Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Cowboy Casserole

This is one of my oldest recipes and one I put together long ago.  Although, I've seen very similar recipes in cookbooks and online.  This recipe is the mother ship and I've added to it and taken away through the years, according to what I had in the pantry.

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 large can baked beans or two smaller cans pork & beans
2 teaspoons worchestershire sauce (more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons onion powder (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (ditto)
salt and pepper (to taste)
3 or 4 tablespoons ketchup (to taste if necessary, mainly if you use pork & beans)

Note:  I have started using about a teaspoon of smoked paprika in this regularly, too.

Brown the ground beef, drain grease if necessary (mainly when using cheap ground beef), add onions and continue sauteing until onion is softened. Add baked beans or pork & beans, worcestershire sauce, and seasonings.  Saute another few minutes and add ketchup if you need it.  This is primarily to sweeten it if you haven't used a can of baked beans (which are already seasoned)

Then take a potato masher and mash the mixture a bit, which is only necessary if you have a son who hates beans like I do.  He likes mashed beans... go figure.

Sometimes I pop the skillet in the oven for about 15 min. at 350.  Sometimes I pour the mixture into a casserole dish and bake about 15 min. at 350.  Depends on if I want to dish it up from a casserole dish at the table or not.  You can even eat it as is without baking if you so desire.

Variations over the years:

  • ground turkey instead of ground beef
  • chopped green peppers added at the same time as the onions
  • one can of pork & beans and one can of tomato bisque soup... when that was what the pantry offered
  • one can of pork & beans and one can of cream of tomato soup... (ditto)
  • one can of chilis added when I felt wild and crazy
  • a sprinkling of Tony Chachere's creole seasoning (ditto)
  • a couple handfuls of cheddar or co-jack cheese sprinkled on top of mixture
  • I'm sure there were others I have forgotten along the way

We like it made with a large can of baked beans the very best.
This can easily be doubled and tripled... the amounts mention serves 3-4 with no leftovers whatsoever.

Picture added the next time I think of it...  ;)

3 comments:

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

nice recipes. I like to make things like this, which I consider comfort food.

Deb said...

Thanks for reminding me of this recipe. I have hamburger that needs using up TODAY and was wondering how to prepare it. I seem to always make meatloaf so this will be something different. My version of this is called Hungry Jack Casserole...sounds like the same ingredients, but you use a can of Hungry Jack biscuits around the outer edges (cut in half and place cut side down); I'm sure you're familiar with it. I've made it for years but haven't in awhile. I'm glad I popped over and saw this. It's on my menu for tonight. Thanks, Brenda.

Anonymous said...

I just stumbled on your blog the other day. What fun! I'm excited to try several of these recipes. Thanks so very much for sharing!