A simple Texas Supper
This isn’t fancy food. It’s useful food.
I started making this when my oldest son was about eight or ten years old. He’s 43 now, which tells you two things:
- This recipe has been around a while
- It worked well enough to keep coming back
I’ve always called it Beans and Meat. I’m sure some version of it has been made a thousand different ways by a thousand different people, but this is how it showed up in our house.
Ingredients
- ½ lb ground beef
- 1 can Ranch Style beans
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- Optional: 1 (8 oz) can mushroom pieces
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ tablespoon dried chopped onion
- Black pepper, to taste
How to make it
Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until fully cooked. Drain off the grease.
Add the garlic salt, dried onion, and pepper. Stir it around a bit so the seasoning wakes up.
Add the tomato sauce, Ranch Style beans, and mushrooms if you’re using them. Lower the heat and warm everything gently until it’s hot all the way through. No rush. This isn’t a dish that needs babysitting.
That’s it.
How to serve it
This is where people usually make it their own.
Top with:
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- A dollop of sour cream
- Hot sauce, if that’s your thing
On the side:
- Crackers
- Cornbread
Cornbread really does bring it all together.
This was weeknight food. After-school food. “We’ve got ground beef and a couple of cans” food. It fed growing kids and didn’t require a long explanation.
Those are usually the recipes worth keeping.
