It’s a must to keep some ground beef on hand in your freezer. There are so many ways to use it, and the meat thaws out quickly. That comes in handy if you get some surprise guests and have to suddenly throw together a last-minute but tasty meal.
Here are two recipes that require only one pound of ground beef each. They’re both easy to fix in a hurry but are sure to please your friends or family.
CHEDDAR LOAVES
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef
SAUCE:
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
Beat egg and milk. Stir in cheddar cheese, oats, onion and salt. Add ground beef and mix well.
Shape into 8 loaves (patties); place in a greased 9-by-13-inch pan.
Combine ketchup, brown sugar and mustard; spoon over loaves.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.
NACHO MAC ‘N’CHEESE
3 cups spiral pasta
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped sweet red, green or yellow peppers
1/4 butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/4 cups milk
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips (any flavor)
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile in a Dutch oven, cook beef and red, orange or yellow sweet peppers over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Stir in butter, flour, taco seasoning and black pepper until blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Remove from the heat. Stir in cheese and corn until cheese is melted.
Drain pasta; add to beef mixture and stir to coat. Sprinkle with tortilla chips. Makes 6 servings.
Brotherton offers website readers one or more stellar recipes a week in the “My Leader Yummy” feature. Looking for a recipe you can’t find? Email her at kbrotherton42@gmail.com and she’ll see if she has it.
