Homemade TV Dinner with all the fixins, including mashed potatoes, meatloaf, peas and carrots and fruit crumble.
It didn't take me long to figure out what I was going to make for this weeks Sunday Supper theme. I mean, come on, retro is where its at! I am sure we all have fond memories of classic TV dinners and i wanted to bring that nostalgia and history of such a revolutionary time.
We may turn up our noses now to those pre-made boxed meals,but TV dinners were a true revelation. Back in 1954, Swanson came out with the first TV dinners at the same time as modern appliances, such as the huge popularity of the TV. According to TLC, the start of TV dinners was an answer to a problem with Thanksgiving leftovers! Swanson had tons of Thanksgiving leftovers and needed a way to use them up. One of Swanson's salesman, Gerry Thomas just traveled via Pan Am where he saw tin trays with compartments. So the Swanson brothers took that idea and loaded up the compartment tin trays. A campaign followed and ever since, TV dinners were an instant hit!
The revolutionary thing about TV dinners is that it allowed woman more free time. Towards the end of WWII, women were the usual home-keepers and cooks of the family. So having dinner ready within minutes allowed women to find other hobbies and work. The 1960's also brought an addition to the TV dinner, dessert. By this time TV trays had protein, carbs, vegetable and dessert all in 1 package!
For today's Sunday Supper I made a just as easy, homemade TV dinner! Meatloaf made in muffin cups are perfect for portion control and cook up in less time than a larger loaf. Mashed potatoes with sour cream and Parmesan hit the spot and sweet peas and carrots are tossed with a touch o butter...nothing better than classic! And of course we can't end without a sweet dessert of berry cobbler to make it truly feel like home.
Ain't that swell?
Homemade TV Dinner
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg whisked
- ½ c breadcrumbs
- 2 Tb ketchup + more for topping
- 1 Tb mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Mashed Potatoes
- ½ lb potatoes cut in half
- ¼ c sour cream
- ¼ c freshly grated Parmesan
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 Tb butter for topping
Peas and Carrots
- 2 c carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 c peas frozen or fresh
- 2 Tb butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Meatloaf
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
- Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and use a tablespoon to full muffin cups. It should make about 9.
- Spread 1 Tb of ketchup on top of each meatloaf and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until edges begin to crisp.
Mashed Potatoes
- Boil potatoes until fork tender, about 15 minutes.
- Use a potato masher to mash potatoes and add sour cream, Parmesan and salt and pepper.
- Top with extra pat of butter.
Peas and Carrots
- Cook peas and carrots in boiling water under carrots are tender. About 15 minutes.
- When done, drain and place vegetables back in pot. Toss with 2tb butter and allow the warm vegetables to melt butter.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Berry Crumble
- You can find the recipe here
Nutrition
SundaySupper Main Dishes:
Amy Kim says
Lovely presentation! Needless to say, your t.v. dinner looks and sounds much better than the boxed version! 🙂
Jen @JuanitasCocina says
I'd buy your version over those grocery story ones any day! YUM!
Sherron@SimplyGourmet says
I ate my fair share of TV dinners as a kid. Back then it was so easy for my Mom who was a single-parent and often tired from working. My favorite was the cheese enchilada or the meatloaf. Yours looks perfect. Thank you for sharing!
Heather @girlichef says
This is just too much fun! I loved tv dinners as a kid...and I bet my kids would get a huge kick out of a homemade version. Love it!
Tara Noland says
What a fun post!! I loved TV dinners as a kid. Everyone ate them!! The TV guide was my favorite, you have brought back memories. Great post!!!
Shanna@ pineapple and coconut says
Ahhh you found the trays!! This totally brings back memories. My dad was an airline pilot and my mom was home with just us kids for days at a time and I totally remember that after a couple nights of cooking she would be sick of it ( can't blame her ONE BIT) and would give us TV dinners. But as a kid we had no idea that she was sick of cooking and cleaning but thought that TV dinners were the coolest thing ever. Totally fun to have all our meal with dessert in one tray - we rarely got dessert growing up so this was a total treat and a break for my mom. Total win win! I love that you made these!
Katie says
This is seriously TOO CUTE! I love your homemade version of a TV dinner...probably much tastier than the freezer section, I'd say!
kita says
I love everything about this post - from presentation to the food. It sounds like an awesome kind of meal and Im slightly jealous that Im not coming home to this tonight ;D
Sarah Reid, RHNC (@jo_jo_ba) says
That is so adorable! Good on you!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
What a fantastic idea! I love mini meatloaf! And presenting it in a TV tray is just genius. It doesn't get more retro than that!
Tammi @ Momma's Meals says
OMG you can't forget the famous TV Dinners!! I'll never forget them, they were a treat to have in our home, thanks for bringing them back!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts says
Absolutely love it!! What a great job for the theme! And your pictures are gorgeous.
Hezzi-D says
This was soooo creative! It looks way better then the TV dinners I used to eat as a kid.
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
Honestly, this is the most creative thing I've seen yet. I love this.
Conni Smith @FoodieArmyWife says
That' so funny. I remember as a kid having TV dinners on a TV Tray in the living room. It was always a special thing, because growing up, we 99.999% of the time had a family meal at the dinner table 🙂
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen says
Sam, this is my favorite of the list! I would gladly sit down, watch tv and eat this tray!
Jenne says
Growing up I had my share of TV dinners when my grandma was working late and my grandfather and I watch the dozens of movies he had recorded from TV. I really love your idea for the retro recipes because it fits perfectly!
Susan says
Now this is one tv dinner I will happily eat! This looks amazing Sam, I love all the compartments, you could build a new business.
Brandie (@ Home Cooking Memories) says
This is so, so fun! Love it all.
Chris Baccus says
Now that's a TV dinner American can be proud of. Fantastic addition to this past weekend's Sunday Supper. You win. 🙂
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Samantha, cool history lesson on Swansons. We make fun of tv dinners now but I bet they were such a revelation when they were first made. I can't believe you found a tv dinner tray - I love the presentation! And this is a meal I could totally get behind - everything sounds fresh, tasty, and healthy. I think I could do with a bigger portion of the cobbler though - yum! 😉
Renee says
I would eat one of your TV dinners in a heartbeat. Those old ones - not a chance! Great job on a whole retro meal.
Bea says
What a great post & fantastic idea to make a homemade TV dinner. It looks fantastic!!!
Faye Leong says
When Isabel posted the list of participants for this week event, I wasn't sure what is Homemade TV Dinner about. You did not disappoint me, such a great informative and creative post !
Allilau says
Fantastic! I love how you've taken the retrotasique TV dinner and revamped it for your retro supper. A sure winner and no doubt tastier than what Swansons ever served up!
Samantha says
Thanks so much!!! Ya I totally had find making this!
The Kitchen Edition says
How fun is that! Love the meatloaf in the muffin pans. Brings back memories of my parents "date nights" when we'd have tv dinners with the baby sitter.
Amanda @ MarocMama says
I've heard stories from my grandparents about TV dinners and they still enjoy them. I just wish food companies would put food in them instead of loading them up with preservatives and quasi-food. I love this meal - thanks so much for sharing!
Ramona says
Hello where do you get the black trays
thank you
Samantha says
Hi Ramona! I actually just bought TV dinners (that I didn't use) and washed out the tray to use as a photo prop!
Rae says
You can order ceramic TV trays from Uncommon Goods! I like them much better than the black disposable ones! They keep food warmer and helps save the planet!
Christina says
Hello, where did you buy those lovely trays from?
Samantha says
Hi Christina! They are a regular TV dinner tray from a frozen TV dinner!