When I was in graduate school, I had a few good friends who would occasionally feed me or play Atari games all night and drink beer. Dennis was one of these good friends. And he had a wonderful girlfriend, Christine, who could really cook. Oh, nothing fancy; we were all starving students, after all. But she knew how to make great comfort food on a tight budget, and have enough in the pot to include me at least once a week.
She made this simple version of hamburger pie about once a month. It was a favorite with Dennis, and it didn’t take long for me to join the fan club:
There are so many variations possible on this simple meal. We’ve made it with corn, mixed veggies, or baby lima beans. The topping can be made with Bisquick, although I must say, we all strongly prefer the taters. I’ve also found that cooking the beef and onions with a bit of celery and some mild curry powder makes a very tasty dish that has a completely different aroma, and is still as satisfying as ever.
This casserole can be made up ahead of time and reheated; allow the dish to come to room temperature before popping into the oven, and I’d suggest adding the Cheddar just as you’re ready to heat. That way, it won’t get soggy and make a mess on top of your taters…
Enjoy the (Christine’s Legacy) Heat!
- Recipe du Jour Marathon, First Post: Christine's Hamburger Pie
- Aunt Alma's Taco Soup
- Old-Timey Eats: Texas Depression Days Stew
- The Devil's Own Chicken, as Hot as Your Conscience Can Stand
- Poppy Seed Chicken, Heaven in a Casserole Dish
- This Stew Will Make You (Feel) Pregnant
- Pork Chops and Apples Go Together Like, Like ...
- Tex-Mex Lasagna, the Ninth Wonder of the World?
- A Creamy Cheese Soup That's Good for You
- Pear Clafouti, the Tasty Dessert With the Funny Name
- Blackberry Grunt, the Dessert That Talks to You
- Can You Spell Avgolemono? A Spicy Greek Soup...
- Is That Alligator? Sloppy Joes, Cajun Style
- Fish 4 Friday: Creole Tilapia, Easy Peasy Dinner
- Welfare Soup, Good for You AND Your Budget
- Now for Something Entirely Different: Forfar Bridies
- New Recipe du Jour: Spiced Pork Chops With Sweet-Sour Citrus Sauce
- Recipe du Jour II: New Year's Posole, a Family Tradition (If a Bit Late)
- Recipe du Jour III: A Tamale You Don't Have to Unshuck
- Too Tired to Cook, or Will These Boxes Never End?
- Recipe du Jour: Slow Cooked Chicken Rice Soup
- Recipe du Jour: Slow-Cooker Burrito Beef, and Baked Burritos
- Recipe du Jour: Pulled Pork and Waffles
- Chicken With Orange-Thyme Sauce and Rum-Soaked Bread Pudding
- Spicy Crackers: Asian-Tasty Cream Crackers Recipe
- Kitchen Experiments: Sometimes They Turn Out All Right
- Recipe du Jour Marathon, First Post: Christine's Hamburger Pie
- Marathon's Over, More Recipes on the Site
- Speed Challenge: On-the-Spot Slumgullion
- Tomatoes, Tomatoes Everywhere; What to Do? East India Sauce!
- Recipe du Jour: Rosemary Lager Focaccia for Dipping…
- Another “Too Many Tomatoes” Solution, and Green Too
- What’s a Pastitsio? I’ll Tell You…
- Chile Relleno Casserole
- Chicken Marsala Worthy of Self-Inflicted Wounds
Recent Comments