Nordic countries aren’t traditionally known for their cuisine. Blood pudding or , anyone? This has changed over time, of course, as restaurants like Copenhagen’s Noma is consistently named best restaurant in the world, and one of its rivals for the top contender is in Sweden.
But somewhere between the boiled sheep’s heads of the past and the foraged fern salads of the future are the timeless comfort foods of Scandinavia. Cured gravlax, buttered potatoes, thick yogurt, fish soups, thin pancakes rolled with sugar, gamey meats and plenty of hot coffee all conjure visions of toasty cottages with lace curtains and needlepoint pillows, nestled atop a vista of snowy fjords.
One of the most iconic Scandinavian dishes is köttbullar, meatballs with gravy served with mashed potatoes and lingonberry preserves. During these darkest days of the year, my body is in hibernation mode and craves the heavy and hearty meals of the North. This meal is the perfect mid-winter treat and feels festive in its own way. Perhaps prepare your köttbullar for Santa Lucia’s Day on December 13, and finish off the meal with pepperkakker, Swedish ginger snaps!
Unable to find a vegetarian version of Swedish meatballs with gravy anywhere, I concocted my own by stringing a couple different recipes together. The lentil meatballs are adapted from Sprouted Kitchen’s recipe, and the leftovers are delicious with spaghetti and tomato sauce. The gravy is a rich mushroom thyme sauce from Food52 that you’ll want to pour over everything. Mashed potatoes can be whipped up with your own go-to recipe, and whole-berry cranberry sauce can substitute for lingonberry preserves in a pinch.
vegetarian lentil meatballs
2 cups cooked lentils (green or brown are the best choice since they remain firm after cooking)
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup ricotta
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t. fennel seed
2 T fresh parsley, chopped fine
1 t. dried rosemary
1 t. dried thyme
pinch of ground allspice
2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
olive oil
Process the lentils in a food processor until smooth. In a large bowl, mix the lentils with the rest of the ingredients, and let sit for 20 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to soften.
Preheat the oven to 400 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Check the consistency of your meatball mixture by rolling a 1″ ball between your palms. If it feels wet or falls apart, add more breadcrumbs until it holds together. Roll your meatballs and evenly space them on the baking sheets. They won’t spread in the oven, so you can place them right next to each other. Brush the tops with olive oil.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown, rotating the sheets and flipping the meatballs halfway through baking so they brown evenly. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve hot.
mushroom thyme gravy
1/3 cup dried mushrooms
2 cups vegetable stock (homemade is best if you have it)
3 T butter
2 T minced shallot
3 T flour
3 T soy sauce
1/2 cup light cream
1 T sherry
1 T dried thyme
salt and pepper
Bring the vegetable stock to a boil and pour over the mushrooms. Set aside and let them soak for 20 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms, and set the stock aside for later. Mince the mushrooms.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the shallot and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until soft. Add the flour to the butter/shallot mixture and stir constantly for 2 minutes to make a roux. Gradually add the reserved stock (leaving out the mushroom sediment) to the saucepan, stirring well after each addition to incorporate the stock into the mixture. Cook over medium heat until the gravy has thickened.
Add the minced mushrooms, soy sauce, cream, sherry, and thyme to the gravy. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the gravy is heated through and has thickened to a desired consistency.
This gravy will keep well in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
PERFECT! I’ve been looking to make veggie meatballs. You readin’ mah mind?
Oh, I’m REALLY excited about this one!
cool!!! Karena Thek Lineback author of OsteoPilates (2003) author of Scolio-Pilates (2011) Host of Pilates for Healthy Bodies on Public Television Host of Alive & Well Radio on AM1220 KHTS
Continuing Education Provider and Board Member for the Pilates Method Alliance
These look wonderful! Although I do eat meat, I am always looking for ways to have vegetarian days and sneak in lots of vegies for my family!
This looks amazing! I used to love köttbullar, and now I can make my own veggie version 😀 lingonberries, here I come!
I’m very excited about this recipe. I loved Swedish meatballs when I was a kid but haven’t eaten them in years because of the meat factor. Thanks for sharing!
Yum!!! Love the pic too 🙂
thanks darlin!! I’ve been using film instead of digital lately – looks so much better.
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I love Scandinavian food! It’s very similar to the food I grew up with in Northern Ontario–game meats, fish and other wild things! Thanks for sharing.
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I made these for a film night, matching films with food. Not easy when I wanted to show The Girl Who Played With Fire to vegetarian friends but these were delicious and went down a storm! Thanks for the recipe.
How awesome!! (Both the movie and a film/food night). Glad to hear that they were a hit!
I have been invited to a Scandinavian-themed party and these look just perfect. One question: is the 2 cups of lentils measured once they have been cooked, or does it mean 2 cups dried lentils, cooked? If the former, could you give me some idea of the quantity of dried lentils? Many thanks.
Dried lentils!
You might want to amend your recipe to read “2 cups dried lentil, cooked” or something to that effect. If I hadn’t read the question from Bogna I would have clearly used “2 cups cooked lentils” as indicated.
About how many balls does this make? And how many would be in a serving? Thanks!