Swedish Meatballs

I totally stole the above image, but left the copyright intact, so that's legal, right?  I have no idea who recipegirl is, but I like my recipe better.

I really like making these and they are relatively inexpensive...I usually double the recipe so we have leftovers.

1 lb ground beef (I don't pay more than $1.99/lb.  I buy a lot when it's cheap, then put it in quart size baggies in the freezer as flat as I can get it, about a half hour before I start dinner, I toss it in some hot water and it's thawed in no time.  Disclaimer:  The health dept. doesn't recommend this method of thawing)

3 slices of bread crumbled up or cut into tiny bits (I use whole wheat)

1 T dried minced onion (you can find seasonings in bulk at Winco for CHEAP!)

1 1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/4 t. nutmeg

3/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350.  Soak bread and seasonings in milk for about 15 minutes, then mix the ground beef in, form into 1" balls, and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until brown through.

Meanwhile...

Boil water and prepare 1 package of egg noodles according to directions.  (I stock up at $.50 or less and usually use whole wheat)

AND simultaneously multitask...

Melt
2 T butter or oil or combination of both
Add
4 T Flour and brown for about a minute
Add
2 c beef broth slowly (I use Pacific brand.  Sometimes Winco has it for $1.68 a box and then I stock up!!  Otherwise Henry's sometimes has it for $2 a box)
Whisk while adding to get it smooth.  Bring it up to a boil and let it thicken up a bit. 
Add a cup of cream or a can of evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk, they are totally different but the cans look the same.  Not that I speak from experience... ;) )
Salt, Pepper, and Nutmeg to taste.  Start with maybe 1/4 t of each(??)

I like to put the meatballs in the sauce before I serve it, but as long as it all ends up on the plate, the presentation is up to you. 

So if I get the meat for $1.99/lb and the noodles for $.50 and the broth for $1.68 (enough for a double batch) and the evaporated milk for $1, and the rest are negligible amounts, that's about $4.33 for the meal.  You could even afford to steam some broccoli or zucchini to go with it!  Enjoy!