Saturday, February 27, 2010

Swedish Meatballs with Sour Cream Dill Sauce

In my attempt to choose healthier foods and cook with healthier ingredients, I've made some changes to some of my recipes. One of the changes is switching out ground beef for ground turkey. Because there is less fat, we need to add some moisture into the mix and so, I've used a panade in this recipe. A panade is a mixture of milk and bread. I learned this from America's Test Kitchen. I've also switched out sour cream for light sour cream. I don't really notice much of a difference other than light seems to me more "dry" and kind of "bitter." A touch of salt helps eliminate this. So here is my version of lighter, healthier Swedish Meatballs.

Swedish Meatballs

1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup minced dried minced onion
4 slices wheat or white bread
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375º

Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

In large bowl, soak bread in milk. Add turkey and mix well. Add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Let sit about 10 minutes. Form into 2-inch balls. Place meatballs on prepared baking sheet; bake at 375º for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown on the outside.

Sour Cream Dill Sauce

1 cup beef or chicken broth (I used beef )
1 cup sour cream, *room temperature
1 tablespoon dried dill
Salt
Pepper

Heat broth in saucepan. Add sour cream. Add dill, salt, and pepper. Let simmer and thicken about 15 minutes. For color, if desired, add browning sauce (Kitchen Bouquet) to your liking.

Serve over cooked noodles.

*Kitchen Tip:  If mixing mayo, sour cream, etc. ingredients with hot liquids to make a sauce or gravy, they will blend perfectly if brought to room temperature first.

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