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I'm just learning to cook and am in desperate need of new recipes using hamburger. The simpler, the better until I get the hang of the kitchen. Thank you!

The food network is a great place to get easy recipes ...
What kind of recipes do you already know firsttimer?... what kind of flavors do you like spicey, mellow..
If you like spicey I posted the super nachos on here that is easy to do ..

I know how to make hamburgers and a couple casseroles, but I we're getting sick of those, ha ha! We're pretty mellow, but I love mexican. He's a farmer, so it's pretty much meat and potatoes for him. Thanks to anyone!

Let me check some out for you OK
Rita

oops haha

That's GREAT! Thanks!

I know it can be tough when you first start out!
Good luck with everything and I do hope you found the site useful.. I use it all the time!!
you can cook it is sooo easy! Just don't put too much pressure on yourself!..HAHA you can eat hamburger for a hole year and never use the same recipes hahaa

For meat loaf, the back of Lipton Onion Soup mix has a good recipe for that.

My kids and hubby also love fried potatoes and hamburger. I cube and fry up the potatoes with onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and caraway seed. Cook those on medium until they are soft and starting to get brown on the outside. Then in a separate pan, fry up the hamburger with the same additions. Mix it all up and serve. Very filling.

For Mexican, you can make very easy beef enchiladas. Fry up the hamburger with salt and pepper. Put that in a bowl and add in chopped onions, cheese (I use cheddar and montery), and sour cream to make the mix moist. Then you would lightly fry corn tortillas, just to get them moist but not cooked crispy. Let those cool a bit. Then you put it all together.

Dip the corn tortillas in enchilada sauce, I prefer green, but for hamburger enchiladas, you may wanna use red. Place a glob of the mix and roll it into the shell and place in a baking dish. Continue until your mix is used up. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas, sprinkle some cheese and sliced olives on top. Bake at 3:50 for about a half an hour, until the top is nice and bubbly.

I usually serve this with spanish rice. Easy way to do that is to substitute some of the water you would use to make the rice with a can of diced tomatoes. I use the ones that come spiced already with garlic and chili. Cook according to the rice package directions.

On the enchilada recipe, it works just as well with chicken or pork instead of hamburger.

Good luck!

pm me, and i will give you a web site to go check out, it is amazing, there is everything there!!!

i've got a TERRIFIC and EASY caserole recipe for ground beef. it has spinach, mushrooms and onion in it too. the recipe calls for mozzarella cheese on the top too.

if you're interested/like spinach post on here and when i get home, i'll pull the recipe and post it.

We're both spinach fans!

Hi firsttimer
Try the website cooks.com. I love it and have gained many new recipes from them.

beef florentine casserole

1 lb lean ground beef, 1 medium onion chopped, 1/4 lb fresh mushrooms sliced, 1 garlic clove minced, 1 tsp dried oregano leaves, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, 1 cup beef broth, 1 cup sour cream, 1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach (cooked & drained), 4 oz. sliced mozzarella.

1) brown the meat, onions, mushrooms, garlic and oregano in the olive oil - use a heavy pan over medium to med/high heat. once the meat and vegy's are browned, add in salt & pepper and then stir in the flour.

2) reduce heat to medium-med/low and add the beef broth. cook (uncovered) until thickened (about 15 minutes.

3) heat off. stir in sour cream and the cooked/drained spinach.

4) evenly spread the meat mixture in a 1 1/2 quart casserole and put the cheese on top - criss cross the pieces so it looks nice. bake (uncovered) at 350 for about 20 minutes - until the cheese is melted and just starting to brown up a bit.

goes well with a nice french bread or garlic bread.

as above this will serve 4. for 2 servings, just half all ingredients. for 8 servings double all except the broth - then only use 1 2/3 cups.

you can make it ahead and put it in the fridge - just cook it for about 40 minutes so that it is heated through.

you can also make it up and freeze it (for no longer than 3 weeks). then you need to cook it at 300 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours - just put it right in the oven from the freezer.

i usually make it and cook it right away and then cut it up in portions and freeze them - reheats terrifically in the microwave!! (great for lunch at work) let it cool down before cutting into portions - it firms up when cold so it's easier to cut and then transfer to containers to freeze in.

if i make a double batch i use a larger casserole dish and just keep an eye on it when cooking because the larger casserole is not as deep. i also will drain the meat too if i'm doing double - i don't usually bother when it's only one pound. i get the 90% or 95% lean stuff, so it's not too greasy when it's only one pound.

i've used ground lamb instead of beef (or a mix of the two) and that's good too. or ground pork. for the vegan's tofu would probably work also.

you can use monterey jack instead of the mozzarella. i think the mozzarella tastes better with the other ingredients tho.

oh, and i get the block of moz - it comes in an 8 ounce size so i usually make a double batch to use the whole block up.

i usually use a boullion cube for the broth - so i don't add in the salt that the recipe calls for. and i just defrost the spinach in the microwave while the mixture is cooking down. make sure you squeeze out all the liquid tho, before adding the spinach to the meat mixture.

