Does Birdseye Still Make Green Beans and Spaetzle?

Birdseye is a well-known frozen food brand that has been around since the 1920s. They are best known for their frozen vegetables, like green beans, as well as innovative frozen meal options. One lesser known Birdseye product is their green bean and spaetzle mix, which combines green beans with small German-style egg noodles.

A Bit of History on Birdseye Frozen Foods

The Birdseye brand was founded by Clarence Birdseye, who pioneered quick freezing techniques to preserve foods. In 1924, he started the General Seafoods Company to produce frozen seafood and by 1929 expanded into frozen fruits and vegetables under the name Birdseye Frosted Foods. The company was later acquired by Post Cereals and renamed Birds Eye Frozen Foods.

Over the decades, Birdseye continued to innovate in the frozen food space. They popularized products like frozen peas, frozen mixed vegetables, and frozen prepared meals. At their peak in the 1950s-1970s, Birdseye was one of the largest frozen food brands in America. Their slogan “Just like homemade!” highlighted their commitment to quality.

The Uniqueness of Birdseye’s Green Bean and Spaetzle Mix

In the 1990s and 2000s Birdseye introduced some more unique frozen side dish blends like their green bean and spaetzle mix. Spaetzle is a type of soft egg noodle of German/Austrian origin, so this was an unusual pairing with the more typical frozen green beans. The spaetzle offered a starchy component and extra flavor and texture to complement the green beans.

Birdseye’s green bean and spaetzle mix came in a 9 oz steamable bag. The front of the package proclaimed it was “with butter sauce” and had “homestyle taste”. The back highlighted it was a good source of vitamins A and C. It was meant as an easy steam-in-bag side to pair with chicken meatloaf or other entrees.

The Discontinuation of Birdseye’s Spaetzle Products

Unfortunately, Birdseye’s green bean and spaetzle and other spaetzle mixes seem to have been discontinued in recent years. As tastes changed, these unique side dish options likely did not have sufficient demand Birdseye’s core vegetable offerings like peas, green beans, and corn remain robust, but the more specialty seasonal or ethnic blends have mostly disappeared

Searching on Birdseye’s website today yields no results for any products containing spaetzle. Grocery sites, forums, and reviews also reveal that consumers have not been able to find the green bean and spaetzle mix on shelves for some years now. It appears Birdseye quietly stopped producing it along with their other spaetzle blends.

Are There Any Similar Product Alternatives?

For fans of Birdseye’s green bean and spaetzle dish, all is not lost! Here are a few suggestions for recapturing a similar flavor:

• Purchase plain frozen spaetzle and plain frozen green beans separately, then mix together and add butter and seasoning to taste. This allows customization.

• Check premium or international frozen food brands for new takes on green bean and noodle/dumpling mixes. Read package labels closely.

• Make homemade spaetzle from scratch to mix with frozen or fresh green beans. Recipes are readily available online.

• Substitute frozen potato gnocchi or mini potato dumplings for the spaetzle in homemade mixes. These alternatives are more readily available.

• Search German food import stores or virtual marketplaces for premade frozen spaetzle options to mix with green beans.

• Improvise with frozen green beans and other small pasta shapes like mini farfalle or mini penne. Season to taste for a fresh spin on the combo.

The Continued Relevance of Birdseye’s Legacy

While the discontinuation of Birdseye’s signature green bean and spaetzle dish is disappointing for fans, Birdseye as a brand remains highly relevant today. They continue innovating in the frozen food category with new food trends and high quality frozen fruits, vegetables, and meals.

Birdseye’s historic focus on convenience and preserving nutrition through flash freezing makes their products perennial favorites. Even if green bean and spaetzle is no longer sold, Birdseye’s peas, corn, broccoli, and other frozen classics can still be counted on for quality and homemade taste. For those feeling nostalgic, recreating similar flavor profiles at home is possible with basic ingredients and imagination.