This delicious Spicy And Creamy Swedish Meatball Pasta is a perfect weekday meal made with juicy homemade meatballs cooked in a creamy white wine sauce. It is very easy to make, and full of flavor. You can prepare it in advance for a lazy Sunday lunch or a delicious dinner that would please everyone.
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If you are bored of the usual tomato-based meatball pasta dishes and looking for something hearty, try this spicy, creamy, and cheesy pasta with meatballs recipe.
For more hearty and comforting pasta dishes, have a look at my Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese (Baked), Lasagna Recipe Without Ricotta Cheese, and Lamb Bolognese with Linguini recipes.
What Are Swedish Meatballs?
Swedish meatballs contain nutmeg and/or allspice as an ingredient. These spices are not used for making regular meatballs. I add the nutmeg to the sauce instead of the meatball mixture for a richer taste.
Also, Swedish meatballs are smaller in size than normal meatballs!
Why This Recipe Works?
- These homemade Swedish Meatballs are creamy, spicy, and extremely delicious.
- You can prepare the meatballs in advance and keep them refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- You can adjust the spiciness by increasing or reducing the amount of chili.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Homemade Swedish Meatballs
- Ground beef - Try and use mince with a minimum of 15% fat for extra flavor. Mince with a high-fat ratio is the key to soft and juicy meatballs. Minced lamb or pork would also work perfectly with this recipe.
- Onions - They add umami flavor and sweetness to the meatballs. Use a grater or chop them very finely with a knife. You can use yellow, white, brown, or red onions.
- Egg - It is necessary to bind the meat with the rest of the ingredients.
- Parsley - Finely chopped flat-leaf or curly parsley brightens the flavor of the meatballs. You can use half amount of dried parsley if you don't have fresh ones.
Spicy and Creamy Sauce
- Turkish green peppers- They are one of my favorite peppers I use for cooking, especially in my Turkish recipes. They are usually mild but some of them can be quite hot. Always check the spiciness before using them in your dishes. You can replace them with bell pepper or Spanish Padron peppers.
- Red pepper - Use a sweet type of red pepper such as romano peppers or bell peppers. Wash and slice the same size as green peppers.
- Mushrooms - Use any type of mushroom you can find. Wild mushrooms such as chanterelles or morels work great with this creamy sauce.
- White wine - Skip the wine if you want to make this pasta dish for your kids.
- Double cream - It is very similar to heavy cream. You can substitute it with whipping cream or milk and butter.
- Parmesan Cheese - No pasta is complete without parmesan cheese. Use a good quality block cheese and try to avoid already grated versions. Some of the best substitutes for parmesan are Grana Padano, Pecorino, or Manchego cheeses.
- Cheddar Cheese - It is optional, you can use any other cheese of your choices such as stilton, feta, or mozzarella.
- Pasta - Penne or any other tubular type of pasta works perfectly with this creamy sauce.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Although this is a very easy recipe to make, you need to follow a few simple tips and steps to achieve the best results:
Prepare the Meatballs
Place ground beef, grated onions, egg, salt, freshly ground black pepper, coriander powder, chili, and chopped parsley in a large bowl.
Use ground beef with a minimum of %15 fat for juicy and tasty meatballs.
Mix to combine and then knead for a few minutes.
Take a small amount from the mixture and then turn it into a bite-size meatball. Place them on a plate. Repeat until you run out of the mixture.
Place a large pan or a wok on high heat and then heat some vegetable oil.
Add half of the meatballs and then nicely sear all sides until brown.
Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding the meatballs. We only want to give some color to the meatballs, not to cook them.
Remove them to a plate and then repeat with the rest of the meatballs.
Prepare the Spicy and Creamy Sauce
When you finish browning the meatballs, add chopped onions to the pan. Nicely brown the onions for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the sliced peppers and then sauté them for a few minutes before adding the sliced mushrooms.
Sauté the mushrooms until soft and then add the chili, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and white wine. Let the white wine reduce totally and then add the double cream.
Let the sauce bubble up for a few minutes before adding the browned meatballs. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked.
Start cooking your pasta in boiling water meanwhile.
Cook the Pasta and Combine it with Swedish Meatballs
While preparing the sauce, put some water to boil for pasta. While the meatballs are cooking in the sauce, start cooking your choice of pasta in boiling water. Make sure to follow the instructions on the packaging.
Add grated cheese to the sauce before adding the cooked pasta and then add the chopped herbs.
Give it a good stir, check the seasoning, and then garnish with some parmesan shavings.
