Swedish Meatballs and Garlic Spinach

Ashley's grandmother was very Swedish, and she inherited the stereotypical rosy cheeks, blonde hair, and blue eyes. But she also inherited some Swedish recipes-- ones that we've tweaked and made easy peasy. We love this recipe because we can usually make it from stuff we already have on hand.

What you'll need:
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/2 C bread crumbs
2 Tbsp milk
1 medium onion
3 C water
1 box quick rice (or white, if you prefer)
1 envelope Liptons onion soup mix
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 C flour.

For the spinach all you need is
1/2 bundle of fresh spinach
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil

Finely chop the onion. (We think this is a good time to tell you an onion secret. If you put your onion in the freezer 30 minutes before chopping it up, you won't cry like a baby when you cut into it. You're welcome.)

In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil and add the onion soup mix. Add half the onion. Let simmer for about 8 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine half the onion, the ground beef, milk, bread crumbs, 1 clove garlic, and egg. Mix together. Roll into dollar-sized balls. Roll the delicious balls of meat in flour until coated on outside. Then drop them into the soup mixture in the saucepan. Turn them after a couple minutes. Slowly add about 1/2 C flour while stirring until smooth. Then cover and let it simmer (about 10-12 minutes, until meat is cooked and sauce thickens).

Prepare rice according to the instructions on the package (we usually use Rice-A-Roni butter and herbs flavor for this dish).

For the garlic spinach, get ready for the easiest side dish of all time. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Finely chop 2 cloves garlic and add to pan. Let the garlic reach a nice golden brown. Then add the spinach, stirring constantly. It only takes about 6 minutes for the spinach to cook and take on a nice garlicky flavor.

Serve meatballs and pan sauce over rice and get your pretty green spinach on that plate, too. Try not to drool.