Dinner ideas, anyone?

[sparky_1]

I’d like dinner recommendations, given a pretty sparse list of ingredients.

I have:

1 lb hamburg

Pasta sauce

Pasta (regular and lasagna noodles)

Eggs

Milk

Cheese (american, cheddar and parmesan)

Garlic

Onion (yellow, that’s probably garbage now)

Green beans

Instant mashed potatoes

Various spices

Can anyone recommend a dinner idea using any of that? I could do hamburgers, but I’m not really in the mood. I could also cook the hamburg and add it to the pasta sauce, then have spaghetti, but again not totally in the mood for it.

So, does someone have some recipe out of left field that I could try?

[Superfluous_Parentheses]

If you don’t want pasta (and no lasagna), just fry the meat with the garlic and onion, add a bit of the tomato sauce so that the final sauce is thick.

Make the mashed potatoes. Grate cheese (or make white sauce with cheese).

Put the meat sauce in an oven dish, cover with mashed potatoes, top with cheese. Put in the oven until golden brown.

Straightforward and warming.

[sparky_1]

@Superfluous_Parentheses

If you don’t want pasta (and no lasagna), just fry the meat with the garlic and onion, add a bit of the tomato sauce so that the final sauce is thick.

Make the mashed potatoes. Grate cheese (or make white sauce with cheese).

Put the meat sauce in an oven dish, cover with mashed potatoes, top with cheese. Put in the oven until golden brown.

Straightforward and warming.

Wow, like a casserole? I never thought of that! Would adding frozen green beans to it make a difference?

Ooh!, Ooh! I forgot I had Ritz crackers! What if I crumble them on top? What temperature do I set the oven, and approximately how long?

[Superfluous_Parentheses]

@sparky_1

Wow, like a casserole? I never thought of that! Would adding frozen green beans to it make a difference?

Ooh!, Ooh! I forgot I had Ritz crackers! What if I crumble them on top? What temperature do I set the oven, and approximately how long?

I think I’d serve the green beans separately. I think you’d risk overcooking them if you put them in the sauce.

Crumbs on top would work with cheese, I think. The oven part is mostly just there to heat everything through and brown the top. If you start with hot ingredients, 15 - 25 minutes or so should be enough @ 220 C - 425 F. Take it out when the cheese and potato go golden brown.

[sparky_1]

@Superfluous_Parentheses

I think I’d serve the green beans separately. I think you’d risk overcooking them if you put them in the sauce.

Crumbs on top would work with cheese, I think. The oven part is mostly just there to heat everything through and brown the top. If you start with hot ingredients, 15 - 25 minutes or so should be enough @ 220 C - 425 F. Take it out when the cheese and potato go golden brown.

Thanks!

[Tapioca_Dextrin]

You could make a meatless Carbonara sauce for the pasta. Put the pasta on, and then saute a couple of cloves of garlic garlic and a little onion until softened. Drain the spaghetti and put it back in the pot it came from. Add the garlic/onions, throw in two eggs, an ounce or two of grated cheese (cheddar or Parmesan) and maybe 1 or 2 tbsp of milk, along with plenty of black pepper and maybe a few chili flakes. Put the pot back on the stove and stir for a few minutes. Stir the mixture for a few minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. If the eggs start to scramble (and the sauce goes lumpy), it’s all part of the dishes rustic charm.