Food In The Fort

Somewhere, perhaps deep in a mountain lair or maybe hidden away in an abandoned missile silo, there are scientists who speculate that should Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup disappear from store shelves tomorrow it will herald the end of civilization as we know it. Oh, I didn’t say they were the sort of scientists you’d want running the Large Hadron Collider or even tinkering underneath the hood of your Ford. I’m sure they exist though simply because no matter how ridiculous a proposition someone makes, you can always find somebody who will support it. Witness Scientology.

Whether you believe that Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup was the foundation of modern civilization, you have to admit that it’s pretty handy to have around. How else do you explain almost 80,000 recipes using it on Google? Today I have an un-recipe for a yummy pasta sauce taking advantage of that mushroomy miracle in a can.

It’s an un-recipe because I’m a little light on the measurements. The truth is, I wanted pasta with a meat sauce for dinner and I didn’t have any tomato sauce in the cupboard. So I just made this up on the spot with what I had lying about. My suggestion to you is just that… take this un-recipe and any measurements as only a suggestion of what you might want to do. Everybody’s tastes are different and who knows what you have in your pantry. Besides, it’s not like I wrote anything down. I was hungry!

This should make enough to take care of 16 oz. of dry pasta, cooked. Medium size shells are my favorite, but I think it’d be good with rigatoni or any hearty pasta that will hold the sauce.

Cheesy Beefy Pasta Sauce
Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. ground red pepper
• 8 oz. beef stock (I used beef bouillon cubes)
• 1 (8 oz.) can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1-2 cup shredded cheese (I used a Mexican cheese blend, but cheddar is always good)

Preparation

1. Brown ground beef in a large skillet on high heat
2. While beef is cooking, add seasonings and stir
3. Depending on how fatty the ground beef you used was, you may wish to drain it at this point
4. Add beef stock and Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup
5. Stir until soup is completely dissolved into the beef stock
6. Continue to heat on high 4-5 minutes, stirring occassionally
7. Add shredded cheese and stir until melted completely
8. Continue to heat a minute or two more
9. Glop over pasta and enjoy the bountiful goodness that is Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.

If I had had them, I would also have added a can or two of mushrooms (drained) and maybe a cup of peas or maybe a little broccoli. Your mileage may vary so, of course, let us know in comments how this worked out for you, what you did differently, or suggest some of your very own favorite un-recipes.

About the author:  Leo is a technologist and writer living in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is a transplant to the Mid West from Central New York and was promised cheaper gas and better winters. He feels somewhat lied to in this respect but otherwise finds the people pleasant. Read more from this author