Hamburger Casserole II

Used this recipe with a group of never been in the kitchen 11 yr old boy scouts and it turned out very well. Prep time was about half an hour, but a lot of that was teaching and telling time as we went along. Simple, yet filling, meal that the boys said they would cook and eat again.

This recipe was easy to make with readily avalable ingredients. I used short grain brown rice, and while I was concerned that it would take longer to cook or be dry it was easily cooked in the hour and a half listed as the cooking time and wasn't in the least bit dry to my tastes. Slicing intead of chopping the onions is a wonderful touch. Onions are often slimy in recipes like this but these were perfect. I only hade one problem in this recipe. I cooked it uncovered and the tomatoes that were on top burned horribly. They were inedible and I had to throw them out. This wasn't too much of a problem for us since the dish was still excellent, and my husband and daughter aren't big tomato fans but I thought I'd mention it anyway. I think next time I might just add a little bit of tomato juice instead of the tomatoes since as near as I can tell the juice is the only thing that added anything to the dish.

This recipe needs everything that is on hand, it is easy, and it is really good! I wasn't sure about the potatoes being cooked well (I seem to have problems) so I put them in the microvave for a minute or so to soften them up a bit. I didn't have a can of tomatoes, so instead I used a 15 oz can of tomato sauce and poured it on top. Following that, I sliced up a couple of fresh tomatoes and put them on top. It turned out wonderfully! I covered it with tin foil while cooking for an hour and a half. I am going to make this one again! Thank you for sharing!

The directions didn't say how big or thick to slice the onion and potatoes so my potatoes were too big and didn't get done even after two hours. This is a plain jane meal, very bland. It was easy so I will make it again but will be adding much more seasonings starting with garlic and jalapenos. I don't want to put anyone off from trying this because it is soooo easy, but when you do, I recommend using some garlic and other personal preferrence spices. Try it but tweek it to your own tastes.