Swedish meatball orzo. A comforting one-pot dinner that’s perfect for any night of the week. Soft, juicy meatballs simmered with orzo in an irresistible creamy white sauce. It takes 40 minutes to make and hits just about all the right notes – it’s easy to make, intriguing and tastes freaking delicious.
If you love easy one-pot dinners, try these next: One Skillet Salmon with Lemon Orzo, Marry Me Chicken Meatball Orzo or Cheesy Cajun Chicken with Potatoes.
What makes this Swedish meatball orzo recipe so delicious?
Swedish meatballs are best described as juicy flavor bombs that always come along with an amazing sauce. Today, we’re incorporating these meatballs into an easy one-pot orzo recipe. The best flavor develops when the orzo is cooked in the sauce together with the meatballs. Oh, yes!
The tastiest creamy orzo is made directly in the butter your meatballs were cooked in. It requires just a couple of ingredients for that flavorsome taste. Plus, there’s no need to wash a huge amount of dishes to enjoy this one-pan deliciousness!
How to make this one-pot Swedish meatball orzo recipe
The preparation for this dish is quite simple. Instead of boiling the orzo separately, we cook it directly in the skillet in a rich pan sauce. The sauce is made with a base of garlic and onion, beef broth, and the flavorful pan juices from the meatballs. To enhance the overall taste, we also incorporate Worcestershire sauce and mustard.
Cooking the orzo in the sauce not only allows the starch to emulsify, but also creates a slightly smoother texture, resulting in a unique and delicious outcome.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO or follow along on YouTube.
Ingredients for Swedish meatball orzo
For the Meatballs:
- Ground Meat: A mix of beef and pork, though pork, chicken, or turkey can be used individually.
- Breadcrumbs: Absorb the meat juices during cooking, ensuring moist and flavorful meatballs.
- Egg: Binds the meat mixture with breadcrumbs and spices for springy meatballs.
- Seasoning: A blend of garlic powder, dried onion, salt, black pepper, dried parsley and nutmeg.
For the Orzo:
- Orzo: Adds a silky texture to the dish, if unavailable, opt for the smallest pasta variety you can find.
- Garlic and Onion: Essential for flavor enhancement.
- Beef Broth: Forms the base of the sauce, it can be substituted with chicken broth, though the result may be less rich.
- Heavy Cream: Creates a creamy, velvety sauce. Do not substitute with half-and-half. However, half of the cream can be substituted with sour cream for a tangy flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce and Dijon Mustard: Enhance the rich flavor.
- Salt and Black Pepper.
- Butter and Oil: Used for searing the meatballs.
Helpful tips
To ensure your meatballs are moist and unbelievably tender. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, using your hands to gently and carefully incorporate the herbs, egg, and breadcrumbs into the meat mixture. Handle the meat as short as possible to avoid over-mixing.
Serving tips
- For a complete meal, serve the Swedish meatball orzo with green beans or green peas.
- Due to the creamy sauce, the orzo tends to thicken rapidly. For the best consistency and flavor, it’s advisable to serve it promptly after preparation.
How to store Swedish meatball orzo
- Fridge: Leftovers can be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Thaw the meatballs with orzo and sauce overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat them gently on the stove over low heat, stirring occasionally. If the orzo has thickened too much during freezing, consider adding a little extra cream or broth to adjust the consistency.
Swedish Meatball Orzo
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1.3 pounds ground meat - a mix of ground beef and pork
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp dried onion
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp dried parsley
Orzo and cream sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 4 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 ¼ cup orzo - uncooked
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 2 ½ cups beef broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- chopped parsley - for serving, optional
- freshly ground black pepper - for serving, optional
Instructions
- To a bowl, add ground beef, ground pork, egg, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, salt, pepper, dried parsley, garlic powder and dried onion. Mix with your hands, just until combined. Roll into 2-tablespoon sized meatballs. Will make about 24.
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves.
- Heat oil and butter over medium in a large heavy bottomed skillet or Dutch oven. Add meatballs, brown all over for about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet.
- Add onion and garlic, sauté for 2 minutes. Add orzo, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in broth and simmer for 5 minutes, until the orzo starts to absorb the liquid. Next add cream. Then return the meatballs and their released juices to the skillet. Stir and simmer for 15 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the orzo is tender. Add more broth if needed.
- Taste and adjust salt. Top with parsley and black pepper. Serve and enjoy!
Video
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