Recipe: Swedish Meatballs & Green Bean Bundles*

Last night I went downstairs to my freezer to get a jar of raspberry jam, since I was making pancakes for dinner.  When I opened it and heard water dripping down from the lid and saw the limp packages of food, I had that sinking feeling of realization that the freezer was off and everything was thawed.  At some point over the weekend the switch must have been bumped and it turned off.  It was much too late to save anything, so we spent several hours removing the ruined food and cleaning up the mess.  It’s awful to lose all that food, but I think I felt the worst about my homemade raspberry jam and green beans from our garden that I had laid out one by one on cookie sheets last summer so each bean would freeze individually before putting them in the freezer bags.  I have a dish I love to make where you wrap a piece of bacon around a handful of frozen beans held together like sticks, then pour French dressing over and bake. (See recipe below for Green Bean Bundles).  I froze the nicest of my garden beans just for this purpose, and it was sad to lose them.

But don’t cry for me, because I got a nice clean freezer out of the deal, ready to fill with fresh items, such as the 93 percent Lean Ground Beef on sale at Lee’s this week for $2.97/lb, which I will use to make an old favorite family recipe, Swedish Meatballs. I think this is my number one go-to recipe for taking to sick people—it’s one of my favorite “comfort foods,” always enjoyed by adults and children alike.  It just takes a few ingredients and is easy and delicious.  

Swedish Meatballs

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large onion chopped up small

2 eggs

½ cup evaporated milk

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

4 slices white bread

1 can Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup

1 can Campbell’s cream of chicken soup

1 soup can full of milk

-In large bowl, place the ground beef, onion, baking powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.  Tear the bread into about four large pieces per slice and place in a medium bowl. Whisk together the egg and milk and pour over the bread.  Let sit five or ten minutes for the bread to absorb the liquid. Then mix this into the meat mixture.  Mix well with a large spoon or your hands.

-Form into balls.  Place meatballs on cookie sheet that has been lined with foil sprayed with cooking spray and cook in a 400 degree oven until firm and browned but not fully cooked (about 10 to 15 minutes or so).

-Place the meatballs in an oblong casserole dish.  Blend the two kinds of soup together with one soup can of milk, then pour this evenly over the meatballs in the casserole dish.

-Bake at 350 to 375 for about 40 minutes or until they are bubbly and the soup has browned nicely.  If you take it out too quick, it will be soupy—the sauce needs to thicken and brown on top.  Do not cover.

-Serve over white rice or noodles.  Sprinkle with soy sauce if desired (if you are having it on rice).  I prefer them over rice, even though the photo shows noodles.

Green Bean Bundles

2 pounds individually frozen Whole Green Beans (home frozen or purchased)

1 bottle Kraft French (not Catalina) Salad Dressing

12-16 ounces Bacon

Slice the bacon strips in thirds or halves, then wrap each piece around a stack of 6 or 8 frozen beans at a time, lying them seam side down in an oblong glass casserole dish.  Place the bundles close together to get them all in.

Pour the salad dressing over the bundles.  (You probably won't use the whole bottle).  Cover and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. 

Bake UNCOVERED at 350 degrees for about an hour until the bacon is crispy and done.  The beans will be partially browned—the ends a bit crispy.  Serve carefully with a spatula so they don’t fall apart.

*Originally distributed March 2014