A Family Recipe…

Have you ever whipped out an old family recipe… one that you’ve loved, cherished, and eaten your whole life, just to have others say “WHAT are you making?!” Well, this little dish comes from my Aunt Nez and then my Mama and is just the right amount of healthy ingredients (spinach) mixed with that good ol’ Midwest love of casseroles! It even keeps the hubby happy since he needs to eat rice at least once a week… it’s the Filipino in him. Anywho… we eat this dish often and as interesting as it sounds… TRUST ME ya’ll when I say that it’ll be a new favorite and a crowd pleaser too!

Here’s what you need…

Spinach Fandango                                                 A Ford Family Recipe

20oz frozen spinach (thawed and wrung out)
A bag of shredded mozzarella
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup
1 pint of mushrooms (finely chopped and of course, for hubby they’re cooked separately)
1 lb ground beef
A few cups of rice (depending on how many you’re feeding)
S & P
A good palmful of oregano (a little less if you’re using ground)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Start by getting that spinach ready. I used to boil a frozen brick of it, and then drain it in a colander… then I realized that microwaving it, putting it in some Viva paper towels or cheesecloth and giving it a good squeeze was a WHOLE lot faster. So either way, get as much water out as possible!

You should also get your rice cooking in your rice cooker! According to Bri it’s the ONLY way to properly cook rice… but my Mama did it on the stove top growing up and it tasted JUST fine! (Don’t tell the hubby I said that though!)

Next, grab a big skillet and get your beef browned and crumbled. If you have a mushroom eater in the house, throw them in with the ground beef (if not, throw ‘em in a small pan and cook over medium heat until tender.) Add some S&P to taste and a nice big palmful of ground or dried oregano. Let the meat cook for another 3 minutes. Then add the sour cream and soup and get it bubbling. Drop in your spinach and give it a good stir to evenly distribute.

Grab your casserole dish and pour the beef/spinach mixture into the bottom. Now take that bag of shredded mozzeralla and sprinkle it all over the top. YES… the WHOLE bag. My Mama never skimped on the cheese, and I don’t plan to start now!

Then pop it in the oven while your rice finishes getting’ all nice and fluffy. It’ll take about 20 minutes or until the cheese gets all brown and bubbly!

In order to fully enjoy this dish, put a big helping of rice on your plate, followed by a generous portion of Spinach Fandango, and EAT UP ya’ll!