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
Top Tips From the Chef
- Cook your pasta in plenty of salted boiling water for the best results. Don't add any oil to pasta water as it prevents the sauce from sticking to the pasta and also delays boiling the pasta water.
- Homemade meatballs have a soft texture and should be handled with extra care while pan-frying them.
- You can double the recipe for the meatballs and freeze some for later. They will keep frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- Omit the wine and chili if you are cooking this delicious meatball pasta dish for kids!
Serving Suggestions
This creamy and cheesy dish goes well with a nice bowl of salad. Try it with Rocket Salad With Parmesan, Gavurdagi Salatasi (Tomato and Walnut Salad), or some lovely refreshing Greek Cucumber Salad.
You can also serve Spicy And Creamy Swedish Meatball Pasta with some bread such as Pakistani Roghni Naan, Garlic Naan - Indian Flatbread, or Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread).
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can reheat the meatballs and pasta in a microwave oven. Make sure you set the microwave to medium heat for heating the meatballs gently.
Alternatively, you can reheat it in an oven. Cover the pasta with tin foil or a lid and reheat for 1o to 15 minutes or until the meatballs are thoroughly hot.
Although I prefer to use tube-type pasta for this dish to let the sauce sneak in, you can choose any type of your favorite pasta. If you prefer flat-ribbon-type pasta, you can use Fettuccine, Linguine, Tagliatelle, and Pappardelle.
The leftovers would keep for up to 5 days when refrigerated in an airtight container, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Related Recipes
For more delicious pasta recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Swedish Meatball Pasta dish as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Spicy And Creamy Swedish Meatball Pasta
Equipment
- 1 grater
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 400 g minced beef (minimum of %15 fat for soft and juicy meatballs)
- 1 medium onion (grated)
- 1 small egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes or powder
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2-3 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying
For the Creamy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onions (thinly sliced or finely chopped)
- 2 Turkish green peppers (or 1 green bell pepper or 3-4 padron peppers)
- ½ red pepper
- 250 g button or chestnut mushrooms (use wild mushrooms for a deeper and stronger taste)
- 1 red chili (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup white wine (120 ml)
- ⅞ cup double cream (200 ml)
- 100 g grated parmesan
- 50 g grated cheddar
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- few sprigs fresh thyme (finely chopped)
- 400 g penne pasta (or any of your favourite)
- parmesan shavings (to garnish)
Instructions
Making the Swedish meatballs
- Place ground beef, grated onions, egg, salt, freshly ground black pepper, coriander powder, chili, and chopped parsley in a large bowl.
- Mix until nicely combined and knead for a few minutes.
- Take a small amount from the mixture and turn it into a bite-size meatball. Place on a plate. Repeat until you finish the mixture.
- Place a large pan or a wok on high heat and heat some vegetable oil.
- Add half of the meatballs and nicely sear all sides until brown. Remove to a plate and repeat with the rest of the meatballs.
- Add grated cheese to the sauce before adding the cooked pasta and then add the chopped herbs.
- Give it a good stir, check the seasoning and garnish with some parmesan shavings.
Preparing the creamy sauce
- When you finish browning the meatballs, add chopped onions to the pan.
- Nicely brown the onions for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the sliced peppers and saute for a few minutes before adding the sliced mushrooms.
- Saute the mushrooms until soft and then add the chili, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and white wine.
- Let the white wine reduce totally and then add the double cream.
- Let the sauce bubble up for a few minutes before adding the browned meatballs.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked. Start cooking your pasta in boiling water in meanwhile.
Cook the pasta and combine with the sauce
- While the meatballs are cooking in the sauce, start cooking your choice of pasta in boiling water. Make sure to follow the instructions on the packaging.
- Add grated cheese to the sauce before adding the cooked pasta and then add the chopped herbs.
- Give it a good stir, check the seasoning and garnish with some parmesan shavings.
Video
Notes
- Cook your pasta in plenty of salted boiling water for the best results. Don't add any oil to pasta water as it prevents the sauce from sticking to the pasta and also delays boiling the pasta water.
- Use ground beef with a minimum of %15 fat for juicy and tasty meatballs.
- Homemade meatballs have a soft texture and should be handled with extra care while pan-frying them.
- You can double the recipe for the meatballs and freeze some for later. They will keep frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- Omit the wine and chili if you are cooking this delicious meatball pasta dish for kids!
- The leftovers would keep for up to 5 days when refrigerated in an airtight container, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
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Janet
Super delicious, great flavour combo.
Semira
The meatballs are flavoursome and the sauce is to die for! A new favourite in the household.