Bubble Up Cheeseburger Casserole

I had been looking for a recipe that all the kids would eat, that was a casserole, and that was relatively inexpensive. Bubble up pizza recipes kept coming up when I was searching the web, and I was intrigued. What do all my kids love, I thought? Cheeseburgers. So, I searched cheeseburger casserole recipes, but most used a tomato base as a sauce with ketchup and mustard involved, and quite frankly, they didn't look that good. My boys all eat their cheeseburgers plain so I knew that the casseroles I was seeing would not work. I never saw a Bubble Up Cheeseburger recipe, but I figured it couldn't be too difficult, so I figured out how I wanted to do it and voila! Here is my recipe complete with notes and reviews from my boys. Since this was the first time I ever made this dish, I expected that it would be a first draft that I would revise before making a final copy. I was very happy with how this casserole turned out.

Bubble Up Cheeseburger Casserole by Shannon

Bubble Up Cheeseburger Casserole

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp dry mustard
2 c milk
4 oz + more cheese (I used 4 oz Velveeta + 1/4 c of low fat shredded cheddar cheese-Taste the sauce and use the type of cheese and amount that makes it taste good to your family, but starting with 4 oz cheese is a good starting point.)
1 # ground beef
1 container refrigerated biscuits
Some cooked bacon if your kids like bacon cheeseburgers

Directions

Cook ground beef till done. Then, drain and rinse.

Heat butter in a saucepan. When melted, add flour and mustard and stir till smooth and bubbly. 

Whisk in milk and heat to boiling stirring regularly.  Boil 1 minute stirring constantly.

Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray while sauce is working. Cut refrigerator biscuits into fourths and place in the bottom of your casserole dish. 

Remove white sauce from heat and stir in cheese, stirring till melted and smooth. Add more than 4 oz cheese according to your tastes.

Add ground beef to cheese sauce and mix.

Pour meat and sauce evenly over the biscuits and then gently stir to make sure biscuits are well coated. Sprinkle with or mix in cooked bacon if using.

Layered biscuits

Ready to go into the oven

Preheat oven to 350. Cook for 20-30 minutes till biscuits are brown and cooked all the way through. About 10 minutes before it is done, sprinkle a handful or two of shredded cheese on top. (My casserole took 30 minutes to cook, but every one's ovens cook differently so adjust as needed. I also covered it up the last 5 minutes of cooking with foil because I didn't want the biscuits to burn.)

Review

The twins both liked it and said the flavor was great. One thought it needed more meat, and one thought it needed less biscuits. Both said they would eat it again. My oldest ate it warmed in the microwave the next day and like it as well. He said "tastes like a cheeseburger." That's exactly what I was going for. He didn't think anything needed to change.

(We collectively agreed that  I should not use as many biscuits or maybe cut them smaller. I used regular Grands Home Style biscuits. I think I'll try  either making my own or  will use Jr. Grands next time. I also think I should use a 9 X 13  casserole dish. Mine was a little smaller than that so my biscuits were closer together than if I had used  the 9 X 13 pan. I made my casserole half cheeseburger/half bacon cheeseburger. I  will be adding a little more bacon next time  as was requested.)

All in all, this was a real hit! Easy on the pocketbook, tasty, and easy to make. I'm giving it 3 1/2 spoons awaiting the final draft. then I think it will go up to four.

McDonald's Egg White Delite Copycat Recipe

What McDonald's wants their
Egg White Delite sandwiches to look like.
 It is actually half this size.

 I rarely eat fast food, but sometimes when I have to, I like to get the McDonald's Egg White Delite sandwich minus the Canadian Bacon.  So I decided to try to make one at home this morning. It worked really well.  It was also super easy.

It fit on the bun perfectly.

My Egg White Delite

McDonald's Egg White Delite Copycat Sandwich

For 1: 

Ingredients

1-2 eggs
1 thin slice cheese
1/8 tsp butter
Non stick spray
Seasonings of your choice
1 whole wheat English Muffin


Directions and Tips

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a ramekin like this with nonstick spray.

Mix 1-2 eggs in the ramekin and add any seasonings you want and 1/8 tsp butter. I scrambled/stirred mine for just a second with a fork.
I used 2 eggs this first time, though I think 1 egg would have been fine for me. I used a little seasoning salt and pepper.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes till set. Time will depend on your oven.  I put the ramekin on a small cookie sheet to make getting it in and out of the oven easy. You can also use a sprayed cupcake tin instead of ramekins.

Remove ramekin from oven and let sit one minute before turning it upside down on top of your English muffin (or HB bun). I used a whole wheat hamburger bun because I didn't have any English muffins, though English muffins would be better, I think.

Top with 1 thin slice cheese. I like to use Boar's head Vermont White Cheddar. It tastes the closest to the cheese on the McDonald's sandwich, I think. Add any other topping you like such as Canadian bacon, bacon, sausage, etc.

Other copycat Egg McMuffin recipes on the web say you can freeze these and thaw them for a quick breakfast treat. I will try one next time I make them just to see if that's true.