Easy Sunday Dinner...

I don't know what made me think of this dish, because I haven't made it in just about forever.  My mom discovered this recipe in her ancient Betty Crocker cookbook when I was in high school - eons ago.  We used to have it for dinner a lot - and I think I even made it for Tim a few times.  It's called Texas Hash - I'm not sure why - but here are the ingredients.  As you can see, I'm a Publix girl and buying the store brand of everything makes this dinner even more economical.  Depending on the number of people you are going to feed you will need ground beef (or turkey), long-grain white rice, canned diced tomatoes, yellow onions and chili powder.  No, I'm not feeding an army, but I decided to make a roaster full for Ariela to pick up and take home to bake.  I made a small roaster full for me and Aggie - and leftovers!

First, peel the onions, rinse and set aside.  This seems to cut down on the amount of onion tears.  I always use yellow onions because the flavor doesn't disappear when you bake them.  I love a good sweet onion, especially on a hot dog, but they are not so flavorful in a dish that bakes for a good hour.

Brown the ground meat with a little kosher salt, pepper and chili powder.

Once you've browned the meat, slice the onions.  See, not very many tears!  Then I start layering the ingredients into the roasting pan.  Onions, rice, ground meat, a can of tomatoes - you get the picture.  As long as you use twice as much liquid as rice, the recipe will turn out perfectly every time.  I also add more chili powder to the rice as I layer the ingredients in.

It really isn't going to be a layered dish - that just makes it easier to thoroughly combine all the ingredients for baking.  Sorry if I misled you...

Next you add the liquid - you can use water or broth - as long as there is twice as much liquid as rice.  I find that water works just fine, especially if you have used a little of the fat left from browning the meat.  Bake at 325 to 350 degrees for about an hour - or until the rice is done.

Voila!  The finished product - doesn't it look good?

I even remembered to take a photo of the plate this time.

Aggie is wagging her approval.