Crock Pot Stew Beef with Gravy from RecipeZaar

My mom found this recipe. I've loved it from day one. So yummy! It freezes quite well (without the rice, obviously), at least in single serve portions; I haven't tried to freeze a large portion. The original version does not call for the cream of mushroom soup. I've made it both ways, and I much prefer it with the soup. Recipe is easily doubled if your crock pot can hold it all!

To Die for Crock Pot Roast by yooper
Source: slightly adapted from RecipeZaar.com Recipe #27208 (now Food.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 (approx. 1 1/4 ounce) package brown gravy mix, dry
• 1 (approx. 1 1/4 ounce) package Italian salad dressing mix, dry
• 1 (approx. 1 1/4 ounce) package ranch dressing mix, dry
• 2-3 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed of large pieces of fat
• 1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom condensed soup (fat free is fine)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2-3 cups prepared rice (white or brown)

Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine gravy mix, italian salad dressing mix, and ranch dressing mix. Stir to evenly combine. For 2-3 pounds stew beef, only use half of this dry mixture in the crock pot. Reserve the other half for a later date.
• Place stew meat in crock pot. Sprinkle the dry mixture over the meat. Pour the water around the roast. Top with cream of mushroom soup.
• Cook on low for 7-9 hours, or high for 5-6 hours. Serve over rice.

Notes:

• Adjust the amount of dry mix you use based on the amount of meat you use.
• It is difficult for me to find exactly 1.25 ounce packages of the dry mixes. I buy what is available in the closest amounts.
• I layer half the meat, then half of the dry mix, then half the meat, then half the dry mix. The meat seems more evenly flavored that way. I do put the water and the soup just on top. It "melts" and filters down just fine.
• I do take the lid off and stir to even out the sauce 30-60 minutes before serving.

Comments from RecipeZaar:

• You can also use chicken breast with chicken gravy mix or turkey breast with turkey gravy mix along with the ranch and italian dressing packets and water. Equally yummy! (Erin's Note: I have not personally tried this, but it bet it would be good.)

Salisbury Steak from AllRecipes - Family Favorite

I certainly wouldn't say that this is a classic Salisbury Steak recipe, but whatever it is, it is yummy. I found this recipe many years ago, not long after we bought our first house (that was 2001). Both my husband and I loved it from the start. I've made one minor adaptation, discussed at the end, but otherwise, this is still how I make it all these years later.

Salisbury Steak
Source: adapted from AllRecipes.com, submitted by Kelly Berenger

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
• 1/2 cup dry seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)
• ketchup - 2 Tablespoons (for meat) plus 1/3 cup (for sauce)
  
• Worcestershire sauce - 1 Tablespoon (for meat) plus 2 Tablespoons (for sauce)
  
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

Directions:

• In a large bowl, mix ground beef with 1/3 cup soup, bread crumbs, egg, salt, black pepper, 2 Tablespoons ketchup and 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire. Shape into six patties.
• In a large skillet, brown both sides of patties over medium-high heat. Pour off excess fat.
• In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth. Mix in water, mustard powder, plus remaining ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.
• Pour sauce over meat in skillet. Cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Erin’s Notes:

• For the 1/3 cup of soup that goes in the meat, I usually spoon out most of the onions, then add a little of the liquid. That way most of the onions are in the meat adding flavor, leaving most of the liquid to keep the sauce smooth.
• I usually brown the patties until they are mostly done, then pour on the sauce. I simmer covered until the meat is done, then simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens.
• Works fine with ground turkey, perhaps adding a bit more ketchup and Worcestershire sauce to the meat, though I do still prefer this particular recipe with beef.
• I've begun experimenting with making these in muffin tins instead of browning in a skillet. Will update if/when I perfect the method.
  

Taco Cornbread Bake from Plain Chicken

This was one of the first recipes I tried from Pinterest. (I assume you know about Pinterest, right? If not, read my rhapsodizing about it on my main blog.) It was a good idea, but I didn't love it. To me, the cornbread was way too sweet (I'm a southerner; no sugar in my cornbread, please! Sugar goes in the sweet tea.) The base also tasted like it was missing something, though I can't really put my finger on what. I'll keep hunting for similar recipes, I think.

Taco Cornbread Bake
Source: Plain Chicken, found on Pinterest

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground round
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 box Jiffy corn bread mix, plus ingredients to make cornbread
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• salsa

Directions:

• In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the water and taco seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese, Rotel tomatoes and black beans. Spoon into a greased 8x8 baking dish.
• Prepare corn bread mix according to package directions for corn bread. Spread over beef mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 3-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Turkey Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf from Paula Deen - Family Favorite

You know that most any Paula Deen recipe is going to have either butter or bacon in it. No butter here, but she makes up for it with mayonnaise and cheese. Believe me, this isn't healthy, but we do try to improve it some by using 99% lean ground turkey breast instead of ground beef. There is plenty of fat in the rest of the mix-ins to keep it moist!

We've also found that a half batch of this is plenty for four servings. Can easily be prepared ahead (hold the toppings) and refrigerated overnight before baking as directed the following day.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf
Source: adapted from Paula Deen, FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey breast (98-99% lean), or ground beef
• 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, or equivalent real bacon bits
• 8 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted, or 1/4 cup crushed croutons
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup prepared mustard
• 1 (6-ounce) can French fried onions, divided

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Take half the french fried onions and crush them in a zip top bag.
• In a large bowl, combine ground meat, bacon, cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, mayo, Worchestershire, salt, pepper, and crushed french fried onions, mixing well.
• In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard. Stir half of the ketchup mixture into meat mixture, reserving remaining ketchup mixture.
• Gently pat/press meat mixture into a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan (don't make it too dense), or shape into a loaf and place on a rack in a broiler pan.* Spread remaining ketchup mixture over loaf. Bake 40 minutes. Top with French fried onions; bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or until onions are golden brown and meat is cooked through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

* Note: Can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated overnight. Remove from refrigerator when ready to bake and continue with instructions. May require a few extra minutes cooking time.

Cheeseburger Pie - Family Favorite

My mom has been making Cheeseburger Pie for as long as I can remember. It is about the only thing that involves cottage cheese that I actually like. I don't think I was much of a fan as a child, but it has become one of my favorites as an adult. (That's risotto in the background, but that's another post....)

Note that any recipes marked as a Family Favorites are ones that we make often (that seems obvious, right?) and/or truly adore. I do try to credit where I obtain each of my recipes, but many of the Family Favorites have been floating around the family for so long that I have no idea as to the original source for them. This is one of those.

Cheeseburger Pie
Source: Unknown

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• small onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. Bisquick
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
• 2 eggs
• 1 C. cottage cheese (small curd)
• 1 C. grated cheddar cheese
• 9 in. deep-dish pie crust, unbaked

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Brown ground beef with onion and salt. Drain. Stir in Bisquick and Worcestershire. Cook just until Worchestershire is abosrbed. Remove from heat, set aside.
• In small bowl, beat egg and fold in cottage cheese. Set aside.
• Into unbaked pie shell, layer 1/3 cheddar cheese, 1/2 meat mixture, 1/2 egg mixture, 1/3 cheddar cheese, remaining meat mixture, remaining egg mixture, and remaining cheddar.
• Bake until set, about 30 minutes. (Place pie shell on foil-lined baking sheet if you are concerned about spill over.) Let stand 5 minutes before serving.