Frikadeller 2 Ways: Family Recipe vs. Lightened-Up Recipe | {Megan}

Growing up, frikadeller (aka. Danish meatballs) was a recipe that my mom had on rotation for weeknight dinners and it's always been one of my favorites. My family is proud of our Danish heritage, and that is likely why I grew up eating some of Denmark's trademark foods. Once I moved out of my parent's house, I was constantly calling my mom and asking her for dinner recipes—this one is still my favorite to this day! Here is the recipe for the frikadeller I grew up eating:



Ingredients:
• 1 pound of hamburger meat
• 3/4 sleeve of saltine or Ritz crackers
• 1 egg
• A splash of milk
• 1 tablespoon of melted butter
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• A couple squirts of ketchup
• Note: many recipes call for chopped onions but I prefer mine without

Steps:
1. Mix all of the ingredients together





2. Form the meat into firm balls



3. Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil
4. Add 4 tablespoons of butter in the pan around the meatballs
5. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes





I've always loved this exact recipe, but one day I thought I'd try experimenting a little to try to make a healthier version of frikadeller. I looked up healthier substitutions for many of the ingredients and this is what I came up with:



Ingredients:
• 1 pound of ground turkey breast (substitution for hamburger meat)
• 1 1/4 pieces of ezekiel bread (substitution for the crackers)
• 1 egg white (substitution for egg)
• A splash of milk
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil (substitution for melted butter)
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• A couple squirts of ketchup

I followed the same steps as above, except I didn't add any butter to the cookie sheet before baking.







I honestly can't decide which recipe is better. A couple of months ago I made the healthier version for my parents and I knew my dad would be the true test for whether or not it was as good as the original, and I think he loved them just as much as our family recipe!



If you decide to try out either recipe, let me know what you all think!