Dump and Go Dinners
This one is a perennial favorite around our house! It is truly comfort food in all its glory. Not only is it super easy, but it checks all the boxes. Well, I guess “easy” is one of the boxes! But so are: five ingredients – check; and one pot – check and check. I first heard it as “Magic Pasta” from my dear friend from work, Angela. She also is feeding two growing boys and assured me that this one would “stick to their ribs” – boy was she right! This one does not qualify as fat free (thanks in large part to the entire tub of sour cream!) but it is super yummy and even the pickiest of eaters is sure to love it!
Mommy hack
One of my favorite grocery shopping hacks is to buy in bulk when anything goes on sale. And this is especially true for ground beef. At $4-5/lb it can get ridiculous to buy this particular type of meat that used to be the cheap cut. So when I see the lean variety at the price of the high fat version then I buy as much as I can afford.
I will also pick up a few onions and when I get home I chop up the onions right away and brown the meat and onions. I divide it up by about one or two pounds and freeze separately for multiple dinners. This really saves a lot of time at dinnertime and especially saves money in the long run and allows me to put dinner on the table for very low prices.
The recipe
For Magic pasta, either pull out your ready-to-go freezer bag, or you will have to dirty a second pan. You can always just brown the ground beef while you are also boiling noodles. But otherwise pull out your big pot and boil the noodles. Drain and set aside, then put the ground beef in your big pot. Mix in a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of mushrooms. Throw in a dash of Worcester sauce and some salt and pepper. Mix back in your noodles and a small container of sour cream (8oz). Mix it all and serve! Enjoy!
Recently though I came across a recipe in a crockpot cookbook and it takes this super easy recipe to the next level of easiness! This is where “dump and go” really truly comes into play. Do you ever start your day with the best of intentions to get dinner in the crockpot early so it can cook all day long into super yummy deliciousness…only to forget and remember too late? Yeah, me too!
Well this dinner only cooks 3 hours anyway! So no need to worry about starting it super early, lucky you! The best part is if you forget to fully thaw your ground beef just throw it in anyway and simply increase the cooking time.
Dump and Go
I just wait for the little one to lay down for his nap and then get started with dinner. Throw in your already browned ground beef and onions, throw in a dash of Worcester sauce, and a dash of salt, pepper and of course garlic salt (a favorite around here!). The recipe calls for flour and broth, but you could also just dump in a can of cream of mushroom soup as well as a can of mushrooms. Dump and go.
Literally just what the name calls for – just dump all the ingredients into your slow cooker and set it for 3 hours (longer if you forgot to fully thaw your ground beef). About 30-45 minutes before the timer is done, boil the noodles to al dente and then dump those in along with your container of sour cream. Let this cook for the remainder of the cook time and call the troops to dinner.
I just know your family will love this recipe as much as mine does. If you are feeding a small army of tyrants then this is exactly what the doctor ordered. Give it a try and let me know what they thought. If you pin this recipe for later be sure to come back and post your own picture of your dinner in the comments section of my pin! Print up your copy of my weekly menu planner; add this dinner to the list, and hopefully Magic Pasta will become a regular on your dinner rotation also!
