Thursday Recipe - Oriental Casserole

This is one of those oldie-but-goodie recipes out of those old neighborhood cookbooks. The only reason it's called oriental is because soy sauce is the main flavoring. Try it sometime. It's quick and easy and not too expensive.

Oriental Casserole

2 c. rice
4 c. water
1 t. salt
1 T. butter
1 lb ground beef
1 T. soy sauce
1 t. ground ginger
2 16 oz cans green beans, drained
1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
Chow mein noodles or chopped peanuts (optional for garnish)

Put rice, water, salt, and butter in a 2 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until rice is done. (If using brown rice, it usually takes 35-45 minutes to cook.)

Meanwhile, crumble ground beef in a large frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat until meat is cooked through. Drain off excess grease. Stir in soy sauce and ginger. Cook for a minute to let the meat absorb the seasoning. Stir in green beans and water chestnuts. Stir just until hot through. Serve over rice. Garnish with chow mein noodles or chopped peanuts if desired.