Banquet's Swedish Meatballs: Tasty and Affordable

Eating at dinner time can be tricky on both the budget and the clock for some people. That's when buying a frozen dinner helps. But for many people, spending $3-5 for a frozen dinner can get too pricey, especially when there's a family to feed. Banquet dinners are inexpensive and quick to make. Today, we will look at Banquet's Swedish meatball dinner. As we find out, Banquet's Swedish meatballs are light on the pocketbook, heavy in weight, quick in the oven or microwave, and wonderful on the taste buds.

Banquet's Swedish Meatballs

Banquet's Swedish meatballs are sold as an entrée without a side dish. Don't let that fool you into thinking this Banquet offer is a featherweight of a dinner, though. In fact, this is one of the heftier meals Banquet offers, at 10.25 ounces. You would think that for the mere $1 I spent to buy this meal at my local grocer that taste would have been sacrificed.

Truth be told, there are a couple Banquet dinners which taste a little flat, in my opinion. But I think Banquet's Swedish meatballs are probably among the best-tasting of the Banquet red-box dinners I have had. The pasta was not dried out, the sauce had flavor, and the meatballs were not too mealy. And if there is one problem I have found with the "cheaper" frozen dinners, it is that the ground meat frequently tastes dry, hard, or has little if any flavor.

I have to also commend Banquet on this one for another reason: I'm a 6-foot-tall man and none too slight. But Banquet's Swedish meatballs is one of those "stick to your ribs" meals which are hard to find among any of the lesser-priced frozen dinners.

The Food Label

Some people just don't like to look at the food labels of frozen dinners they already ate, and we all know why: sodium, cholesterol, and fat contents are often way too high. Well, the food label is where the joyride with Banquet's Swedish meatballs may come to an end for some people. While total calories (440), total carbohydrates (51 grams), and sugars (less than 1 gram) are not bad for a frozen dinner not boasting "lean" qualities, the other numbers may bring some people to think twice before having Banquet's Swedish meatballs.

Total fat comes to 18 grams (28% of typical daily intake). Saturated fat in the meal is a whopping 8 grams - 40% of daily intake. Cholesterol is markedly high - 80 mg or 27%. Allocate 43% of your daily sodium allotment for Banquet's Swedish meatballs. By the way, this meal does contain 0.5 grams of trans fat.

Other numbers of note are dietary fiber (5 grams - 20%) and 19 grams of protein.

Overall Look at Banquet's Swedish Meatballs

The food label may have scared some away from Banquet's Swedish meatballs, but let's face it: it's a good, quick meal that is not really any worse for the body than many other frozen dinners available on the market. Taking less than 35 minutes in a conventional oven set at 350 degrees and about 6 minutes for the entire microwave process, Banquet's Swedish meatballs really are a fine meal overall; certainly among the better meals in Banquet's lowest-priced line of dinners.

So, when you have less than $1.50 to spend on dinner for yourself and you want a quick meal to satisfy your hunger, don't forget to pick up a box of Banquet's Swedish meatballs and give this meal a place among your smorgasbord.

Resources:

Personal Experience

Banquet's Swedish Meatballs Meal Carton