Taco Casserole

INGREDIENTS

1

lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1

can (16 oz) Old El Paso® refried beans

1

jar (16 oz) Old El Paso® Thick ‘n Chunky salsa

1

package (1 oz) Old El Paso® 40% less-sodium taco seasoning mix

2 1/2

cups coarsely broken tortilla chips

1/2

medium green bell pepper, chopped (3/4 cup)

4

medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

2

medium tomatoes, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

1

cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)

1/4

cup sliced ripe olives (opt)

1

cup shredded lettuce

• Heat oven to 350°F. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in refried beans, salsa and taco seasoning mix. Reduce heat to medium. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
• In ungreased 2-quart casserole, place 2 cups of the broken tortilla chips. Top evenly with beef mixture. Sprinkle with bell pepper, onions, 1 cup of the tomato, the cheese and olives.
• Bake uncovered 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted. Top baked casserole with lettuce, remaining 1/2 cup tomato and remaining 1/2 cup tortilla chips.  Makes 5 servings.

  1 Serving (1 1/2 Cups)

   

  Calories

  510

   ( 

  Calories from Fat

  220),

   

  Total Fat

  24g

   

  (Saturated Fat

  10g,

   

  Trans Fat

  1g

   ),

  Cholesterol

  85mg

   

  Sodium

  1720mg

   

  Total Carbohydrate

  44g

   

  (Dietary Fiber

  7g

   

    Sugars

  6g

   ), 

  Protein

  29g

   ; 

  % Daily Value*:

   

  Vitamin A

  35%;

   

  Vitamin C

  25%;

   

  Calcium

  20%;

   

  Iron

  25%;

   

  Exchanges:

  2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 1 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 1/2 Fat;

  Carbohydrate Choices:

  3 
  *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Hamburger Stew

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced celery
3 c. water
3 medium carrots, peeled & slices
3 medium potatoes, peeled & diced
1 cup chopped cabbage (optional)
28 oz. can tomatoes
1/3 cup barley
1 beef bouillon cube
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. basil
1 16 oz. can great northern beans (any white or red bean will work) (I didn't drain them but added juice with beans)
Brown ground beef. Add onion & celery and cook until soft. Add remaining ingredients & simmer until barley is tender about 45 min.

I made this tonight & it is so delicious. I'm going to make a big batch & freeze it in small containers for lunches. Only about 150 calories per cup. I only used 1/2 lb of ground beef and it was good. You could use small macaroni, rice or other grains in place of barley. I added the beans, cabbage & barley to the recipe so you can change things up depending on what you have.
Also would be good in a crock pot.

French Dip Sandwiches

We love this recipie at our house and have it often! It's easy and fast and makes the house smell sooo good!

SERVINGS: 8
CATEGORY: Sandwich
METHOD: Slow Cooker
TIME: Prep: 15 min. Cook: 5 hours

Ingredients:
1 beef chuck roast (3 pounds), trimmed
2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
3 to 4 whole peppercorns
8 French rolls, split

Directions:

Place trimmed roast in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the water, soy sauce and seasonings. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth; shred with forks and keep warm. Strain broth; skim of fat. (If you trim it you shouldn't have to do this.) Pour broth into small cups for dipping. Serve beef on rolls.

Yield: 8 servings.

Cheese Burger Chowder

I made this the other night and we were pleasantly surprised with how good it was. It was very yummy! However, I feel I should warn you, I felt more full 30 minutes after dinner than I did when I quit eating! I also added some carrots, which were good too. (And extra cheese, but I used mild and it was still good.)

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed, about 2 cups
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules or beef base
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Preparation:In a 3 to 4-quart saucepan brown beef. Drain off excess fat. Stir in cubed potatoes, chopped celery, chopped onion, chopped green pepper, bouillon or base, salt, and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Blend flour with 1/2 cup of milk. Add to saucepan along with the remaining 2 cups of milk. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Add cheese; heat and stir until cheese is melted. Serves 6 to 8.

Stroganoff

This is actually Uncle Cliff's recipe but one of my families favorites. It works great in a cock-pot or stove. And it makes the whole house smell so yummy!!

Brown 1-1 1/2 lbs. stew meat with chopped onion. Season with:
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. basil
2 beef bouillon cubes
Simmer with 1-2 cups water for several hours until tender. Mix 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1 cup sour cream into mixture. Heat but don't boil. Serve over rice or noodles.

Stuffed Pumpkins

This is an old family favorite. Many of you may have it, but I was typing it up for a friend and thought I'd just put it on here too.

Ingredients:
1 - 3to4 lb. sugar pumpkin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 lb. beef
1 medium chopped onion
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 tsp. pepper (or less)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Directions:
De-seed pumpkin and prick inside all over with a fork. Rub 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. dry mustard on inside of pumpkin. Brown beef and onion. Mix in eggs, rice, pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. dry mustard. Put beef and rice mixture into pumpkin and put the lid on. Place pumpkin in shallow 8X8 pan with 1/2 cup of water in the bottom of the pan. Bake 350 for 1 1/2 hours. Add more water if necessary. Eat the stuffing and pumpkin.

Enchilada Casserole

I saw that Katrina wanted this recipe, so I thought I'd post it. It's pretty easy and the kids like to help do the layering. I'll put down the recipe that I have but I seldom to never use corn. I frequently add refried beans or kidney beans though. Sometimes I'll add a little taco seasoning with the hamburger too. That's good. Enjoy!

Brown:
1lb. hamburger
1 small onion
taco seasoning (opt.)

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup salsa

Also needed:
tortilla chips
lots of cheese
1 can corn, drained
refried beans (opt.)
kidney beans (opt.)

Layer in 9X13 pan: 1/4 of sauce, tortilla chips to cover bottom of pan, all of hamburger, some cheese, more sauce, corn (drained), (add your beans here if you want), more tortilla chips to cover, rest of sauce, and more grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 35-40 min. Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, or whatever else suits you.

Pot Roast

INGREDIENTS
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups water
5 1/2 pounds pot roast
carrots
potatoes

DIRECTIONS
In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture. Add vegetables if desired and add salt and pepper to taste.
Cook on High setting for 4-5 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.