Where's the Beef?

If you grew up during the 1980s, you might remember the burning question that many people (or, at least, certain commercials) asked, "Where's the beef?"

Well, today's post deals with six beefy recipes, including Gramma's Old Fashioned Chili Mac and Smash Burgers. Enjoy!

TEX-MEX SKILLET FRIED RICE

This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "A little bit fried rice and a little bit beef taco, this skillet mashup is a quick and easy dinner option that’s easy to customize with all your favorite taco toppings."

Prep Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Servings: 6

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso™ original taco seasoning mix

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup diced yellow onions

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1 cup Cascadian Farm™ frozen organic sweet corn

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups cooked white rice

1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso™ chopped green chiles

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)

Diced avocado, fresh cilantro leaves, sliced green onions, Old El Paso™ Thick 'n Chunky salsa, if desired

Directions

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until brown. Drain; return to skillet. Stir in taco seasoning mix and water; heat to simmering over medium heat. Cook 1 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Transfer to large bowl, and set aside; carefully wipe out skillet.

Add oil to skillet; heat over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell pepper, frozen corn and salt. Cook 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown on edges.

Add rice and green chiles; cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently to break up rice, until heated through. Stir in beef mixture; cook 1 to 2 minutes longer to heat through.

Remove from heat. Top with cheese; cover and let stand 1 to 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Top with remaining ingredients.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

tip 1

Don’t have cooked white rice from leftovers or takeout? Frozen cooked white rice is a nice staple to keep in the freezer to help ease the dinner rush on weeknights.

Tip 2

Make it your own! Try adding Sriracha or chile garlic sauce; experiment with different shredded cheeses, or mix up the diced veggies for your own twist on this easy meal.

SMOKY WHITE BEAN AND BEEF SLOPPY JOES

This is from Sarah DiGregorio in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. She wrote, "This update on the kid-friendly classic uses half the meat as a traditional sloppy Joe recipe, but retains the qualities that everyone loves: a tart-sweet savoriness and a quick cooking time. You can substitute ground pork, turkey, lamb or plant-based ground meat for the beef; the key is to use a protein that’s not too lean. A little fat helps carry the flavor of the meat through the entire dish. (If you use plant-based meat or you only have lean meat on hand, add another tablespoon of olive oil or your preferred fat.) The addition of adobo sauce from a can of chipotles imparts smoke, with just a hint of heat. (If you’d like a spicier version, by all means, chop up one or two of the chipotles and add them.) The leftover chipotles keep for at least two weeks in the fridge or indefinitely in the freezer, and they are a welcome addition to many dishes, like chicken tacos or chili."

Yield: 4 servings; Time: 20 minutes

to view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022280-smoky-white-bean-and-beef-sloppy-joes.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

Kosher salt

1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 pound ground beef, preferably 85 percent lean

1 packed tablespoon light or dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 cup canned or jarred tomato purée

1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from canned chipotles in adobo)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or pinto beans, drained

4 hamburger buns, preferably potato buns

Tomato slices and pickle chips, for topping

Preparation

Warm the oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over high heat. Add the onion, season with 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the bell pepper, then spread out the vegetable mixture and let it cook undisturbed for about 1 minute. Stir well and repeat, letting the vegetables cook undisturbed for another minute or so at a time. You want the onions and peppers to get softened, seared and browned in spots, about 5 minutes total.

Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan, making an empty spot in the middle of the pan, and add the ground beef. Season the beef with a pinch of salt, and smash it flat with a spatula, letting it cook undisturbed for 1 minute until brown underneath. Break up the beef with the spatula and cook 1 to 2 more minutes, until completely browned with no visible pink spots.

Combine the vegetables and beef, then add the sugar and tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute to toast the tomato paste. Add the garlic powder and cumin, then the tomato purée, adobo sauce and vinegar. Stir in the beans. Reduce the heat to medium and let simmer to thicken slightly, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the buns.

With a fork, roughly smash some of the beans to thicken the mixture. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Serve on toasted buns, topped with tomatoes and pickles.

SMASH BURGERS

This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Sam wrote, "This is the traditional, griddled hamburger of diners and takeaway spots, smashed thin and cooked crisp on its edges. It is best to cook in a heavy, cast-iron skillet slicked with oil or fat, and not on a grill. For meat, ask a butcher for coarse-ground chuck steak, with at least a 20 percent fat content, or grind your own. Keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook, and try not to handle it with your fingers — use an ice-cream scoop or spoon instead. Plop down a few ounces in the pan, smash it with a spatula, salt it, let it go crisp and flip. Add cheese and get your bun toasted. The process moves quickly."

