"Skillet Stroganoff"

Skillet Stroganoff

Ground beef

Chopped onion

Pasta (I use "bow tie", or mini bow tie, or extra wide egg noodles)

dry onion soup mix

Garlic (I use the pre- minced from the jar)

 "Better Than Bullion" beef soup base

corn starch

Sour cream

In a deep heavy skillet, brown the ground beef. You may add the onions along with the beef and cook them at the same time.

When the beef is cooked, drain off the fat.

Add the garlic, a tablespoon (or more) of beef soup base, and at least one packet of onion soup mix. (Two packets or more if cooking for more than 4 people)

Add hot water, at a ratio of 2 1/2 cups hot water per cup of pasta (for most pastas).

Bring to a boil.

Stir in the uncooked pasta. Try to submerge all of the pasta in the boiling liquid.

Allow to cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is as tender as you like it. this takes longer than the cooking directions on the package indicate. If you cannot keep the pasta (or most of it) submerged, add more hot (BOILING) water. Add no more than a cup of hot water at a time.

Once the pasta is tender, you may want to thicken the sauce. I add 2 tablespoons of corn starch to 1/2 cup COLD water. Stir until dissolved, then stir into the simmering pasta mixture. Allow to cook another minute or two, for the sauce to thicken some.

Turn off heat.

Stir sour cream into the mixture.

Ready to serve!

Enchiladas

Enchiladas

Enchilada sauce

Condensed Tomato soup

Nacho cheese soup (optional!)

Ground pork

Ground beef

Shredded cheese

Tortillas

The ingredients

Browning the ground meat

Mixing the sauces

Stir the meats together as they brown

Add sauce to the greased casserole dish

Add some sauce to the meat

Enough sauce to make it moist, but not soupy

Tortilla on a plate, ready to construct the enchilada

A line of ground beef on the tortilla

Sprinkle with cheese

Roll tightly

Place in the sauce in the casserole dish

One down, fill the pan

Seams down, press snugly together, squishing a bit of sauce between

Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas

Spread the sauce with the back of a spoon

Sprinkle with cheese

Bake at 350* for 25- 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly!

Serve with a delicious tossed salad

In a heavy skillet, brown the ground meat.

While the meat browns:  mix together the enchilada sauce, tomato soup, and nacho cheese soup... all straight from the cans, undiluted.

Grease a casserole dish. (I use pan spray)

Add some sauce mixture- enough to cover the bottom of the casserole pan.

Place your cheese(s) in a bowl for easier access. (I mix mozzarella and co-jack shreds)

Drain the cooked meat.

Add some sauce mixture to the ground meat, enough to make it nice and moist, but not soupy.

Place a tortilla on a plate.

Add a scoop of ground meat.

Sprinkle with cheese.

 Roll tightly.

 Place seam side down in the sauce in the casserole dish.

Repeat the steps from "Place a tortilla on a plate" to this point, until your pan is full.

Snug the filled tortillas close to one another, rolling slightly to get a bit of sauce between the enchiladas.

When the pan is full, pour remaining sauce mixture over the enchiladas.

Spread with the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Bake at 350* 20- 35 minutes... until hot and bubbling.

Serve with a tossed green salad. (The salad in the picture is dressed with Catalina dressing, NOT enchilada sauce!)