The Most-Popular Recipe from My Mother-In-Law's Vintage Charity Cookbook

When my husband and I began dating over two decades ago, we would often travel to Pennsylvania to visit his family. Nearly every time, my mother-in-law would prepare burger bundles for dinner. These tasty meatloaf-style patties, filled with stuffing and topped with creamy mushroom gravy, are fondly remembered from those early years of dating and, later, marriage.

What Are Burger Bundles?

Over the years, my mother-in-law continued to serve burger bundles whenever we visited her, and eventually, she even made them in my kitchen at my husband's request during their trips to Florida. Given that the recipe calls for canned condensed soup and boxed stuffing, I had always assumed it came from a label's recipe.

But she explained that her mother had made these burger bundles for her and her siblings when they were young, and the recipe came from a 1972 charity cookbook published by the Pennsylvania State Grange, a community organization. 'Mommy made [burger bundles],' my mother-in-law recalled. 'They were [my brother’s] favorite. She found the recipe in the Grange cookbook.'

From what I can gather, the burger bundles recipe first appeared in a 1967 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook called Jiffy Cooking, which offered menus for entertaining. The original menu for burger bundles included mashed potatoes, green beans, and a retro dessert salad, with coffee or milk suggested as the ideal beverages to accompany the meal.

When she became a mother of three hungry boys, my mother-in-law revived this dish from her own childhood. 'It was a quick and tasty meal,' she said. 'My boys always loved it.'

How to Make Burger Bundles

Until recently, I never tried making burger bundles myself, as I always saw them as a special dish my mother-in-law made for us. But once I gave it a try, I was surprised by how simple it is to prepare.

After preparing some stovetop stuffing and mixing the ground beef with milk, I divided the meat into six portions and shaped each into a patty, flattening it like a pancake. I then placed the stuffing in the center of each patty, wrapped the meat around it, and sealed it shut — a cross between a meatloaf and a stuffed meatball.

The true magic of burger bundles lies in their creamy, gravy-like sauce made from condensed cream of mushroom soup, milk, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. This rich sauce is poured over the bundles in a baking dish, and everything bakes slowly in the oven at 350°F for two hours. 'Don’t forget the creamy mashed potatoes and a vegetable everyone enjoys,' my mother-in-law advised. 'But, is there really such a thing?'

What Makes Burger Bundles So Delicious?

In my family’s version, burger bundles are served with a rich, creamy mushroom gravy. However, since the recipe allows for any type of condensed soup, the possibilities are endless. I can imagine using condensed broccoli and cheese soup, or even cream of chicken. Whatever soup you choose, you’ll end up with a velvety gravy that’s perfect not only over the burger bundles but also on the mashed potatoes that are a must-have side.

The hearty ground beef mixture wrapped around boxed stuffing gives the dish a comforting, meatloaf-like texture. We paired our burger bundles with mashed potatoes and oven-roasted green beans — an ideal match. Now that I know the full backstory of burger bundles, I’ll definitely be adding them to our dinner rotation. They’re so easy to make that I won’t always have to wait for my mother-in-law to prepare them for us. But, of course, everything tastes better when mom makes it, so her version will always be a special treat.

My Mother-in-Law’s Famous Burger Bundles Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 ⅓ cup milk
• A few servings of cooked stovetop chicken-flavored stuffing
• 1 10.5-ounce can of creamy condensed soup  (such as cream of mushroom or broccoli cheese)
• 2 tablespoons of ketchup
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with ⅓ cup of milk.
2. Divide the beef mixture into six equal portions, then flatten each portion into a patty. Form the stuffing into balls and place them in the center of each patty. Fold the beef around the stuffing, sealing it inside to form a 'bundle' shape.
3. Arrange the burger bundles in a 9x13-inch baking dish. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, mix 1 cup of milk, the can of soup, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour this mixture over the burger bundles. Bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours at 350°F.
4. Serve with mashed potatoes and your choice of vegetable.