Name: Poor Man's Husband Casserole
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey, or even that half-package of breakfast sausage that’s been sitting in your fridge); 1 onion, diced (yellow, white, red, whatever you’ve got); 2-3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder if fresh is a luxury this week); 1 can cream of mushroom soup (cream of chicken or cream of whatever was on sale works too); 1 cup milk (any kind – even that almost-expired stuff in the back of your fridge); 2 cups uncooked egg noodles (or elbow macaroni, rotini, or that random half bag of pasta); 1 can corn, drained (or frozen corn, or canned green beans, or whatever veggie you need to use up); 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar is great, but seriously, use whatever you have); 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional, but adds nice depth); 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or whatever herbs you have hanging around); Salt and pepper to taste; Optional add-ins: half an old bell pepper, those few mushrooms that need to be used, a splash of hot sauce, whatever!

Description

This is one of those magical “everything but the kitchen sink” recipes that somehow turns basic pantry staples into something amazing. It’s what I throw together when payday is still two days away but my husband is giving me those “I’m hungry” eyes. It’s hearty, filling, adaptable to whatever you’ve got on hand, and somehow always turns out delicious. The best part? It costs just pennies per serving but tastes like a million bucks. My grandmother used to make something similar during tough times, and it’s become our family’s favorite comfort food when the budget is tight.

Ingredients

Scale

1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey, or even that half-package of breakfast sausage that’s been sitting in your fridge)
1 onion, diced (yellow, white, red, whatever you’ve got)
2–3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder if fresh is a luxury this week)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (cream of chicken or cream of whatever was on sale works too)
1 cup milk (any kind – even that almost-expired stuff in the back of your fridge)
2 cups uncooked egg noodles (or elbow macaroni, rotini, or that random half bag of pasta)
1 can corn, drained (or frozen corn, or canned green beans, or whatever veggie you need to use up)
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar is great, but seriously, use whatever you have)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional, but adds nice depth)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or whatever herbs you have hanging around)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional add-ins: half an old bell pepper, those few mushrooms that need to be used, a splash of hot sauce, whatever!