Firsttimer,
Some time ago I bought the "One Million Recipes" disc from Walmart from the suggestion of a friend. It sells for just over $10 after tax and was located around the appliance section in the store. With over 1,000,000 recipes you can't help but learn new things.

If you can't find it in a store near you, I'm sure you can find it on the web.

Lastly, I am not affiliated with this product, just passing on some info.

Congrats firsttimer on being a newlywed!
I love cooks.com as well. They have TONS of great recipes. You can also go to Kraftfoods.com. For quick and easy I always keep canned tomatoes and black olives in the cupboard. Brownm your HB meat and add ( to taste) onion, garlic, oregano, 1 can tomatoes, and about half of a can of olives- sliced, and some chopped spinach. Let this simmer and serve over noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes. My hubby and my 6 year old both love it.

Laura’s Hamburgers

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
4 garlic cloves (crushed)
parsley
chives - optional
black pepper
basil- optional
oregano - optional
1/2 c. salsa - (optional)
1 or 2 eggs (optional)
bread crumbs - also optional

Chop up parsley, chives, basil, oregano if using fresh. If using dried just use about 1-2 Tablespoons of each. Mix with hands until all ingredients are mixed in. the consistency you are looking for is thick enough to shape a burger. Make burgers or meatloaf.

let me know how they turn out! I am working on my cookbook and I want to know if this is an easy recipe to follow. Good Luck!

I just brown up a pound of hamburger and boil up assorted pasta shapes, *wheels, elbows, rotini,
etc... and cook the pasta for 8~10 minutes or really depending on the kind/variety of pasta cause each cooks differently..*

Then when the pasta is done cooking, drain it,
when the hamburger is cooked, I drain if nessessary, but I usually use 95% lean hamburger..

Then put the hamburger in the noodles, and put in a can *or two* of HUNTS TOMATO SAUCE, sprinkle with garlic powder, and fine ground black pepper, and stir....

I make this for my boys who don't like it too spicey, but you can add the spices you like...

And it's veryyyyyyyyy quick and easyyyyyy..
I make it for the boys when my husband and I have taco's cause they don't like the spicey taco's....

I love that there this many people willing to help! Thank you all so much! I tried BBQ chicken last night on the grill-- and lost half of it down the grates! I will NOT give up, though!

Chicken on the grill is my mosttttt favoritest thing in the whole wide world,
I could eat chicken on the grill 8 days a week~~~

We marinate them in these, and change off...
#1. Chivetta's
#2. Krafts Hot BBQ Sauce and Hickory Smoke BBQ Sauce, mixed
*I like it spicey*
#3. Butter and salt
#4. Wishbone Robusto Italian Dressing
#5. Butter w/ Lemon pepper Seasonings
#6. Dipped in Hot Sauce and butter mix *Franks' Red Hot Sauce*
#7. A rub of taco sauce on the chix and sprinkled taco seasonings,
lightly grilled, **The taco seasonings' burn slightly, so grill low and slow**

And we love to soak chicken WINGS in the Chivetta's sauce,
(we keep them frozen, and right into the Chivetta's for soaking) then grill...
Yum
*for those who eat them, I don't, I only do the boneless/skinless breast of chicken.*

I do frozen chicken breasts in BBQ sauce in the oven,
*the container covered with tinfoil for spatters..*

Here is a side note for those that grill.

For better tasting food use lump charcoal instead of the typical briquettes. Lump charcoal is pure charred wood and weighs about a third as much as the briquettes. It burns hotter and cleaner and produces little ash. (use a third the amount for the same heat) Briquettes are made with ground up charred wood, sawdust, binders, and other additives. :p

I start my charcoal using a charcoal chimney and a piece of newspaper. I don't use lighter fluid so I never have to worry about making that mistake of cooking to soon and eating food that taste like it was marinated in lighter fluid. :p :p

In addition to finding lump charcoal and a charcoal chimney at a specialty store, Lowes (in this region at least) carries them. They carry a brand of charcoal called "Cowboy Charcoal" which comes in a brown bag.


Piece of newspaper.........................$.15
Boneless chicken breast.................$3.15/pound
Lump charcoal..................................$5
Charcoal starter..............................$10

Better tasting food and compliments from the family....Priceless




(locally known as "The Grill Meister")

so true!!

i agree, the real charcoal makes a BIG difference in the taste of what you're cooking!!

and the mesquite things are good for certain meats and vegys, too.

How do I get the chicken to not stick to the grill? That was such a mess!

Make sure the grill is good and hot..Don't turn it right away after putting them on...let 'em cook a bit.....
I turn mine in 4~5 minute increments....

Or you can turn the burner on, heat it up and scrape the grill down..*burns off all the stuff left over from the last grillin'* and spray it with some PAM like stuff..

But for me, times' always behind, and I have to let it warm up first, so I heat it up, and scrape and then add the stuff..

I am going to have to make something on the grill with allll this chattin' about grillin' stuff..
Yummmmmmy, my mouth is watering!!!

I burn off the grill real well and spray it with the cooking spray.. you can also try putting olive oil right on the chicken before grilling it ... You can also layer the bbq sauce .. don't clump it on it works for me...

Nice tips Mator!!