One IKEA Meatball - © 2018 IKEA

COVID-19 Lock Down Cooking Fun: Real IKEA Meatballs!

If you’re the kind of person who goes to IKEA just to feast on their famous Meatballs, you need not let the COVID-19 lock down get you down. The Swedish furniture giant has just released its Meatball recipe to the pubic. And it’s fairly simple, using ingredients you may already have in your pantry…

IKEA Meatballs - © 2020 IKEAIKEA’s famous Meatballs: If you’re having withdrawal symptoms, you
can now make them and their Swedish Cream Sauce at home…

What you need

Meatballs

1 lb. / 454 g Ground Beef
1/2 lb. / 250 g Ground Pork
1 medium Onion (finely chopped)
1 clove Garlic (crushed or minced)
100g Breadcrumbs
5 tbsp. /  75 ml Whole Milk
1 Large Egg
Salt and Pepper

Cream Sauce *

2 tbsp. / 30 ml Olive or Canol Oil
3 tbsp. / 40 g Butter
3 tbsp. / 40 g AP Flour
1/2 cup / 150 ml Vegetable Stock
1/2 cup / 150 ml Beef Stock
1/2 cup / 150ml thick Double Cream **
2 tsp. / 10 ml Soy Sauce
1 tsp. / 5 ml Dijon Mustard

* You can simply make your usual Béchamel (White) Sauce with Flour and Butter, and a full cup of Beef Stock, and whatever grade of Cream you have in the house. Add the Soy Sauce and Mustard to taste. This changes the flavour a little, but not so much that you’ll notice it under the Soy Sauce and Mustard. Don’t make a special trip out to the store just to get Double Cream or Veggie Stock.

What you do

Combine all the Meatball ingredients – except the Oil – in a large mixing bowl and blend with your freshly-washed bare hands until thoroughly combined.

Scoop out 1 tbsp. / 15 ml portions of the mixture and roll into Balls.

Brown the Meatballs in a frying pan with the Oil.

Finish cooking in the oven at 375 F for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve with your favourite Potatoes,” the IKEA instructions say, while clearly recommending Mashed or Boiled New Potatoes.

And there you have it!

You may want to tinker with the recipe a bit – especially the Sauce – to adjust it to your taste. And I repeat, to honour the lock down rules, don’t make a special trip out to the store just to get Double Cream or Veggie Stock…

~ Maggie J.