Tag Archives: ground beef

Eggplant Lasagna

24 Jan

I’ve always wanted to try Eggplant Lasagna, but just hadn’t gotten to it.  After we got eggplant at a recent Market on the Move event, I decided it was time to try it.  Now, I have made Moussaka, so I know how to prepare the eggplant.  Then, I decided to take my favorite Lasagna recipe from Daily Cynema, use the meat sauce and cheese filling, subbing the roast eggplant in place of the noodles. We did a row of 4 slices of eggplant for each layer.  I didn’t get a real good picture showing how the eggplant looked, but you can almost see how in the 2 pictures here.

My older daughter enjoyed working on this with me, and we all enjoyed eating it!Layering the Eggplant Lasagna Eggplant Lasagna

Eggplant Lasagna

What you need:

2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise into 1/2″ slices, outer peel removed, if desired
Salt
Olive oil
1 pound ground beef**
1 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
1 large jar (45 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 egg
1 15 oz container ricotta or cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon oregano

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set on paper towels for 15-20 minutes to let them drain.  Pat tops with a paper towel.  Spray or brush each side of the eggplant slices with olive oil and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes, flip slices over and bake for another 10 minutes, until they are tender and slightly brown.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat.  Add the onion and bell pepper, and continue to cook until soft.  Pour in all but 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce.  Reduce heat to low, and simmer.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg.  Mix in ricotta or cottage cheese, spinach, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella, 4 tablespoons of the grated Parmesan, and the oregano.

In a small bowl, mix the reserved 1 cup of spaghetti sauce with the remaining 1 cup shredded mozzarella and 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan.

Pour 1/3 of the meat sauce into a 13 x 9 baking dish.  Put down 1 layer of the roasted eggplant.  Next, spread 1/2 of the cheese/spinach mixture over the eggplant.  Then, spread the next 1/3 of the meat sauce.  Lay down another layer of roasted eggplant.  Spread the other 1/2 of the cheese/spinach mixture over the eggplant, then the last 1/3 of the meat mixture.  Lay down the final layer of roasted eggplant.  Spread the sauce and cheese mixture over this final layer.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 – 40 minutes, or until bubbly.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Slice and serve.

**Note: If you would like to make this meatless, use diced mushrooms or zucchini/yellow squash in place of the ground beef.

Tags: , , , , ,

Un-Stuffed Peppers

18 Jan

I really enjoy Stuffed Peppers, but no one else in my house really likes them.  I think it’s the texture of the peppers after they are cooked that is the problem.  So, at today’s Market on the Move produce event, we got red bell peppers and cherry tomatoes.  Since the “Unstuffed” Cabbage Rolls went over well a while back, I decided that the same could be done for Stuffed Peppers, with a few modifications.  We all really enjoyed this, and I know I will make it again.  It really came together quickly too, which makes it nice for nights you don’t have a lot of time.  I don’t normally have cheese on my Stuffed Peppers, but it was a nice addition to this version tonight.

Un-Stuffed Peppers

Un-stuffed Peppers

What you need:

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used the Mexican blend shredded cheese)

How to make it:

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef.  Add onions and bell pepper, and cook until they have softened.  Stir in diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, basil, oregano, salt, and ground black pepper.  Turn heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in rice and tomato sauce, and continue to cook a few more minutes.  Turn off heat, and sprinkle cheese over the mixture in the skillet.

Tags: , , ,

Baked Cheeseburger Spinach Macaroni

26 Dec

I came up with this on a night that my older daughter wanted Spinach Bacon Shells and Cheese.  I didn’t have any bacon thawed, but I did have ground beef thawed, so I made the shells and the cheese sauce like in that recipe, and then seasoned ground beef like I did for the Bacon Cheeseburger Soup I made recently.  She and I were both happy with the results!

Baked Cheeseburger Spinach MacaroniBaked Cheeseburger Spinach Macaroni

What you need:

1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup diced red or yellow onion
1 cup beef broth
3 cups whole grain medium shells, uncooked
2 cups fresh spinach, slightly chopped
2 Tbsp. flour
1-2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, if needed
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
 
How to make it:
 
Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
 
In a large skillet, mix together ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, and pepper.  Brown meat over medium high heat.  Stir in diced onion, and cook until soft.  Pour in beef broth and reduce heat to low to simmer while you work on the other parts.
 
