This is Sunday Suppers, a weekly menu of comfort food favorites meant to be lingered over and to help you and your family relax and reconnect.
My husband Gary’s fondest childhood memories began with a pound of ground beef. There was usually tomato sauce and pasta in the mix, and some sort of cheese, but it’s hard to overstate the importance of ground beef as a staple meat in his family dinners. And to that end, it’s hard to overstate the importance of ground beef as a dinnertime staple in the kitchens of Americans from coast to coast.
It’s easy, it’s versatile, it’s convenient, and it’s satisfying. And now there are all stripes of ground beef options on the market, from organic to grass-fed beef, so you can buy what makes you feel good. Ground beef freezes and defrosts easily and quickly overnight in the fridge, so keeping a pound or two in the freezer is a good idea. If you are planning to freeze your ground beef, remove it from the supermarket packaging and transfer it to a freezer proof container or bag, make sure there is not excess air in the container, and label it. It should last for 4 months if frozen properly. You should only keep ground beef in the fridge for 2 days before cooking it.
Let’s jump into one of the ground beef nirvana dishes that make Gary and the boys enormously cheery.
Cheesy Beef and Hash Brown Casserole
So, what do we have here: Crispy, but tender, shredded potatoes top a casserole of juicy ground beef bound together with a creamy cheesy sauce. A final sprinkle of cheddar cheese melts over all at the end. It’s the casserole version of a terrific cheeseburger. Leftovers will be fought over the next day. Presuming there are any leftovers. I have heard rumors that leftovers of this exist, but I have never seen any with my own two eyes.
You can make the filling ahead of time, up to a day, then just dump it into the casserole, and finish with the cheesy hashbrown potato topping.
>> Have a pound of ground beef? Here are more dinner ideas
Honey Mustard Green Beans
A simple (5-minute!) honey mustard dressing transforms quickly simmered green beans into a flavorful side dish. Honey and mustard are perfect partners. Sweet and spicy, the honey tempers the sharpness of the mustard, and the mustard brightens the sugariness of the honey.
My New Favorite Oatmeal Cookies
One of the best things about classic cookies is that there are so many versions to love. I tinkered pleasurably with various batches of oatmeal cookie batter until I got to this recipe: fairly flat, chewy and moist in the middle, with crinkly caramelized edges — not cakey or rounded — and butterscotch-esque in flavor.
More family dinner ideas
- One-Skillet Cheesy Beef and Macaroni
- Chicken Parmesan Baked Ziti
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Roast Eye of Round Beef with Crispy Parmesan Potatoes
- Garlicky Roast Chicken with Shallots and Potatoes
- Slow-Cooker BBQ Lamb
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