My take on Swedish Meatballs

I love a bargain. When I find a deal at the store I try to find a use for whatever it is...to save money of course! Looking at the grocery store ads and figuring out what meals I can make with what's on sale. One of my favorite things to make is meatballs. You can find great deals on ground beef at the store.... I get 4 or 5 pounds or you can find bags of frozen pre-cooked meatballs. Either homemade or store bought, there are quite a few variations to what you can do with these tasty buggers!! Here is my recipe for Homemade Meatballs (Note: when I come up with a recipe, I just eyeball everything and use whatever I have on hand...I love recipes that you can make with just about whatever you have in the house, I've tried my best to give measurements)

Homemade Meatballs:

3 Lbs. ground beef
1 egg
1 cup of either Italian (or plain) breadcrumbs or oatmeal, or 4 slices bread, torn & soaked in 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. chopped garlic or 1/2 garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. oil

*Feel free to adjust seasonings to your liking.

In a large bowl, mix ground beef with all ingredients, except the oil. Shape meatballs into desired size and set aside. Place oil in frying pan or skillet on medium heat. When oil is hot enough, saute meatballs just until outside is caramelized, but not cooked through. Transfer to a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. After they meatballs are slightly cooled, place them on some paper towels to drain. Then put meatballs on cookie sheets (make sure they are not touching) and freeze for 1 to 2 hours or until frozen enough to put in freezer bags. Depending on the size, this can make anywhere from 30-60 or so meatballs.

* This takes a bit more effort than pre-cooked ones from a bag, but I'm willing to take the time to make them if I find a great deal on ground beef!!

These are perfect for an easy meal. Can be put baked in the oven either thawed or frozen, cooked in the crock pot, or heated up in the microwave. The possibilities are endless when it comes to what sauces you can use as well and as an appetizer or a main dish, this comfort food will please any pallet! One of my families favorite ways to eat these is 'Swedish Style' my way.

Swedish Meatballs

This recipe makes enough for a 9x13 pan or 6-8 servings. You can use thawed or frozen meatballs.

24 to 36 meatball
6 Tbs. butter
6 Tbs. flour
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

Place meatballs in a 9x13 pan. In a large skillet or sauce pan, melt butter at medium heat until bubbly and whisk in the flour a tablespoon at a time until smooth. Allow mixture to cook for about a minute or so (or the sauce will taste like wall paper paste!) Whisk in the chicken and beef broth and raise heat to high until it starts to simmer, then lower back down to medium. Keep stirring until it is to the desired thickness (if you want to make the thickening process go quicker, heat up the chicken and beef broth before adding it to the butter/flour mixture.) Once the sauce is finished, season with salt and pepper to taste, but remember the meatballs (especially the store bought ones!!) already have salt in them. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Serve over cooked noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, or alone. We like them alone, with flavored rice and a veggie on the side. Enjoy!

I hope you try this simple recipe...more variation to follow. :)