How the Crusty Beef, Cheese & Noodle Casserole Became Mundane
It’s midweek and everyone in my classes looks tired. I extrapolate unscientifically to read that everyone needs a story and a heartening recipe. This one’s from Elisa.
My Mother, having been raised a good Methodist, is quite fond of casseroles. (It is not for nothing that they are often referred to as the “Methodish” church.)
As you can imagine, I had quite a few different casseroles for dinner as a child. (This would have been in the 1980s-1990s, back when we lived in Sacramento, California.) Sometimes these casseroles had names and arrived on the table exactly as written down in the cook book. Sometimes they were “Dianne’s Special Surprise” and sometimes the names were changed to suit her opinion of the dish. One such occasion arrived in the guise of “Crusty Beef, Cheese & Noodle Casserole,” or so my recipe card says. It turned out
that this particular casserole was a huge success at the dinner table. We wanted it again, we told her. I wanted it for my birthday dinner. My sister became a vegetarian and wanted a meatless version. My father wondered if it might be made with ground turkey instead. Yes, it was just that adaptable.Now, Mum would change the name of the casserole to suit the version she was making that evening. It was “Turkey Cheesy Noodle Casserole.” It became “Cheesy Noodle Casserole.” But, no matter how many times she served it, we wanted more. Not my Mum. She was tired of this casserole we had become so enamored of, and declared it to be “quite mundane.” Not to be deterred, we asked her if she would please make us some Mundane for dinner.
She gave in.
By the way, my recipe card also notes that this casserole is best served with green salad and garlic bread. So, don’t forget the bread in the oven the next time that you are serving Mundane.
Crusty Beef, Cheese & Noodle Casserole (word for word from the recipe card)
2 Tab. veg. oil
1 onion, Chopped
2 lbs ground meat
4 cans (10 1/4 oz. each) meatless mushroom spagetti
sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. fine noodles, cooked & drained
1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated & shredded
- Heat oil, add onion & cook until golden
- Add meat & cook until meat loses its color,
stirring. Add spagetti sauce, heat.
- Arrange in casserole half of noodles, half of sauce
& half of cheese.
- make another layer of noodles; add sauce, & top with
cheese. (I just alternate layers until I run out of
room or supplies ending with cheese.)
- Bake in preheated moderate oven (325º F) for 1 hour
or until top is nicely browned.
makes 8 to 10 generous servings
Serve with:
Green salad
Garlic bread
————
Written longhand by my mother on a lined card. I believe that it was included in the recipes gathered for me as a wedding gift. (Wedding date - 6/29/02) -Elisa
food history, family history, Mundane casserole, recipe
May 16th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
While my parents were visiting my house the week before Easter, my father confided in me that he wanted to have…MUNDANE. I thought Fabulous Idea! Why didn’t I think of that when mom asked me what I wanted?!? Then, Dad mentioned that Mom said no. “WHAT, WHAT, WHAT?!?” I spuddered. Dad said she thought the cassarole..one of the simplest & most prized family meals was inappropriate for Easter.
When my father and brother were attempting to leave after an evening of visiting and my mother was engaged in a deep conversation with my husband, I tip-toed up to her and whispered that I would like MUNDANE for our Easter meal. She stopped dead in her tracks, swiveled from my husband and with narrowed eyes said…”you’ve been talking to your father, haven’t you.” I looked very innocent and stated “Dearest mother, your offspring and lifemate request the honor of MUNDANE as Easter dinner. You work hard preparing holiday meals for us but, we are simple folk and MUNDANE would make us happy while allowing you to spend less time slaving in the kitchen. Could it be such a horrible request?”
Yes…we had MUNDANE for Easter. Lord be praised! And it was good.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:37 am
Well, Mom has promised not to kill me for telling the world about our love of Mundane. And now, some of my friends want me to make it. It looks like I need to get the ingredients together…
May 17th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
I’m so glad you won’t die for revealing secret recipes, Elisa. Elisa’s sister, thank you for dropping in - your family all sound delightful. And yes, i’m going to have to make Mundane myself.
May 26th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
I will be making this for me and my roommate before long. Sounds great! How come we never had Mundane when I came to visit way back when? I feel left out.
May 27th, 2007 at 2:48 am
I feel left out too, and I only know Elisa online ;). I think it’s because Mundane is such a *friendly* recipe.
December 13th, 2007 at 3:12 am
[...] default answer to “What would you like to eat?” for years now. But Butternut Squash and Mundane are up there with Egg and Chips. I adore Egg and Chips. Oh, and Chicken Tikka [...]