Cowboy Casserole

This is one of my oldest recipes and one I put together long ago.  Although, I've seen very similar recipes in cookbooks and online.  This recipe is the mother ship and I've added to it and taken away through the years, according to what I had in the pantry.

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 large can baked beans or two smaller cans pork & beans
2 teaspoons worchestershire sauce (more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons onion powder (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (ditto)
salt and pepper (to taste)
3 or 4 tablespoons ketchup (to taste if necessary, mainly if you use pork & beans)

Note:  I have started using about a teaspoon of smoked paprika in this regularly, too.

Brown the ground beef, drain grease if necessary (mainly when using cheap ground beef), add onions and continue sauteing until onion is softened. Add baked beans or pork & beans, worcestershire sauce, and seasonings.  Saute another few minutes and add ketchup if you need it.  This is primarily to sweeten it if you haven't used a can of baked beans (which are already seasoned)

Then take a potato masher and mash the mixture a bit, which is only necessary if you have a son who hates beans like I do.  He likes mashed beans... go figure.

Sometimes I pop the skillet in the oven for about 15 min. at 350.  Sometimes I pour the mixture into a casserole dish and bake about 15 min. at 350.  Depends on if I want to dish it up from a casserole dish at the table or not.  You can even eat it as is without baking if you so desire.

Variations over the years:

• ground turkey instead of ground beef
• chopped green peppers added at the same time as the onions
• one can of pork & beans and one can of tomato bisque soup... when that was what the pantry offered
• one can of pork & beans and one can of cream of tomato soup... (ditto)
• one can of chilis added when I felt wild and crazy
• a sprinkling of Tony Chachere's creole seasoning (ditto)
• a couple handfuls of cheddar or co-jack cheese sprinkled on top of mixture
• I'm sure there were others I have forgotten along the way

We like it made with a large can of baked beans the very best.
This can easily be doubled and tripled... the amounts mention serves 3-4 with no leftovers whatsoever.

Picture added the next time I think of it...  ;)