Have I ever told you how much I love one dish meals? Seriously. They just find me and I love to make them. I found this one in a great cookbook that I have already shared. It’s called Saving Dinner. So Sunday was a good day to throw this one together since I had been on church assignment 1 1/2 hours away for half the day. And just a little note, I left out the fresh, chopped tomatoes when I first made this. They were right there in the dish drain but we were in such a hurry to eat, I forgot about them. I added them in the next day and reheated the dish for my supper and believe me it was even better!
Ingredients:
3/4 lb. extra-lean ground beef (I used a whole pound and it was fine.)
1 stalk celery, chopped fine (used my re-hydrated Thrive celery, already chopped.)
1 large onion, chopped (or re-hydrate some Thrive chopped onion, no tears.)
1 small green pepper, chopped (what do you think? Yep, freeze-dried green peppers)
1 t. Cajun seasoning
1 cup oats (recipe did not specify, so I used quick oats)
3 cups brown rice (I had some Sushi rice to use up)
3 medium tomatoes, chopped–don’t forget!!
2 11.5-oz. cans V-8 juice
1. In a skillet, over medium-high heat, cook beef, celery, onion, bell pepper, and Cajun seasoning about 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is brown and vegetables are tender.
2. Blot any excess grease with a paper towel. I didn’t have any grease.
3. Stir in oats and mix well. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.
Source: Leanne Ely, “Saving Dinner: The Menus, Recipes, and Shopping Lists to Bring Your Family Back to the Table,” p. 148.