Yield: 4 to 8 servings; Time: 20 minutes

This as featured in "Deconstructing the Perfect Burger", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016595-smash-burgers.

Another like you should check out to to Sam Sifton's guide, "How to Make Burgers". Even if you've been making burgers almost forever, it's still well worth checking out.

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon neutral oil, like canola, or a pat of unsalted butter

2 pounds ground chuck, at least 20 percent fat

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

8 slices cheese (optional)

8 soft hamburger buns, lightly toasted

Lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes and condiments, as desired

Directions

Add oil or butter to a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet and place over medium heat. Gently divide ground beef into 8 small piles of around 4 ounces each, and even more gently gather them together into orbs that are about 2 inches in height. Do not form patties.

Increase heat under skillet to high. Put half the orbs into the skillet with plenty of distance between them and, using a stiff metal spatula, press down on each one to form a burger that is around 4 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook without moving until patties have achieved a deep, burnished crust, a little less than 2 minutes. Use the spatula to scrape free and carefully turn burgers over. If using cheese, lay slices on meat.

Continue to cook until meat is cooked through, approximately a minute or so longer. Remove burgers from skillet, place on buns and top as desired. Repeat process with remaining burgers. Serving two hamburgers on a single bun is not an outrageous option.

EASY CHILI MOLE

This recipe from Old El Paso begins, "This is a much easier, yet equally tasty, version of the typical long-cooking authentic Mexican main. This mole is made with beef, tomatoes and chili beans, ready in just 30 minutes."

Prep Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes; Makes 8 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/easy-chili-mole.

Ingredients

1 lb extra-lean (at least 90%) ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 package (1.25 oz) Tex-Mex chili seasoning mix

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 can (15 oz) spicy chili beans, undrained

1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

8 soft corn tortillas (6 inch)

Preparation

In 4-quart Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef until thoroughly cooked; drain.

Stir in seasoning mix, both tomatoes and beans. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors. Stir in chocolate just until melted. Serve with tortillas.

Expert Tips

Regular chili seasoning mix and 1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeño chile can be substituted for the Tex-Mex seasoning mix.

Serve with a crisp green salad and warm wedges of cornbread instead of the tortillas.

EASY BEEF STROGANOFF IN THE SLOW COOKER

This is from AllRecipes, and begins, "I make my beef stroganoff in the slow cooker with cream of mushroom soup and cream cheese with garlic and herbs. Serve over noodles to your liking."

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 4 hours; Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes; Makes 5 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/261152/easy-beef-stroganoff-in-the-slow-cooker/.

Ingredients

1-1/3 pounds cubed beef stew meat

2 cups fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 cup milk

2 onions, chopped

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

6 ounces herb and garlic-flavored cream cheese

1 cup fusilli pasta

1/4 cup sour cream (Optional)

Directions

Combine beef, mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, milk, onions, and Worcestershire sauce in a slow cooker.

Cook on High for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low for 5 to 7 hours. Stir in cream cheese until well dissolved; cook for 1 hour more.

During the last 20 minutes of cooking, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fusilli to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain.

Serve stroganoff over fusilli and garnish with sour cream.

Cook's Notes:

Use a high-quality cream of mushroom soup, don't buy a cheap brand. It makes a difference.

No need to add extra liquid for the condensed soup, this is what the milk is for.

GRAMMA'S OLD FASHIONED CHILI MAC

This is from an anonymous poster on AllRecipes, and begins, "This is an old family recipe that my mom has cooked for 50 years. It's a wonderful, 'stick-to-the-ribs' meal that goes wonderful with warm cornbread or rolls. I find that kids love this when they don't like regular 'spicy' chili. Enjoy!"

Parep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Makes 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/47406/grammas-old-fashioned-chili-mac/.

Ingredients

1 cup elbow macaroni

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1/8 cup brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In a small saucepan, simmer celery and green pepper with water to cover until tender; Drain.

Place ground beef in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook until evenly brown. Add onion, and cook until tender and translucent. Drain excess fat. Add celery and green pepper. Stir in kidney beans, condensed tomato soup, diced tomatoes and brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in macaroni.