Old Fashion Casseroles Are Economical, Nutritious

Most of us are looking for ways to stretch our food dollars without cutting back on nutrition and taste. Casseroles are the perfect solution. They usually use lesser expensive meats, combine ingredients into some very tasty combination's and they are easy for the busy cook to assemble. Here are a couple of recipes for some casseroles from my vintage recipe collection. I think you and your family will enjoy them. Phil's Mexacali Casserole combines ground beef and noodles. Hamburger-Onion Hash combines ground beef with rice.

PHIL'S MEXACALI CASSEROLE

This recipe is from an old Southern Indiana Fire Department cookbook.

1 lb ground beef
3/4 cup chopped green peppers and jalapeño peppers* mixed
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 can (17 oz) cream-style corn
1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (4 oz) mushroom pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp chili powder
8 oz pkg noodles, cooked according to pkg directions and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet with the peppers and onion. When beef is browned, drain the fat. Stir in the remaining ingredients; mix together well. Turn into a buttered 2 1/2-quart casserole dish. Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

*When working with jalapeño peppers, it is a good idea to wear gloves. Do not touch hands to eyes when handling hot peppers. Remove the seeds unless you want your dish to be really hot. The heat is mostly in the seeds.

HAMBURGER-ONION HASH

1 lb lean ground beef
2 medium or 1 large yellow onions, sliced
1 medium white onion, sliced
1 can (16-oz) diced tomatoes
1 to 2 tsps chili powder, according to taste
1/2 cup uncooked regular rice
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook meat, onions, and bell pepper until meat is browned. Drain off excess fat. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, chili powder, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into an ungreased 2-quart casserole dish. Cover and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until cooked through and rice is tender.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's vintage recipes visit http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com

For more of her recipes and diabetic information, go to http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com