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Week 6: “Cooking From Scratch” Challenge
Right after I got married I was looking through a cookbook and found a recipe for Hamburger Casserole. I asked my then-new hubby if it was something he would like to try. He replied that he had something like that as a kid and loved it, but that recipe was nothing like the one he had. Now that could have been the end of the story. But, it wasn’t. I have no idea what got into me. I guess it was being a newlywed, cause these days it would have ended with an “Oh, OK.” For some reason I went on a mission for this beloved childhood recipe. I searched the internet. I searched cookbooks. I asked everyone I knew. I found a couple recipes that I was convinced were close to the original. But, no, they weren’t close at all. I think I tried to make three different hamburger casseroles (man, were they gross) before giving up. I admitted my defeat and some how we made it though our first years of marriage.
Fast forward 4 years later, I am playing around on Pinterest and find a recipe for Goulash as a freezer meal. My mother-in-law makes very good Goulash so I thought I would check it out. Well, low and behold it had all the ingredients that my husband recalled from this famous hamburger casserole. So, confidently I this dish one night, and served it to the family. Before the first bite, Derrick looked down, and like music to my ears he said, “this looks like Hamburger Casserole.” So all that time I was searching for the wrong recipe. But, now I have the recipe for “Hamburger Casserole” and maybe my son will keep it as a fond memory.
Ingredients:
- 1lb ground beef
- 1 can of tomato soup
- 6 oz can of tomato paste
- 2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni
- 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 can of corn, drained
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1-2 cups of cheese (depending on preference)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Meanwhile, Brown ground beef and drain.
- Cook noodles according to package. Drain.
- In a large bowl, combine soup, tomato paste, seasonings, noodles and ground beef. Add in corn lastly.
- Transfer to an ungreased 8×8 baking dish an top with cheese.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted.
- *If you wanted to make this a freezer meal, follow the directions above except don’t bake it. When you are ready to use it thaw, and bake accordingly.*
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