Cook shells as directed on package, adding spinach in to cook for the last minute.  Drain.  Return to pot.
 
In another large skillet, melt 1-2 Tbsp butter or margarine.  Add flour; cook and stir until bubbly. Gradually stir in milk.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly; cook 3 to 5 minutes,  or until thickened.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and the Parmesan cheese; cook and stir until melted.
 
Pour ground beef mixture and cheese mixture over shells and spinach in the large pot; mix well.  Pour into a greased 2-1/2 qt casserole.  Top with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
 
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the cheese on top is melted.

 

Tags: , , , ,

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

26 Nov

Today, I wanted soup and I also wanted to use ground beef.  So, I decided that cheeseburger soup sounded good, if it even existed.  It does, but most recipes I found have celery, carrots, potatoes.  All good things, but I really just wanted it to taste like a cheeseburger.  It did!  My husband and I both liked it, but my kids weren’t really fans. (But, they were both grumpy, so that may have played a part in their not liking it.)

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

What you need:

1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced mushrooms**
3 tablespoons flour**
2 cups milk**
4 cups beef broth
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon, crumbled

How to make it:

In a large pot, mix together ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, and pepper.  Brown meat over medium high heat.  Stir in diced onion, and cook until soft.  Next, stir in diced mushrooms, and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.  Sprinkle in flour, stir in and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Pour in milk and beef broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low to simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Stir in shredded cheese and crumbled bacon, and heat until cheese is melted.

**If desired, a can of cream of mushroom soup concentrate or homemade cream of mushroom soup concentrate can be substituted for the mushrooms, flour, and milk.

Tags: , , ,

Creamy Mushroom, Beef, and Potato Skillet

24 Sep

My new skillet has been getting a workout!  I’ve been experimenting with a lot of skillet meals to not use the oven in the last of the heat of summer.  This one turned out pretty good.  I was just worried about the potatoes, but I sliced them thin enough that they cooked in a reasonable amount of time.

Creamy Mushroom, Beef, and Potato Skillet

 

Creamy Mushroom, Beef, and Potato Skillet

What you need:

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup beef broth
5-6 small red potatoes, thinly sliced
1 package mushrooms, sliced

How to make it:

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef.  Add onions and garlic, and continue to cook until onions are translucent.  Push meat and onions to one side of the skillet.  In the open side, melt the butter.  Stir in the flour and stir for a few minutes.  Pour in milk and beef broth and stir until there are no lumps.  Mix in the ground beef and onion mixture.  Add potatoes and mushrooms to the skillet.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.

Tags: , , , ,

Cheesy Hamburger Potato Casserole

25 Aug

I recently got a bag of potatoes, which I haven’t gotten in a few weeks, and wanted to make something with them and with ground beef.  I considered making the packets again, but started looking more at casseroles since it was raining and I didn’t want to be outside grilling.  I came across this recipe, and thought it sounded delicious.  I decided to make a couple of modifications, one being to season the ground beef a little more and skip the celery and some other seasonings.  This turned out really good.  It doesn’t look real pretty, but it’s good.  My only wish is that the potatoes came out a little softer, but I was hungry and pulled it out a little soon.  Or, I just need to boil them a little before putting them in.  I used my food processor to slice them into thin rounds.  I think we’ll be having this again, all the leftovers are even already all gone!

Cheesy Hamburger Potato Casserole

Cheesy Hamburger and Potato Casserole

What you need:

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2.5 pounds potatoes, cut into thin rounds
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef.  Add onions and garlic, and cook until they are translucent.  Add in beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook until most of the liquid has cooked off.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter.  Mix in flour, and cook over low heat for a few minutes.  Slowly pour in milk, whisking to prevent any lumps.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat and cook until thickened.  Stir in cheese and remove from heat.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Arrange potatoes in the bottom of the pan, then pour in the ground beef mixture.  Stir slightly to mix up.  Pour cheese sauce over the meat and potatoes.  Cover pan with foil, and place in the pre-heated oven.  Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until casserole is bubbly and potatoes are soft.  Allow to cool for a few minutes, and serve.

