Hamburger Potato Pie

I've had bags and boxes of family recipes for a long time, and spent several weeks scanning them all into my computer, as I've mentioned before.  The problem was easily accessing the recipes so I really knew what I had and could plan what to make.  It was cumbersome to shuffle through the recipes in the box and it always seemed like I was looking at the same recipes over and over.  The laptop was a little better, but it's bulky and I didn't want to print the recipe I was going to use, and it took up a lot of counter space if I took it into the kitchen with me. 

Enter, the iPad.  I had the idea to transfer all the scanned recipes onto my iPad and it has proven to be most helpful.  It is like carrying around a digital cookbook, and it doesn't take up much more room on the counter than a recipe card would.  Ah, technology.  Since I transferred the images, I have been trying more and more recipes.  Hence, more posts on Family Tree-Eats!

Hamburger Potato Pie caught my eye as a nice dinner option for the family.  It's hard to go wrong with meat and potatoes and this recipe proved that point.  Simple to make and with not a lot of clean up.  It reminded me of cottage pie, with a little bit of a meatloaf flavor.  Very tasty and the leftovers reheated well.  I definitely see this as a recipe to revisit.

Hamburger Potato Pie

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup cooked, drained peas

1 3/4 cup crushed canned tomatoes

2/3 cup catsup

3 cups hot mashed potatoes

1 egg, beaten

Instructions
Saute onion in butter or margarine. Add meat and seasonings. Cook until meat is browned. Add peas, tomatoes, and catsup. Mix well. Pour into greased casserole (2 quart). Combine mashed potatoes and egg. Spoon mounds of potatoes onto meat mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Zucchini Casserole

I remember following Grandpa into the backyard where a lush green vine climbed the fence and sprawled into the grass.  He would rummage through the leaves and pull out a brilliant green zucchini.  It was like magic.  I always hoped he would take it in for Nonna to make some zucchini bread.  More often than not, though, when Grandpa brought in a zucchini, he was going to make zucchini casserole.

As a kid, I didn't care for zucchini casserole.  However, when I saw the recipe as I was perusing through Nonna and Grandpa's recipe cards, I knew I had to try it again.  With an abundant supply of zucchini at the market, it was the perfect time to make this casserole.

The recipe is quite straightforward and easy to prepare.  The only modification I made was to the cream of chicken soup ingredient.  Instead of using the cream of chicken soup, I made a roux with about two tablespoons of butter and three or four tablespoons of flour.  I then added a cup of chicken stock to the roux, added a little salt and pepper brought the mixture to a boil.  I cooked it until thick, and I had a simply made substitute to the store bought variety.

I followed the rest of the recipe as written, and it was ready to bake in no time.  With the herb stuffing and creamy consistency, the casserole reminded me a lot of something I would serve on Thanksgiving or in the fall.  It is very good, though, and the zucchini adds a nice freshness and a vibrant green color to the dish.  I am thinking about serving it on Thanksgiving in lieu of a traditional stuffing dish, as long as I can find good looking zucchini.

I didn't know what I was missing as a kid, but I am glad I have rediscovered this casserole.  I will not hesitate to use my zucchinis for this dish instead of zucchini bread.  I am sure it will become a staple at our table during the abundant summer zucchini season, just as it was at Nonna and Grandpa's.

Zucchini Casserole

Printable Recipe

2 lbs. zucchini, sliced

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded carrot

8 oz. herb stuffing mix

1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a saucepan, cook zucchini, and chopped onion in boiling water (salted) about 5 minutes.  Drain.  Combine soup and sour cream.  Stir in shredded carrots.  Fold in drained zucchini and onion mix. 

Combine stuffing mix and butter and spread this mixture in the bottom of 12 x 9 baking dish.  Spoon vegetable mixture on top.  Then sprinkle remaining stuffing mixture on that.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until brown.