Easy Dinner Ideas With Shipwreck Casserole

You can always come up with easy dinner ideas if you have some ground beef around the house.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds of ground beef
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, or seasoning salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 3 large baking potatoes, peeled and sliced thin or diced
• 2 cups of thin sliced carrots
• 1/4 cup of celery, diced small
• 1/2 cup of diced bell pepper
• 2 cups of cooked rice, optional
• 1 can of condensed tomato soup, (like Campbells)
• 1 soup can of warmed water
• 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning
• Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), optional
• 1-1/2 cups of shredded cheddar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish; set aside. Brown ground beef and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder; drain, if needed and set aside. Layer casserole with onions on the bottom, then potatoes; sprinkle lightly with seasoning salt, or salt and pepper. Top with carrots, celery, and bell pepper; sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper. Top with cooked rice, then the browned ground beef. Whisk together the can of soup, one soup can of water and the Italian seasoning until blended; pour evenly over the top. Season top with a light dash of Cajun seasoning, to taste. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour; remove cover, sprinkle cheese on top and return to oven until cheese has melted.

~Cook's Notes~

Tip: To transform this into a stew, cut potatoes into cubes instead of slices, omit the rice, and increase liquids to include one large (46-ounce) V-8 vegetable juice, or an equal amount of beef stock or broth and water, or any combination of the three. Add everything to a large soup pot, bring to a boil, reduce and simmer on the stovetop for 45 minutes, or until veggies are tender.

Shortcut This: Instead of raw potatoes, use frozen, thawed hash brown potatoes, thawed tater tots, or canned, sliced new potatoes. Can also use frozen thawed sliced carrots. Grab a container of pre-chopped onion, celery and green pepper mix from the produce department to save some time.

Pork Chop Casserole: For another easy dinner idea substitute 4 to 6 fairly thick (3/4 to 1-inch) bone-in, center cut, pork chops for the ground beef and one can of cream of mushroom for the condensed soup. Layer veggies as above (omit rice), season the chops and sear in oil in a skillet and place on top of vegetables. Spread mushroom soup evenly on top of the chops, add one soup can of water. Bake covered for thirty minutes at 350, then remove foil. Rearrange chops and bake uncovered for another 15-20 minutes, or until pork chops are tender and vegetables cooked through.

Variations: Can also use thinly sliced onion in the first layer instead of chopped if you prefer. Vary the vegetables (use corn, peas, chopped broccoli, green beans, etc.), and add drained and rinsed beans (kidney, pintos, northern, etc.) in with the cooked and drained ground beef, and try different seasonings - chili powder, taco seasoning, sloppy joe seasoning mix, oregano, thyme, etc. If using canned veggies, drain before adding and keep in mind that canned, and sometimes frozen veggies, generally will have salt and/or seasonings in them already, so adjust seasonings accordingly. Swap the tomato soup with canned sloppy joe sauce (like Manwich) or eliminate the water and use two (11.5 oz.)  cans of V-8 vegetable juice. Can also substitute cream of mushroom or cheddar cheese soup for the tomato soup, for a different flavor.

Crockpot: Layer ingredients in the slow cooker seasoning each layer. Top with the soup mixture, cover and cook on low 4 to 6 hours, about 3 hours on high, or until potatoes and other veggies are cooked through. For other easy dinner ideas consult your imagination.