Country Vegetable Beef

I made this the other night for the whole fam damily. I questioned one particular step, which you probably will too, when we get to it, but it turned out just fine. This is by no means gourmet (but then, what have I posted so far that is? - Nothing!) but it was good. Good enough to be gone when the meal was over.
So let us begin:

*2 cups water
*2 tablespoons cornstarch
*1 pound ground beef
*4 cups frozen mixed vegetables
*2 packages beef flavored ramen noodles - with seasoning packets

That's it - five ingredients - EASY. So easy my son finished it up for me when my parents stopped over unexpectedly when I was in the middle of it. Anywho, this is how you throw it together:

In a small saucepan, mix water, cornstarch and seasoning packets. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture thickens. (I actually did this part last, thinking that way the mixture would still be hot when I mixed everything together. I don't think I really needed to.)

In a frying pan, brown and drain beef. Add vegetables and cook until tender. This is the part I questioned. There's no liquid for the veggies to cook in. I really wasn't sure about this part. But I worried for nothing. The veggies were fine.
Once the veggies are cooked, add the gravy and stir.
(Next time I make this I will add chopped onion to the beef as I brown it. Onion adds just a little more flavor that we like, though this was good without it.)

Cook noodles in water according to package directions and drain.

Now, you have two options.
Option 1: Serve gravy over warm noodles. (per the original recipe)
Option 2: Mix the noodles with the gravy and serve. (per, well, ME. That's what we did and it was delicious)

According to the recipe this makes 2 - 4 servings. But please, we're talking about 2 packages of noodles, 4 CUPS of veggies, and a pound of burger. It served the 5 of us. It was gone when we were done, but we were also STUFFED.

Beef & Ramen Noodles

This is one that I've done quite a few times, because it's easy and the kids all like it. How can you go wrong with ramen noodles?

Here is the ingredients list:

2 packages beef flavored ramen noodle soup
1 pound ground beef
½ cup onion
1 can (11 1/8 ounces) condensed Italian Tomato Soup (or if you can’t find that – I haven’t yet – use plain tomato soup and add some Italian seasoning)
½ soup can water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
Generous dash of pepper

Once you've gathered every thing together, here's what you do with it all:

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain most of the liquid off & add seasoning packets. Set aside.
Meanwhile, cook beef and onion until beef is browned and onion is done. Spoon off fat.
Stir in soup, water, Worcestershire, mustard and pepper. Stir in reserved noodles. Heat through, stirring occasionally.

Everybody likes this one. Add some green beans on the side, and you have a meal. It is not enough if the hubby is home, but for the 3 kids and me, it's plenty; we had a small bowl full left.