Lihapullat - Baked Finnish meatballs
Have you ever heard of Lihapullat? It's a fancy way of saying Finnish meatballs! These meatballs have been a hit in Finland for ages and are a go-to comfort food for dinner. They are super easy to make, just throw all the ingredients into a big bowl, mix, roll and bake.They are traditionally served with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, but they're also delicious served with potato salad, or on their own as an appetiser. Even though people all around the world are starting to enjoy Lihapullat, it's still a super important part of Finnish culture and a beloved comfort food among the locals. Give it a try, you won't regret it!
Ingredients
- 100 grams onions very finely chopped
- 500 grams beef mince aka ground beef
- 70 grams breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons cream 60ml
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- few good grinds black pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200℃/390℉/gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Chop the onion very finely. Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan and fry the onions over medium heat until soft and translucent, but not overly browned.
- In a large bowl, add the fried onions, beef mince, breadcrumbs, one egg, cream, minced garlic, allspice, salt and pepper.
- Combine all the ingredients thoroughly. A fork works well to break up the mince in the process.
- Pinch off pieces from the meatball mixture and roll into balls. If you want to be precise and need equally sized meatballs, you can weigh each portion. We use 50g per meatball which will give you about 18 meatballs from this recipe. If you're not weighing, aim for golf ball sized portions.
- Space the meatballs out on the baking tray, leaving enough space between each meatball for even baking.
- Add the two tablespoons of oil to a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the top and sides of each meatball with the oil.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and golden brown in colour.
- Serve warm with potatoes and Lingonberry jam.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 18meatballs at 50g each
Amount Per Serving
Calories 114
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 114kcal | 6% |
| Carbohydrates | 3g | 1% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 9g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Trans Fat | 0.3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 24mg | 8% |
| Sodium | 245mg | 10% |
| Potassium | 95mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 0.3g | 1% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 50IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 0.5mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 16mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.