Hearty yet Easy Hamburger Recipes for Busy Moms

One of the busiest times for most moms is late afternoon. The kids are returning from school, your husband is coming home from work and you are far from getting everything you wanted to do that day done. You may even be coming home from work yourself. What is everyone asking you for? Dinner.

I work at home and my most productive time is in the afternoon. Dinner always sneaks up on me and by that time I simply don’t want to cook. Although I’d like to be the mom that cuts, chops and sautÃ?©s to produce exotic recipes I’m afraid I’m not. I do however have a set of tried and true recipes I use for those extra busy days when I don’t have time to follow a complicated recipe. These are quick, easy to prepare and always leave my family happy.

Lasagna

1 pound ground beef
1 large jar Prego spaghetti sauce (any variety you wish)
1 16 oz block of mozzarella cheese
1 package (block) yellow or white sharp cheddar cheese
1 small container ricotta cheese
1 box lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil nine lasagna noodles until they are soft and flexible. Brown hamburger in skillet, drain any grease and then add sauce to hamburger and set aside. Slice cheddar cheese into quarter inch strips and slice mozzarella into ten slices.

In large glass or metal cake-sized baking pan first spoon in a thin layer of your meat sauce. Then lay down three noodles side by side across the pan. The next layer will be your cheddar cheese. Lay out the pieces side by side to cover noodles. Then add your next layer of noodles and spread ricotta cheese over the noodles. The remaining layers are sauce, the last three noodles and the rest of your sauce.

Bake this in your oven for 30 minutes. After thirty minutes you should lay your mozzarella cheese across the top of the lasagna. Bake an addiction fifteen minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browning. Let lasagna sit for ten minutes and serve.

You can substitute shredded cheese for your block cheese to save even more time. If you use shredded mozzarella on the top shorten the last segment of cooking time to ten minutes.

This recipe takes a while in the oven but the prep time is short and its easy to throw together!

Tacos

1 taco kit (should include shells, seasoning and sauce)
1 pound ground beef
1 package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 medium tomatoes
1 head of lettuce
1 container of sour cream (optional)

Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain any grease. Add water (per instructions on box) and seasoning to meat and set on low heat until seasoning is no longer watery. Chop lettuce and tomato and put in bowls. Heat shells according to directions and open cheese and sour cream.

This meal can be done in ten minutes and you family can make their own tacos exactly as they like them. If you like your tacos really spicy add some jalapeno peppers to the mix.

Cheeseburger Hoagies

1 package hoagie rolls
1 pound ground beef
onion and garlic powder
cheese (your choice, I use white American cheese)
toppings of your choice (lettuce, tomato, Italian dressing, mayonnaise)

Brown ground beef in skillet. Sprinkle on garlic and/or onion powder to taste and drain of any grease. Turn off heat and spread cheese over meat and cover. The cheese will melt as you prepare rolls and toppings.

Slightly brown hoagie rolls in 250-degree oven (optional) and then add meat and cheese to the roll. Top hoagie as desired.

Pizza Burgers

1 pound ground beef
1 jar pizza sauce
1 package slice pepperoni
1 package pizza cheese
1 package hamburger rolls

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Using ground beef to form thin burgers and fry them in a skillet. Once burgers are thoroughly cooked remove from skillet and place on a cookie sheet. (You can lay down a sheet of tinfoil for easier clean up.) Put a spoonful of sauce on each burger followed by a few slices of pepperoni. Top with cheese and bake until cheese is melted. For added flavor you can add Italian seasoning or chopped up pepperoni to your burgers before frying.

Meaty Nachos

1 pound ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
2 packages shredded cheese (sharp and mozzarella)
1 jar jalapenos
1 bag of tortilla chips
1 container sour cream

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Brown ground beef in skillet and mix in taco seasoning as directed on package. Spread out tortilla chips on baking sheet. Sprinkle seasoned beef over chips and then put both types of cheese over meat and chips.

Heat in oven until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let cool for five to ten minutes. Sprinkle jalapenos over the top and serve with sour cream for dipping.