Ok, so I tried to make this dish have a nice, descriptive name. I really did! Because would you like to know the other names it goes by? They don’t sound quite as appetizing to me, but maybe you’ll recognize one: creamed beef, shit-on-a-shingle (aka SOS beef), or my family’s favorite- “the meal”. We always knew what Dad was making when he said we were having “the meal” for dinner. The ingredients were simple: ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, cheese, and white rice. That’s it!
Well, as an adult, I realize that though this dish was cheap and easy, it isn’t as nice to my waistline anymore. So, by request and as a tribute to my parents and my early days, I’ve remade it with a lot more vegetables and some more healthy ingredients! And everything can still be made in one pan- awesome! Let’s start cooking!
First, you’ll need to do a little prep work. Start by cooking some brown rice ahead of time. We like to prepare a few cups in the rice cooker early on in the week so that we can use it when needed or as a quick snack! You can also chop up your vegetables: an onion, 2 garlic cloves, and enough mushrooms to fill a cup. If you can’t find cauliflower that’s already been riced (check Trader Joe’s or Walmart!) then run half a head of cauliflower through a food processor or over a cheese grater. Then you’re ready to go!
Start by sauteing the cauliflower rice. This only takes a few minutes, then remove the rice from the pan and set it aside for later.
My version of “the meal” contains a homemade version of the cream of mushroom soup, using Greek yogurt, beef broth, mushrooms and onions. First we’ll start by sauteing the onions and garlic, and then adding the mushrooms and letting everything get nice and brown. This should only take an additional 5 minutes or so.
Then add your ground beef. You want to stir it the entire time, and crumble the meat up as you go. This ensures even cooking and that you’ll have a little beef in every bite!
When the meat is cooked, add in cauliflower rice, brown rice, broth, and peas. I used both types of rice to ensure that it still had the right mouthfeel and to add a nice, complex whole grain to the dish. It helped to round it out, while the cauliflower and peas provides extra nutrients and bulk for very little calories.
Add in the Greek yogurt at the end, and top the contents of the pan with the cheese. By only adding cheese to the top, it makes the dish a little more pleasing to the eye and allows you to use less of it overall! Place it under the broiler to allow the cheese to brown a little bit. I probably should have let mine go for longer, but I was so impatient. I get hungry!
You end up with something like this. So cheesy, so beefy, so YUMMY. I wanted seconds! And it still invoked those warm, fuzzy feelings that only home recipes can do.
Download your printable recipe here!
I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I do! Comments, questions, concerns? Leave them in the comments below or contact directly at me@samanthaelaine.net.
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