Ground beef, it’s what’s for dinner

For individuals who grew up within the second half of the final century, meals constructed round floor beef are among the most comforting of consolation meals. It’s what Individuals ate again then.

Or at the least what working class Individuals ate. Rumor had it that wealthy of us ate steaks each evening whereas the remainder of us ate hamburger. And we ate lots of it. Not simply as hamburgers on buns, or hamburger steaks on a plate, or Salisbury steak on a plate with a sauce, however concocted along with all types of substances to make all types of meals.

Floor beef, or hamburger, was comparatively low-cost again then, and each cook dinner knew a bunch of the way to get a dinner out of it. Meat loaf, Swedish meatballs, sloppy Joes and each conceivable form of casserole have been only some of the choices.

Check out any cookbook from that interval — they flip up at used e-book shops on a regular basis — and also you’ll discover extra casserole recipes for floor beef than you’ll be able to shake a stick at. Quite a lot of them are old style, however an entire lot extra nonetheless sound good.

By 1971, Normal Mills jumped on the bandwagon and their Betty Crocker label launched “Hamburger Helper.” Now all you wanted to make dinner was a pound of floor beef, some water and perhaps slightly combine so as to add to the field of pasta and the bag of thriller powder that by the magic of chemistry turned water, and typically milk, right into a sauce.

Cooking dinner was by no means really easy and by the point 30 years later when of us started to be slightly involved with what was in that bag of thriller powder, one other era of individuals had fallen in love with floor beef for dinner. And so they wished it fast and straightforward with no pre-planning required.

In honor of these nostalgic meals of yore, an assortment of recipes comply with. Every part from a very old style casserole that makes use of canned biscuits to an upscale modernization requiring frozen gnocchi. Even a nod towards wholesome consuming is included with a dish that serves the bottom beef combination on a zucchini ‘boat.’

Tamale pie is a recipe that has stood the take a look at of time, although it’s normally neither tamale nor pie. This recipe makes use of a layer of cornbread because the crust as a substitute of the standard cornbread topping. It makes for extra of a pie — although the trade-off is 2 skillets to scrub as a substitute of 1. It nonetheless on no account resembles a tamale however it’s scrumptious and really nostalgic.

And talking of nostalgia, how about ‘hamburger helper’ from scratch? Earlier than these pink and beige containers stuffed grocery store cabinets, folks made these dishes home made with out using thriller powder. You may too. Give it a strive.

And in the event you’ve been doing all of it alongside, congratulations. What was outdated is new once more.

Tamale Pie

Cornbread:

1/2 cup cornmeal

2/3 cup flour

3 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3-4 tbsp. oil

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 small can diced inexperienced chiles (4.5 ounce can)

1 can of corn or creamed corn

Meat:

1 lb. floor beef

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Pie:

1 1/4 cup enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheese

Non-compulsory toppings:

Salsa

Guacamole

Bitter Cream

Shredded Cheese

Cilantro

Lime wedges

Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk collectively cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add oil till gentle crumbles type. Whisk in milk and egg. Gently fold in chiles and corn. Pour into greased baking pan (9×9, 9×13, massive forged iron skillet). Bake till set (a toothpick ought to come out clear), about 20-25 minutes. Whereas cornbread is baking, mix beef with spices and sauté in a skillet over medium warmth till absolutely cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain and put aside. As soon as cornbread is completed baking, cut back oven to 350 diploma F. Poke holes in cornbread with a fork and pour enchilada sauce over it. High with floor beef and shredded cheese, and canopy with aluminum foil. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Take away foil and again till cheese begins to brown, about 5-10 minutes. Let cool for 10-Quarter-hour earlier than serving with desired toppings.

Floor Beef Enchilada Zucchini Boats

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup diced pink onion

1 lb. lean floor beef

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. floor cumin

salt to style

3 massive zucchinis, sliced in half lengthwise and scooped out to create a “boat”

1 1/2 cups of outdated El Paso pink enchilada sauce

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped contemporary cilantro

optionally available toppings:

diced tomatoes

diced inexperienced onions

diced avocado

Warmth a medium massive skillet to medium excessive warmth. Add olive oil and onions to the pan. Saute till translucent or gentle, about 2-3 minutes. Add within the floor beef. Cook dinner till there isn’t any extra pink within the meat, breaking apart meat into small items alongside the way in which. Add in minced garlic, smoked paprika, floor cumin, after which salt to style. Stir till mixed. In a 13×9 inch baking dish, add zucchini boats flesh facet dealing with up. Scoop the bottom beef combination into the “boat” a part of the zucchini. Pour the pink enchilada sauce over the stuffed zucchini boats. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Cowl the baking dish with tin foil. Bake for 20 minutes at 350. Take away the tin foil from the pan. Bake for one more 5 minutes uncovered. Garnish with contemporary cilantro. Serve. Add further toppings, as desired.

Tacky BBQ Beef and Biscuit Casserole

1 can flaky biscuits (8 per pack)

1 1/2 kilos floor beef

1 cup candy BBQ sauce

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a really nicely greased casserole dish, lay out biscuits. In a big pan, brown floor beef. Whereas beef cooks, smoosh biscuits to make a layer throughout the underside of the pan. Bake till very barely browned, about 5 minutes, and put aside till beef is prepared. When floor beef is cooked, drain fats nicely. Add BBQ sauce and mustard, stir nicely and add extra of both to style. Pour beef combination into biscuit base. Sprinkle shredded cheese on prime. Bake at 350°F. for 10­-Quarter-hour, till cheese is melted.

Cheeseburger Gnocchi

1 tbsp. butter

1 (16 oz.) package deal potato gnocchi

1/2 lb. lean floor beef

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. mustard powder (optionally available)

2 cups diced onion (about 1 complete onion)

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (10-oz) can diced tomatoes and inexperienced chiles

1 cup beef broth (or water)

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Soften butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high warmth. Add gnocchi in a single layer and cook dinner on one facet for 2-3 minutes till browned and toasted. Shake the pan to toss the gnocchi and proceed cooking for one more 2-3 minutes, tossing sometimes, till each side are toasted. Take away gnocchi to a plate and put aside. Flip the warmth to excessive and return skillet to range. When the pan could be very sizzling and smoking, add the meat and season with salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and mustard powder if desired. Add the onion and garlic, and cook dinner, stirring sometimes, till beef is browned and onions are golden. Drain if vital. Add the tomatoes, broth, and gnocchi again into the skillet. Stir to mix. Deliver to a boil, then cowl, cut back warmth to medium-low, and simmer for five minutes till the gnocchi is tender and liquid is generally absorbed. Off warmth, then add the cream and 1/2 cup cheese and stir to mix. High with remaining cheese and scallions. Place the skillet beneath the broiler within the oven till cheese is browned and bubbly, about 3 minutes.

Do-it-yourself Hamburger Helper

1 pound floor beef

1 1/2 cups raw penne pasta

2 cups milk

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp. complete wheat white flour

1/4 tsp. onion salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. paprika

3/4 cup sharp cheddar cubes

salt to style

black pepper to style

Brown beef in skillet and drain. Take pan off burner and add pasta, spices, flour, and cheese. Stir in milk and water, combine substances to mix. Return to burner over medium-high warmth. Deliver combination simply to a boil, then cut back warmth to a lightweight simmer. Stir regularly. Place a lid over the skillet, and permit to simmer till pasta is cooked, about 10-Quarter-hour stirring regularly and adjusting warmth as wanted.