Fast Food Casserole

Kids: "Can we have Mcdonald's?"

Dad: "No. We have McDonald's at home."

The McDonald's at home:

All the taste of a fast food combo meal, for a fraction of the price, and cooked faster than waiting through that damned double-lane drive thru at the BurgerClown.

Ingredients

1-1½ lb Lean ground beef (I use 90/10)

1 carton Ragu Double Cheddar Sauce -OR- ½lb cubed Velveeta cheese AND ½c WATER

1 Bag (2lb) frozen French Fries

1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

½c shredded Cheddar Cheese

Black pepper, Seasoned Salt, and Ac'cent seasoning to taste

(Optional) Hamburger toppings like diced onion, chopped Dill pickle, shredded lettuce and diced tomato

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Brown 1-1½ lb GROUND BEEF over medium heat. Drain and season with WORCESTERSHIRE, BLACK PEPPER, and SEASONED SALT.

While meat is cooking, prepare fries according to package instructions for Air Fryer. Or cook them in the oven, but seriously: go buy an Air Fryer (you will not regret it!) This was OreIda Fast Food Fries cooked 15 minutes (shake or turn halfway through) in a preheated 400° air fryer.

Combine cooked seasoned hamburger with either DOUBLE CHEDDAR SAUCE -or- VELVEETA and WATER. Heat over medium heat until sauce is warm or cubed cheese has melted into a sauce. Pour meat/cheese mixture into a nonstick sprayed casserole dish. Top with KETCHUP and MUSTARD, then cooked FRIES and CHEESE.

Bake in oven just long enough to melt shredded cheese.

Serve topped with your favorite burger toppings, chopped into bite size pieces. Great choices include dice onion, chopped Dill pickle, diced tomato, and shredded lettuce.

Tips & Add-ons

-You can make this with cheaper, fattier beef. It'll taste even better with a beef that's only 73% or 80% lean, but draining the fat is a hassle and Mr Chubby doesn't need to get any Chubbier. 😉

-Big Mac casserole: replace the ketchup and Mustard with Thousand Island dressing, minced onion, and diced Dill pickle. Serve with shredded iceberg lettuce on the side.

-Add bacon. Seriously, when's the last time you regretted adding bacon to anything?