Savory Swedish Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes

I have to confess something to you, I use to live on Lean Cuisines. By live, I mean literally every night that was my dinner and sometimes even my lunch! My all-time favorite Lean Cuisine was Swedish Meatballs. So naturally, I had to come up with a gluten-free, dairy-free, and Whole30 Savory Swedish Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes recipe.

As we head into fall, this recipe is perfect for a crisp fall evening. It is so full of flavor and gives you all the warm cozy feelings of true comfort food.

I make these meatballs with ground bison but you can totally make them with ground beef! If you watch my stories on Instagram then you hear me talk about eating ground bison a lot. Within the last year or two, I have made the switch from buying ground beef to buying ground bison. I’ll fill you in on why.

Bison vs. Beef

First let me say, bison isn’t as hard to find as you think it is. My local HEB store sells ground bison and so does Whole Foods and Sprouts.

To me, one of the most surprising differences between bison and beef is that bison has 25% fewer calories and is lower in total saturated fat than beef. I would have never thought there would be that big of a difference between the two.

Since bison has less fat, the fat marbling is finer which makes it softer and more tender than beef.

Another big difference between the two types of meat is that bison is more likely to be grass-fed and sustainably sourced than beef. Beef is more likely to be gain fed and factory-farmed.

Making The Meal

Making these Savory Swedish Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes may seem like a lot of work, but it isn’t so bad. It may take a little more time and have more steps than a fast and easy meal but let me tell you it’s worth every minute!

First, you’ll start by adding all your meatball ingredients into a bowl and combining them together. Then you will roll the mixture into 2-inch sized meatballs (or whatever size you prefer) and place in a hot pan.

While the meatballs are cooking, you will cut your potatoes and add them to boiling water. By the time your potatoes are done boiling your meatballs will already be done.

Once your meatballs are done you will remove them from the pan and start making your gravy in the same pan you cooked the meatballs. Once you add the gravy ingredients to the pan you will let it cook and thicken up for about 5-6 minutes.

When the gravy is done, you will add the meatballs back into the pan with the gravy and let them hang out on low while you finish your potatoes.

While your meatballs and gravy are hanging out together, you will add the rest of the potato ingredients in and either mash them together or pulse in a food processor. It’s a personal preference! I tend to just mash mine so they don’t get overly gummy.

Looking for more bison dinner ideas? Check these out:

Easy Sheet Pan Bison Steak

Whole30 Bison Meatloaf

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