Baked Chop Suey Casserole - A Dish the 50's Housewives Loved

With fall temperatures finally here, it's time to return to my Gramma's recipes.  With two hungry boys and a husband, her food was hearty and substantial.  Living in the North where the temperatures were chilly most of the year, this worked well.  Down here, where temperatures stay mild almost all year, it's not as appetizing to eat heavy.  With the return of fall, my taste for vine-fresh tomatoes and cool cucumbers morphs to want more assertive food.

Thumbing through her cookbook, I came across a recipe for baked chop suey,  which is considered an Americanized adaptation of a Chinese dish, but is actually originally attributed to Guangdong Province in China.  I grew up eating a pressure cooker version of chop suey made with pork, but this recipe used ground beef and reminded me of a spicy tofu recipe with a ground pork sauce.  I promise, no tofu in this recipe! :)

I know this recipe had to have originated 30+ years ago since it called for Minute Rice, which made lives easier for a housewife in a hurry.  I have to say, I don't usually have any in the house, preferring traditional rice, BUT I do keep their brown rice in my pantry since regular brown rice takes forever to cook.  I'm in favor of making recipes healthier anyway, so brown Minute Rice it was!  My other concession to the modern cooking era is using super-lean ground beef (96% lean/4% fat) versus my Gramma's typical ground chuck (80% lean/20% fat).  I would also consider adding in sautéed mushrooms, but stuck to the original recipe's canned.

Cooking it was simple - browned ground beef, onions, and celery (chopped water chestnuts would be a great addition as well!), then added in the 50's homage.  This meant canned products - a can of chopped mushrooms (drained), a can of cream of mushroom soup (I use the lighter version), a can of French onion soup, and a soup can of water.  The "authentic" flavor came from the addition of soy sauce.  Before baking at 350 for 1 hour, I added in the rice.

I covered the dish and it came out soupy, but letting it sit after baking for about 30 minutes allowed the rice to absorb the liquid.  I would probably bake it uncovered next time to solve the problem. The verdict?  It's a hearty meal with the Chinese flavors we all love!  Happy eating!

Chow mein noodles and parsley top a hearty casserole

Baked Chop Suey

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup water chestnuts, diced (optional)
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can French onion soup
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 soup can of water
1 cup Minute Rice brown rice
1/2 package chow mein noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a saucepan over medium heat, saute ground beef, onion, and celery until beef is cooked through and vegetables are softened, about 8 - 10 minutes.  Add in mushrooms and water chestnuts (if using).  Cook 2 - 3 minutes more.  Add in the soups, soy sauce and water.  Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes.  Mix in the rice and pour the mixture into a large casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes to 1 hour until most all of the liquid is absorbed.  Dish out and top with chow mein noodles.