Three Quick and Easy Hamburger Skillet Recipes

Have you ever dragged yourself to the kitchen after a long day at work to make dinner and found nothing in your fridge except an uninspiring brick of hamburger meat? Do not make a run for your closest fast food restaurant! Armed with a few basic ingredients and the following recipes, you can serve up a quick and tasty dinner in no time.

Beefy Cheesy Hamburger Skillet
With this recipe, timing is everything: do it right, and you'll end up with a delicious meal in 20 minutes or less.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef or your preferred choice of ground hamburger
8 oz. box macaroni noodles
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
Sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. But don't walk away from your kitchen while you wait! While your water is heating up, dice your onion finely and chop your clove of garlic up tiny. Or use garlic and onion powder instead if you have hungry kids to feed, and speed is of the essence. Add to a deep skillet (a 9-inch skillet works best) with your hamburger, and cook until hamburger is brown.

At this point, your water should be at a good, rolling boil. Add your macaroni noodles. Don't cook according to package directions, though! Mine always turn out mushy when I do that. I set my timer for six minutes (instead of the eight to ten that are recommended), and then grab a noodle with a slotted spoon, run it under cold water to cool it quickly, and then test for that perfect al dente doneness. If it's a little too chewy, I cook for another minute and repeat the test.

Supposedly you can also test pasta by throwing a piece at a wall or ceiling. If it sticks, it's done. I don't recommend this, though, because in my experience, it's easy to forget about the pasta stuck to your wall and when you take it off a year or two later, paint comes with it.

Anyway, once you've added your noodles to the boiling water, add one can of tomato sauce, and then your salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin. Taste. Not spicy enough? Add more chili powder, or a dash of cayenne. Work in small amounts until you've got a good flavor going on.

Test your noodles. If they're done, drain the water and add them to your meat sauce mixture and stir. Scoop it up into bowls, top with a bit of shredded sharp cheddar and a dab of sour cream, and you're good to go!

Knock-off Beef Stroganoff
I make my beef stroganoff mushroom-less (husband doesn't like them), but feel free to load your version down with all the mushroomy goodness you like.

Ingredients:
1 lb. hamburger
1 small onion
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cold water
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
Rice or egg noodles

Cook up some rice or egg noodles, according to what your family likes best. Mine prefer No-Yolk egg noodles because they cook quickly and don't get mushy. We don't like mushy noodles.

While your rice or noodles are cooking, slice your onion thinly and cook in a 9-inch skillet over medium heat with hamburger until hamburger is browned and done. In a plastic dish with a tight-fitting lid, combine your sour cream, water, flour, bouillon granules, pepper and ground mustard. Shake, shake, shake, until completely mixed. And yes, it's crucial to sing K.C. and the Sunshine Band and shake your boo-tay while you do this. I promise it will drive your kids nuts.

Pour mixture over cooked hamburger and onion. Simmer over low heat until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Taste and add salt or pepper as needed. The bouillon usually eliminates the need for additional salt, though. Serve over hot rice or steamy, buttery noodles.

Quick Skillet Beef and Veggie Stew
I love this recipe. It's like a beef stew, but way quicker. Hence the name.

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
1 8 oz. jar beef gravy
3 medium potatoes
1 small can green beans
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
Pepper to taste

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Peel and cut three medium-sized Russets into bite size pieces, or if you don't mind potato skins and want to save time, cut up five or six small redskin potatoes, leaving the skins on. Cook around 20 minutes, or until you can pierce them easily with a fork. Or cut one in half and taste it (like I usually do), but don't burn your tongue (like I usually do).

While your potatoes are cooking, brown hamburger over medium heat in a -- you guessed it -- 9-inch skillet. Add beef gravy, ketchup, Worchestershire sauce, and pepper. Mix together until completely blended. Add green beans. Cover this mixture and let it simmer over low heat until the potatoes are done, and then throw those in, too. Mix carefully so you don't squish your vegetables. Taste and add more of something if you need to.

Serve in a bowl with a slice of bread and butter on the side, and make your family do your dishes afterward since you "slaved" over stew on a weeknight.