A Man's Gotta Eat (Ground Beef Casserole)

While ladies lunching is a delicate thang, I think it's worth addressing the hardier of the gourmands in your house. My husband, who consumes more food than any human I have ever known, once told me that he doesn't really care what he eats, he just needs sheer volume. While I enjoy creating delectable morsels for the family table, I cannot avoid tossing together an old-fashioned 1970s era casserole once or twice a week so the poor man doesn't starve. Toward that end, I offer the A Man's Gotta Eat (Ground Beef Casserole):

Couldn't be simpler and is easy to adapt to any taste palette.

1 pound of ground beef

1 lb. package of pasta (I like rotini)

mix of cream of chicken soup

1 cup (or more depending on your taste) grated cheddar, gruyere or monterey jack cheese

1 diced onion

1 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

salt and pepper

bread crumbs (optional)

Using a hot saute pan, heat the EVOO and add the diced onion. Saute until tender, then add the ground beef, making sure to brown thoroughly. Salt and pepper to season the beef, and when fully browned, drain the fat and return to pan. Cook the pan of pasta, drain and set aside. If you have canned cream of chicken soup (lucky you), things get pretty simple here. If not, like some of us in far away lands, you'll need to mix the soup and water until it boils and thickens. Once the soup is heated, combine the pasta with the ground beef. Toss the mixture with the cream of chicken soup and mix thoroughly. Then toss in as much cheese as you like. Throw on some bread crumbs, bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, and you're done. Couldn't be simpler.

Some other options: Obviously, you can change the flavor of the casserole with the flavor of cream of whatever soup you choose. I find that cream of chicken has a mild flavor, but some folks like cream of mushroom for this, and some like cream of asparagus. By all means, choose what you love. You can up the heat/spice factor by creating a Tex-Mex version of this and throw in some diced chilis and use a chili seasoning as you brown the meat. There are tons of different options. Good comfort food for all.