Tags: , , , ,

“Unstuffed” Cabbage Rolls

14 Aug

Ah, cabbage rolls.  Something I have always enjoyed, but just don’t get to make often enough.  I used to live in Peoria, IL, and there was a little Lebanese restaurant named Haddad’s that made cabbage rolls.  There is also a yearly festival held by the Itoo Society there, and they would sell cabbage rolls with their shish-ka-bob at the festival.  Since moving away over 6 years ago, I haven’t been able to enjoy their cabbage rolls again, so I have tried making them on my own.  I struggle with getting the cabbage leaves ready, so I’ve really only made them a couple of times.  Recently, though, I saw a photo floating around on Facebook with a recipe for Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls, and I thought it was a brilliant idea!  And, kicked myself for not doing it sooner.  I did this on the stove top to avoid using the oven, but you could also make them unstuffed as a casserole, or probably even in the slow cooker.  I think we’ll be having this again, so I may try another cooking method next time.  This still isn’t quite as good as the other cabbage rolls that I’ve had, but it’s still very tasty!

Unstuffed Cabbage RollsUnstuffed Cabbage Rolls

What you need:

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cooked rice
1 head of cabbage, shredded
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper

How to make it:

In a large pot, brown the ground beef.  Stir in the diced onion and minced garlic, and continue to cook until onion is soft and translucent.  Stir in the cooked rice and shredded cabbage.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.  Pour over the meat and cabbage mixture in the large pot.  Add salt and pepper to desired taste.

Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.

 

Tags: , , ,

Grilled Beef, Potato, and Cabbage Packets

26 Jul

This week, I had picked a head of cabbage for my FarmBox.  I had thought about making Stuffed Cabbage Leaves or Bierocks, but decided that I wanted to try to make something different.  I was initially thinking of doing it all in a skillet, but then my uncle asked if I had tried grilled cabbage, and I started looking at recipes related to that.  I came across a recipe for Grilled Cabbage and Potato Packets, and decided to expand on it some, incorporating parts of the skillet recipe I had found.  Of course, as it came time closer to dinner, a storm rolled in, but it stopped soon enough to give me time to fire up the grill for this.  It was a bit of prep work, but I was glad for the food processor from my parents from Christmas.  I used it to shred the cabbage and carrots, and to slice the potato rounds.

Grilled Beef, Potato, and Cabbage PacketsGrilled Beef, Potato, and Cabbage Packets

What you need:

1 lb ground beef
1 cup beef broth
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 cups cabbage, shredded
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup onion, diced
5-6 small red potatoes, sliced into thin rounds
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

How to make it:

In a large skillet, brown ground beef.  Reduce heat to low, and add beef broth and garlic powder.  Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes to cook off the liquid.

Meanwhile, cut 8 pieces of aluminum about 16 inches long.  Each packet will use 2 pieces of foil to ensure the packet does not break while cooking, and you will have 4 packets total.

Start by layering 2 pieces of foil.  Put 1 cup of cabbage, 1/4 cup of onion, 1/4 cup of carrots, 1/4 of the potato rounds, and 1/4 of the browned ground beef on top of the foil.  Drizzle olive oil over all, about 1-2 tablespoons.  If desired, season with salt and pepper.

All food layered in packetGather up sides of aluminum foil, and close tightly.  I brought up the sides on the left and right of the picture above, then folded them together.  Next, I folded up the ends.  Repeat for the 3 remaining packets.  Place the packets on the grill over medium heat.

Packets on the grill

 

Cook for 15 minutes, then carefully flip the packets over and cook for another 15 minutes.  Carefully remove a packet from the grill and open (remember, it will be very hot and steamy when you open it), and check the softness of the potatoes and other vegetables.  If soft, remove all from the grill.  If not, continue to cook until potatoes and vegetables are soft.  Carefully open each packet and serve.

