Somehow, it is Another Recipe - Cowboy Casserole

If you are new here, let me just say upfront I am not a good cook (I'm not horrible either), I try, but the best I can usually do is to modify someone's existing, already good, recipe and that is exactly what I am going to share with you today!  This recipe is courtesy of a dear, old friend who is a much more creative cook than I. 

First off, you should know that the reason this recipe is so good is because you can modify it very easily.  It makes a great clean out your fridge dish.  I will share the original recipe and then share how I modified it today too. 

You will need....

• 16 oz of spaghetti
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 2 small diced onions
• 1 can mushroom soup
• 1 can tomato soup
• garlic powder or salt to taste
• chili powder to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• dash of worcestershire sauce
• Cheese to top

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook spaghetti and ground beef.
3. Once spaghetti and beef are cooked mix together in saute pan with onions. 
4. Season with chili powder, garlic salt/powder, and salt and pepper.
5. Add tomato soup & cream of mushroom.
6. Add dash of worcestershire sauce.
7. Simmer in pan for 15 minutes.
8. Pour into 13X9 casserole dish and top with cheese.  Bake until cheese is melted.

I had to mix two different types of cheese, because I ran out of cheddar.

Some Ideas for Modifications

• Use only 1 lb. of meat.  There is no way in the world I would 2 lbs. of ground beef in here.  I am way too cheap and I'm not a big meat eater either.  Today, I used 1/2 lb. ground beef and 1/2 lb. of leftover sausage.
• I rarely have tomato soup, so I just use spaghetti sauce.  That is how I got rid of the extra half of jar in my fridge today :)!
• I never use the butter, I just don't need it.  There is plenty of oil in the beef.
• Use up any of those veggies in your fridge that are threatening to go bad.  Today, I diced up some zucchini, squash & carrotts.  My kids will likely never know the difference :)

Veggies ready to be diced up and added to the casserole.

• Use any type of noodles you please and you really don't need a full 16 oz.
• I also typically don't add the veggies until the casserole is close to going in the oven.  I hope that by adding them late, I am able to maintain most of the nutrients that are lost at high temps.

What other modifications do you think I could make?  Let me me know what you think.


This recipe is linked up at The Grocery Cart Challenge.