Bacon and Cheeseburger Skillet Dinner

This is one of those delicious kinds of meals that you need to have up your sleeve when you have a house full of people, but don't want to spend hours slaving over a hot stove.

   

It's also a real family pleaser. My children always loved this and I confess to having a certain fondness for it myself. 

 I also have been known to cook this for a few missionaries in my time. It always goes down a real treat.

   

 They get lots of roast dinners during the week . . . everyone tries to feed them fab meals . . . 

Once in a while I like to treat them to a meal that would be similar to something that they would get at home, and cooked by their mums. This is comfort food, pure and simple, and something that keeps them coming back for seconds!

   

 Something homey, comforting and filling, and incredibly tasty. Pasta combined with browned minced beef, garlic and herbs, onions, bacon, herbs and oodles of rich and gooey cheese. 

 It has all of the elements of a bacon cheeseburger but without the bun. All you need on the side is a delicious tossed salad and some crusty rolls. 

 Really . . . this is VERY good . . . and quick . . . and easy . . . a real family pleaser. Another tasty treat from my Big Blue Binder. (It does make rather a lot, so if you want you can place half of the meal into a casserole dish, seal well, and freeze one for another time!)

    

Bacon and Cheeseburger Skillet Dinner

Yield: 8

Author: Marie Rayner

This is one of those great family style dishes that not only tastes delicious, but is also quick, easy and feeds a crowd. You can cut the quantities in half if you like, but I'd also like to add that it freezes very well and so it's one of those things you can have in the freezer, ready to whip out at a moment's notice!

Ingredients

• 16 ounces uncooked pasta (I find shapes work well like fusilli or shells, rotini or something like that) (1 pound)
• 1 kg of extra lean minced beef (2.2 pounds)
• 16 ounces streaky bacon (1 pound)
• 1 onion, peeled and minced
• 2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tins of tomato soup
• 1/2 cup tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp mixed herbs (freeze dried basil, freeze dried oregano, parsley, marjoram)
• 8 ounces extra strong cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups I confess I probably do use more, but start at 2 cups and add as you wish)

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove with and set aside to drain.
2. Add the minced beef, onions and garlic to the drippings. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the beef is lightly browned and the vegetables are soft. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the herbs.
3. Crumble in the cooked bacon. Add the ketchup and tomato soup. Bring to the boil, then simmer while you cook the pasta.
4. Cook the pasta in lightly salted water according to the package directions until tender. Once tender, drain well and then stir into the beef mixture.
5. Add 3/4 of the cheddar cheese and stir it in to melt, then sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on top and allow to melt. Serve right from the pan with lots of crusty bread and a tasty salad on the side.

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