to soften and the garlic begins to change colour.
5. Add the beef stock and reduce the heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the creme fraiche and continue to simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes.
7. Remove a few tablespoons of the sauce and mix together with the flour to form a wet paste.
8. Add the paste to the sauce. This prevents clumps of flour.
9. Whisk until the paste is totally stirred into the sauce and then increase the heat and simmer over a medium heat until the sauce begins to thicken up.
10. When the meatballs are cooked through, add them to the sauce with the rest of the parsley (keeping a bit back to garnish if desired) and simmer for a further 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
11. Serve with veg over a creamy mash or with pasta!

Notes

3.5 syns on Slimming World - 1.5 per tablespoon for the low fat creme fraiche and 1/2 syn for the flour. Divide total syn value by number of servings. Syn values correct at time of writing. Please do not share screenshots of this recipe. Share links instead!

Nutrition

Calories

514 cal

Fat

24 g

Carbs

56 g

Protein

1 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

7.8.1.2

170

https://basementbakehouse.com/2017/10/best-ever-healthy-homemade-swedish-meatballs/

DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS SWEDISH MEATBALLS RECIPE FOR LATER!