The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
Some days you just need dinner to make itself.
This is that recipe. Ten minutes of dumping and stirring, then the slow cooker does all the work.
By evening the whole house smells amazing, and you get tender meatballs in a rich, creamy gravy.
These slow cooker Swedish meatballs start with a frozen bag. No thawing, no browning, no pan to scrub. I came up with this on a Tuesday when the day fell apart around 4 p.m. and I had nothing defrosted. The freezer had one bag of meatballs.
Fair warning: this isn’t the Swedish meatball from Stockholm. No allspice, no lingonberries. It’s the potluck kind, the one that vanishes first. I’m fine with that.
Why These Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs Work
Frozen meatballs go in frozen. They thaw as the gravy heats, and because they sit in liquid the whole time, they stay soft instead of drying out the way they would in a pan. Skip the browning. The gravy doesn’t need it.
The gravy has a backbone. Cream of mushroom soup thinned with beef broth tastes like canned soup, nothing more. Worcestershire, steak sauce and Dijon fix that. Salty, a little sweet, a little sharp. Leave them out and the whole pot tastes flat.
Sour cream goes in last. Cook it for hours and it can turn grainy. Stir it in at the end and the gravy goes smooth and pale.
Noodles get cooked on the side. In the crock for hours they’d swell, go mushy and drink half your gravy. Cook them at the end. Ten minutes, done.
What You Need
The meatballs and gravy:
- 26 oz bag frozen meatballs
- 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp steak sauce
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
The seasoning:
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp parsley flakes, plus a pinch extra for the top
- 1 tsp onion powder
To finish:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 12 oz bag egg noodles
How to Make It
- Tip the frozen meatballs straight into your slow cooker. Pour in the mushroom soup, beef broth, Worcestershire, steak sauce and Dijon.
- Add the salt, pepper, parsley, onion powder and garlic, then the chopped onion. Stir well so everything is mixed through.
- Put the lid on and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
- When the time is almost up, cook the egg noodles following the package directions, then drain.
- Stir the sour cream and the noodles into the slow cooker until the sauce coats everything. Sprinkle a little parsley on top and serve hot.
Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 4 to 6 hours on low, plus about 10 minutes for the noodles | Serves: 8
My Tips
- Take the sour cream out of the fridge while the noodles cook. It stirs in smooth and doesn’t clump.
- Taste before you add more salt. The soup, the broth and the Worcestershire are all salty already.
- Leftovers: noodles in one container, meatballs and gravy in another. The noodles soak up the gravy overnight and get soft.
- No noodles? Mashed potatoes or rice are just as good under this gravy.
- Don’t lift the lid to check. Every peek costs you time.
Variations
- Add a pinch of allspice or nutmeg. Do this one. It pushes the gravy a little closer to the real Swedish version, and nobody at the table can tell you why it tastes better.
- Toss in a handful of sliced mushrooms at the start. They cook down in the gravy. Worth it if you like mushrooms, pointless if you don’t.
- Skip the low-fat sour cream. It splits more easily and the gravy ends up thin. Full-fat only.
Make-Ahead Notes
Chop the onion and mix the soup, broth, sauces and seasonings the night before. Keep it in the fridge, then pour it over the frozen meatballs in the morning. That’s the only prep worth doing ahead.
Don’t cook the noodles early. Don’t add the sour cream early. Both get worse the longer they sit.
Want to freeze it? Freeze the meatballs and gravy before the sour cream goes in. Stir the sour cream and fresh noodles in when you reheat.
FAQ
Do I need to thaw the frozen meatballs?
No. Tip them in frozen.
Can I make Swedish meatballs in the slow cooker on high?
I wrote this for low, 4 to 6 hours, and that’s what I’d stick with. High gets dinner done faster, but I haven’t tested it here, and a cream-based gravy can go grainy when it’s pushed hard.
Why is my Swedish meatball gravy thin?
Frozen meatballs release water as they thaw, and that loosens the gravy. Whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch into 2 tablespoons cold water, stir it in, and cook with the lid off for about 15 minutes. Do this before the sour cream and noodles go in. They thicken it a little too, so don’t overdo it.
What do I serve with Swedish meatballs?
Egg noodles. They’re my pick over rice every time, and mashed potatoes come second.
How do I reheat leftovers?
Reheat the meatballs and gravy in a saucepan or the microwave with a splash of beef broth to loosen the sauce. Warm the noodles separately, then combine.
Closing Thoughts
Put something sharp on the side. A quick cucumber salad with vinegar works. So does a spoonful of lingonberry or cranberry sauce, which is how Swedish meatballs are actually served. The tang cuts the richness of the gravy, and it turns a heavy bowl into a full dinner.
Creamy Set-and-Forget Swedish Meatballs with Egg Noodles
These creamy slow cooker Swedish meatballs are an easy set-and-forget dinner with tender meatballs, egg noodles, and a rich savory gravy finished with sour cream. Perfect for busy weeknights and cozy family meals.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the frozen meatballs directly to the slow cooker.
- Pour in the cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, and Dijon mustard.
- Add the salt, black pepper, parsley flakes, onion powder, minced garlic, and chopped onion. Stir well until everything is evenly combined.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours, until the meatballs are heated through and the gravy is rich and flavorful.
- Near the end of the cooking time, prepare the egg noodles according to the package directions. Drain well.
- Stir the sour cream into the slow cooker until the gravy becomes smooth and creamy.
- Add the cooked egg noodles and gently stir until the noodles and meatballs are evenly coated in the creamy gravy.
- Sprinkle with a little extra parsley and serve hot.
Notes
Take the sour cream out of the refrigerator while the noodles cook so it is not ice-cold when stirred into the hot gravy. This helps it blend smoothly.
For leftovers, store the noodles and meatballs separately when possible because the noodles will absorb the gravy and soften overnight.
Mashed potatoes or rice can be served instead of egg noodles.
The cook-time field is set to 4 hours based on the minimum LOW setting. The recipe can cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours.
