VAL'S HAMBURGER HELPER BEEF SAUSAGE-HASHBROWN CASSEROLE Recipe; Castle Rock-WA

Val's Hamburger Helper Beef Sausage-Hashbrown Casserole

Before remarrying, I used to grab a hot morning hashbrowns-bacon casserole bowl from the Baker's Corner Deli - it was a delicious treat I helped myself too every morning before my miles long hikes. But those days have ended: no more than 1 mile hikes, now … and Holland avoids the Baker's Corner store like the plague. So; times change, but taste bud delights still linger, hence tonight's supper fare 🍽️

I saw this boxed HH Breakfast Sausage-Hashbrowns Casserole  & on the grocery shelf the other day; and it came home with me:

HH Breakfast Sausage-Hashbrowns boxed skillet meal.

Tonight, I am adding more ingredients to the meal deal 👩‍🍳‍🥘 than the simple basics it requires - to rekindle some of the tasty delight my tongue remembers from long ago mornings:

Beef Sausage: I saw this recipe in a Sunset Magazine which I had subscribed to many years ago, & have been making this spicy recipe for decades - every Fall season 🍁, as an alternative to pork sausage. I like the Fall Spice scent of it & need the richer vitamin content of iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 which are important for red blood cell production, immune function, and neurological health; and though the bulky cooked product & the beefy taste is not as smooth as pork sausage - I like it … tonight, I will see if Holland likes it, also 😉

Beef Sausage mixture - I added shredded apple to it, tonight; the apple needed to be used, & apple goes well with the spices used.

Mushroom Blend Powder: This is something new; I have been looking high & low for dried mushrooms, but have not been able to find them anymore, anywhere. So, when I spotted this powdered form about a months ago while grocery shopping, I grabbed it and brought it home - considering it a blessed answer to prayer 🙏🍄

Incorporating mushrooms into your meals offers a wide range of benefits: they are nutrient-rich, support immunity, heart and brain health, provide antioxidants, help with anti-inflammatory proprieties, aid in weight management, and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Both culinary and medicinal mushrooms can be included safely in meals - making them a versatile and health-promoting food choice.

Using mushroom powder will darken your meal presentation - so, if this seems unappealing to you, choose another way to incorporate mushroom benefits into your dishes.

Beef Gelatin Powder: This is something new, but I thought I'd try it. Reportedly, it is rich in amino acids such as glycine, proline, glutamine, hydroxyproline, and arginine, which play roles in collagen production, joint support, skin elasticity, and gut lining repair. Glycine, in particular, may improve sleep quality and support overall metabolic health. It sounds great, used regularly … we shall see.

NOTE: Make the beef sausage mixture a couple hours before cooking this meal.

Val's Hamburger Helper Beef Sausage-Hashbrown Casserole  ~serves 4

1 Med-size Mixing Bowl * 1 Lrg. Skillet w-lid * 1 Lrg. Egg Turner-Spatula * Cheese Grater * Garlic Press * Manual-Pull Food Chopper * Apple Corer * 1 Lrg. Pyrex Measuring Cup * Measuring Cups & Spoons * Whisk * Lrg. Cooking Spoon * Paper Towels * 3 ct. Supper Plates & Silverware

Hashbrown Casserole Ingredients: 1 box dry ingredient HH Breakfast Hashbrowns w-Black pepper Gravy Seasoning * 1-lb. cooked Ground Beef Sausage (recipe follows) * 2 c. Water * 1 sm. Red Onion, sliced * 1 Garlic clove, pressed * 1 c. combined Green Bell-Red Bell-Yellow Bell pepper, chopped * 2 TBSP. Margarine * 1 TBSP. Beef Gelatin Powder * 1 tsp. Beef Bouillon * 2 TBSP. Vitality Blend Mushrooms, powder * 1 c. Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Onion, sliced & Garlic, pressed.

Combined Bell Peppers, chopped.

Beef Gelatin, Mushroom Blend, & Bouillon; blended.

Beef Sausage Ingredients: 1-lb. Ground Beef * 1/2 Yellow Onion, diced finely * 1 sm. Honey Sweet Apple, shredded * 1/4 c. Water, chilled * 1-1/2 tsp. Sea Salt * 1/2 tsp. Marjoram, powder * 1/2 tsp. Allspice, powder * 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg, powder * 1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper, powder

Core the apple & shred with the onion; set aside.

Place apple & onion in manual-pull chopper. Pull cord until apple & onion bits are finely diced.

Combine beef, onion, apple, water, & spices in mixing bowl - with hands, mix together until all ingredients are thoroughly blended.

Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate for several hours (or overnight) to allow spices to flavor the meat satisfactorily. Use as you would pork sausage.

Cooking Instructions: Gather ingredients.

1) Place beef sausage in skillet; cook meat mixture over medium-high heat until cooked through; breaking it up & stirring it to brown evenly, as it cooks. When cooked, transfer meat to a paper towel lined supper plate, to wick off grease.

2) In same skillet, sauté onion & garlic; then whisk the spices & sauce pkt. with the water & pour into the skillet - adding the boxed dry hashbrowns mix, Bell pepper blend, & the cooked beef sausage. With cooking spoon, stir to blend thoroughly. Heat to boiling.

3) Once boiling point is reached, reduce heat to medium.

Spread mixture evenly across skillet bottom & cook for 10 minutes - or until water is absorbed & the hashbrowns bottoms begin to turn golden brown.

4) In sections, turn hashbrowns mixture over … spreading evenly & with back of spatula, press sections firmly down: increase heat to medium-high & cook another 4-5 minutes, until section bottoms are golden brown.

5) Spread cheese over mixture; place lid over skillet to aid in cheese melt.

6) Remove from heat & serve.