Chinese, Really?

I am really not sure why this is called a Chinese casserole. Yes, it has soy sauce, but is that the only criteria?

The casserole doesn’t taste bad. It is very much a MidWest meat and potatoes kind of dish. Okay, I know, it doesn’t have potatoes, but you know what I mean right?

The celery doesn’t really cook, so it remains nice and crisp. The peas don’t get too mushy, probably because I added them only partially thawed. I think if they were completely thawed they would have turned mushy.

The mushroom soup does mix well with the onion, milk and soy sauce to provide a nice gravy.

The end result is a creamy meat sauce. The flavoring is good. You could add a little more soy sauce if you wanted. My daughter did this, but then again she loves soy sauce. . .

The potato chips were an interesting addition. They provided some crunch that was a little different than the traditional bread crumb casserole topping. They also gave the dish a hit of salt.

Overall a good dish. Definitely a great weeknight dinner - it went together very quickly.

CHINESE HAMBURGER CASSEROLE

1 Pound Hamburger

2 Cups Diagonally Sliced Celery

1 Package Thawed Peas

3/4 Cup Chopped Onion

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 Tablespoons Milk

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

Paprika

1 Cup Crushed Potato Chips

Brown hamburger and place in the bottom of a casserole. Top with celery and then peas. Make a sauce by mixing onion, mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce and pepper. Pour over mixture in casserole. Sprinkle with paprika and then crushed chips. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.