Casseroles the Lazy Way

Over the holidays I got lazy. I found the low-fat ground beef that I like on a really good sale, so I bought a bunch, forgetting that I had neither the time nor the energy to do much with it.

So with the expiration date ticking down, I had to come up with something quick and easy. This is what I did.

I bought Hamburger Helper and a much of canned/frozen veggies.

I put all the meat in a big pot and cooked it all at once. Then I took four smaller pots and put them on the stove all at once. I divided the mean (using a scale) into one pound sections, one in each pot.

I got out different flavors of Hamburger helper, measured out the water/milk and added the pasta and sauce mix to each pot.

Then I added:

* To the Mexican Flavor: a can of black beans, drained and rinsed
a can of corn, drained
a can of diced tomatoes with juice

* To the Cajun Flavor: can of red beans, drained and rinsed
a can of mushrooms, drained
a can of diced tomatoes with juice

*To the Italian Flavor: cut down the water by 3/4 cup and throw in 1 1/2cup
frozen spinach, still frozen
a can of muchrooms, drained
a can of diced tomatoes with juice

*To the Cheese Flavor: 1 lb frozen broccoli

*To the 'Homestyle' Flavor: 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
a can of mushrooms, drained
a can of peas and carrots (or use frozen)


Cook it all up, let it cook down some and put in labeled gallon sized zip locks. But them in the fridge first to let them firm up before putting them in the freezer.

I know, it really is cheating, but adding all the veggies does make this stuff into a casserole substantial enough for a meal, maybe with bread or a salad. Some nights that is really what I need.