Retro Recipe Redux: "Hamburger" Casserole

We had a perfect Sunday. Quiet, relaxed, nowhere to go and nothing to do.  We puttered around the house, did a little laundry, took Loki for a nice long walk, and spent some time in the kitchen.  After Chip's crazy week, running down to Miami only to find out that his job was delayed, turning around driving back up here the next day, going in to work at 2 am..whew..well, let's just say the man deserved a good night's sleep and a lazy day in front of the TV! Oh, and a home-cooked dinner, which is where I come in.

I decided to redux another retro meal, a casserole that harkens back to (at least) the 1970's.  There are many versions floating around the internet, the one my Mom made consisted of hamburger & cream of mushroom soup all mixed together and  topped with french fried onions.  It was delicious but very high in fact and certainly not veg-friendly! A little searching led me to this recipe at PETA's site, I made a couple of changes and came up with my own twist. Goodness knows, this is not an especially "healthy" recipe, but the cleaned up version is much better than the original, and now and then I like to treat my hunny to a "traditional" meal. Now, admittedly, the only thing pretty about this picture is my vintage Pyrex, but I had hopes that it would taste better than it looks!

 "Hamburger" Casserole

(print-friendly)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups macaroni
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
• 12 oz. faux ground beef-style crumbles
• 1/2 cup whole kernel corn
• 1 can tomato soup
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• 2 cups French-fried onions

Directions

1. Cook the macaroni according to the directions on the package. Drain, pour into a large bowl, and set aside.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion and green pepper in a bit of water or vegetable broth until tender.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
4. To the drained macaroni, add the onions and green pepper, burger crumbles, corn, soup, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. If the mixture is dry, add just enough water to make it moist. Pour into a large baking or casserole dish, top with the French-fried onions, and bake for 15 minutes or until the fried onions are lightly browned.

Makes 6 Servings

Nutrition Info:

• Calories: 329.6
• Fat: 4.9g
• Carbohydrates: 58.9g
• Protein: 14.7g

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Because this dish has so few vegetables, I started the meal with a bowl of "Zero-Point" vegetable soup, a loaf of freshly-baked Caraway Rye bread alongside.

The Verdict: Despite it's ugliness, both of us really enjoyed this meal! Chip, in fact, gobbled up two portions, very unusual for him. While the casserole isn't something I'd have on a regular basis, it was a nice switch from the beans/grains dishes I eat so often. 

Hope you had a beauty-full weekend!

Michele~