Swedish Meatball Pasta Bake

 This is the sort of solace food dish that you make toward the end of the week. 

Think Swedish meatballs meets a goulash and that is the thing that we have going on here today. Clever, isn't that so? I will in general favor goulashes in the colder time of year time. Perhaps this is on the grounds that they will in general be heavier and ideal for cold evenings. Which implies on the off chance that you're checking calories, save this formula for a day when calories don't tally (like the end of the week or holiday. 

As a heads up, this formula sets aside a touch of effort to make, which is the genuine motivation behind why I propose making this on an end of the week. It's not hard to make, yet there a ton of steps. It took me route longer than I suspected it would. 

At the point when I made this, it advised me that I don't care for making meatballs. I discover them sort of an agony to make. Does any other person feel that way? The meatballs in these photos are somewhat greater than what the formula calls for. I didn't take a gander at the bundle of hamburger that my significant other got on the grounds that I expected it was the sum that I required. My terrible. The meatballs actually came out extraordinary however. 

My significant other would have preferred more pasta however I feel that would demolish the honesty of this dish. I imagine that the proportion of carbs to sauce/sauce is vital to a decent goulash and it's right on the money here. Dry dishes don't make for great eats. 

While I delighted in this supper, it's not actually something that I pine for or float towards. Give me a chicken rice soup or zucchini ravioli and I'm a cheerful camper. My better half ate the entirety of the extras by eating it for a few days straight as lunch, so praise to him for taking one for the group since this formula made a great deal of food.

Swedish Meatball Pasta Bake Recipe

(Makes about 6 servings)

Note: This recipe requires 30 minutes of chilling time.

Ingredients for the Meatballs:

1 and 1/4 cups plain panko bread crumbs

4 tablespoons butter

2/3 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2/3 cup milk

2 eggs

1 pound ground beef (I used 85/15.)

1 pound ground pork

3 tablespoons oil

Ingredients for the Pasta:

2 cups shell pasta

Ingredients for the Sauce:

6 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups beef broth (I used low sodium, equivalent to a 32 ounce box.)

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce * (See Note below.)

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon salt * (See Note below.)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

*Note: My husband likes this recipe as is. However, I prefer less salt and Worcestershire flavor and would reduce these amounts in half. Therefore I recommend that you start with less salt and Worcestershire, taste the sauce, and add more to your liking if needed.

Directions for the Meatballs:

Add the panko bread crumbs to a large bowl and set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.

Add the finely chopped onion, salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir often.

Add the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Turn the heat down to low/medium, and add the milk. Stir everything together and bring it to a simmer.

Once the onion mixture has come to a simmer, pour it from the pan into the bowl of panko bread crumbs and stir everything together. The mixture will be very thick. Set this bowl aside to cool.

In a separate extra large bowl, add the eggs and beat them.

Then add the ground beef, ground pork, and cooled onion mixture. Mix everything together. (It’s gross, but it’s easiest and quickest to do using your hands.)

Form about 30 balls and then chill them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Once the meatballs are done chilling, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat up the oil.

Add the meatballs to the skillet in batches and cook them until they are browned on all sides, about 15 minutes. Batches made it so the pan wasn’t over crowded which made flipping them and seeing when they were done easier.

Transfer the meatballs to a dish and set them aside.

Directions for the Pasta:

Cook the pasta al dente according to the directions on the box, drain it and add it to a 9 x 13 oven safe baking dish.

Directions for the Sauce and Assembly:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. (This is not part of the sauce steps but you’ll want the oven preheated by the time you are done with these steps.)

Place the meatballs into the baking dish, nestling them into the pasta.

In a large skillet on medium heat, melt the butter.

Add the flour, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes.

Stir in the beef broth, water, Worcestershire, salt and pepper and bring it to a simmer. Stir often.

Reduce the heat to low/medium, and add the parsley and heavy cream. Stir everything together constantly and cook it until it thickens, about 10 minutes.

Carefully pour the sauce over the meatballs and pasta.

Bake the Swedish meatballs, pasta, and sauce in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.