Grilled packet

 

If desired, serve each sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.  My daughter and I both had some with and without grated Parmesan, and it was good both ways, but with the cheese it had just an extra bit of flavor.

 

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Taco Biscuit Bowls

4 Jun

Recently, Grands biscuits were on sale for $0.99 each, so I picked up a couple of cans.   I know, I know, I’ve been really good about making my own biscuits, but some nights I do still like to have the convenience items.  I’ve had biscuit bowls a couple of times eating out, but haven’t tried making them yet.  There are a few ways to go about it, like baking the biscuits bowl first, then adding your fillings.  However, I decided to bake the biscuit bowl with the filling in it, and tonight, based on what I had, I decided on making a taco filling and serve it with a side of Spanish Rice.  I think the taco was good, but I would prefer finding maybe a corn meal crust to use with this instead.  Also, I’m already thinking of the next filling for the biscuit bowls, I think it will be more of a breakfast bowl, with sausage crumbles, scrambled eggs, onion, cheese, maybe some kind of veggies.  I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it!  I’ll update when I do make them that way.  I baked these in my 2 cup glass Pyrex bakeware.  These haven’t been used to bake before, usually I just use them for storage or when I make pudding.

Taco Biscuit Bowl

 

Taco Biscuit Bowl

What you need:

1 can Grands biscuits
1 pound ground beef
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup salsa
1 cup cheese

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a large skillet, brown  the ground beef.  Stir in water and chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and salt.  Stir well.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray 4 2-cup glass baking dishes with cooking spray.  Take 2 biscuits and press into the bottom and sides of one of the dishes.  Repeat for the other 3 baking dishes.  Next, fill with the seasoned ground beef.  Then, top each with the salsa and the cheese.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and put each of the baking dishes on the baking sheet.  Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the biscuits become golden brown.  Remove and allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

Tags: ,

Gyros Meatloaf with Tzatziki

15 Feb

Unfortunately, the Greek restaurant we had here in town closed down, and even though there are a few places that serve gyros still, I decided to keep working on my own version at home.  I have made Gyros Burgers before, but wanted to try it as more of a meatloaf than burgers so it could be sliced and put in pita pockets.  Now, the downside to meatloaf is that it takes a while to cook without getting too dry.  So, now, when I have time I can do meatloaf, if I’m pressed for time, I can do burgers.  I also made tzatziki for the first time tonight to go with this.  It was perfect!  My husband is usually not a fan when we get gyros when eating out.  He says it’s too messy, but this was thicker, more dip-like, so it wasn’t dripping all over when eating it.  Tonight, I served it with Sweet Potato Chips, which were a nice compliment to the gyros.

Gyros Meatloaf with Tzatziki and Sweet Potato Chips

Gyros Meatloaf with Tzatziki

What you need:

Gyros Meatloaf:
1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground lamb or 2 pounds ground beef
1 small onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried savory
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Dash of ground cumin

Tzatziki (original recipe with more step by step pictures at Daily Cynema:
24 oz container plain Greek yogurt
1 seedless cucumber, peeled
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper to taste

How to make it:

Put the onion in a food processor for a few seconds.  Remove into paper towels and squeeze out excess liquid.  Place onions in a mixing bowl, and stir in remaining meatloaf ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325 F

Put the meat mixture back into the food processor and process for about a minute or until mixture becomes like a fine paste.  Press meat mixture into a 9 x 5 loaf pan, making sure there are no air pockets.  Place loaf pan in a larger roasting pan, and pour boiling water into the roasting pan until there is enough to reach the middle of the side of the loaf pan, creating a water bath for baking.

Water Bath for Gyros Meatloaf

Carefully place in oven and bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 170 F.  Pour out any excess fat, and slice thinly to serve.

Finished Gyros Meatloaf

While meatloaf is baking, grate the peeled cucumber and squeeze out the excess liquid.  Put in a mixing bowl and stir in remaining tzatziki  ingredients.  Put in a container and keep refrigerated until ready to use (I just returned it to the container the Greek yogurt came in).  Serve with the gyros meatloaf in pita bread with lettuce, tomato, and red onion, if desired.

Tzatziki

Tags: , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →