Cheesy Beef Noodle Casserole

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I grew up with this recipe and all I remember was thinking it was cheesy goodness.

Fed family of 4 and still had plenty leftover

Now I know it was also one of the most frugal ways my mother could make just one pound of hamburger feed the whole family a delicious, hearty meal.

This beef noodle casserole, also known as Tallerine or Tallerina can be tweaked to suit your families tastes.

You can also prepare it on the stove top or in the oven.

Since I like all things in the kitchen to be frugal and fast, this is the stove top version.

• 3 TB butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small can condensed tomato soup
• 1 small can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• cold water
• 1 bag (10-10.7oz) wide egg noodles
• 1 1/4 cup Hanover Latino Blend frozen veggies (corn mixed with black beans, chopped onions, red and green peppers) or just add 1 can of corn if you prefer
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (Some recipes for this call for processed "cheese food", but my kids don't like the taste of that stuff--and that's totally OK with me.)

To Make Casserole:

1. Using a very large skillet (chicken fryer pan) melt butter and add diced onions to soften.
2. Add ground beef. Cook to brown.
3. Add tomato soup, 1 soup can of cold water, diced tomatoes, noodles and veggies. - At this point you can season to your taste. I use salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 TB parsley flakes, 1 TB oregano.
4. Stir well. Cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes.
5. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese.
6. Cover again and set to low heat to allow noodles to steam for about 25-30 minutes. Check after 15 minutes.

This savory casserole is a great "go to" recipe when you're low on time or cash because chances are you already have most of the ingredients in your fridge, freezer or pantry, and if not you can improvise with what you do have.

Using a can of mushroom soup instead of tomato with some canned mushroom pieces then top with mozzerella, parmesan or both. This gives this same recipe a completely different flavor but is just as appealing.