Canning Day at Grandma’s House

My Grandma Raines and her kitchen have a very special place in my heart… and stomach! I could tell you multiple stories about her cooking and our time spent picking vegetables from the garden.

I could also tell you how loud she hollered every time I let one of Grandpa’s hunting dogs in the house! Clearly not loud enough to prevent me from doing it.

Canning Day Casserole

On days when Grandma would be busy at canning vegetables from her garden, she would make this casserole. She always had celery, corn, onions, and tomatoes. This was an easy casserole to put together and bake while she was working, We’d have it for dinner and probably lunch the next day.

The smell from the vegetables and beef – she said burger – cooking on her stove is something that I miss. It doesn’t smell quite the same in my house for some reason. Maybe it never will – that’s normal, I suppose. Or, it’s because I’m not over a hot stove canning vegetables all day when I make it now!

The memories I have around this casserole are why I gave it the name Canning Day Casserole. I think a lot of families have eaten this or something very similar. Sometimes it’s baked, sometimes it’s a Midwestern version of goulash on the stove top.

Either way, my daughter loves it and I love that there is some distant connection for her to a great-grandma that she didn’t have a chance to know.

For me, that’s what cooking for my family is all about. Sharing the things from my life with them that others are no longer here to share. Food connects us through the generations long after we’re gone.

For other easy hamburger recipes, visit my TASTE column at The Southern Illinoisan.

Canning Day Casserole

Recipe by Niki Davis

Servings

6

-8 Servings

Prep time

0

minutes

Cooking time

0

minutes

Calories

kcal

Total time

45

minutes

My grandma made this casserole frequently and especially on days when she was putting up vegetables for the fall and winter. She never added cheese, but that melty gooey addition makes this all the more delicious. 

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or venison

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 2 stalks celery diced

• 1 can 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes

• 1 can 15 ounces golden sweet corn, drained

• 1 can 15 ounces tomato sauce

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 2 teaspoons oregano parsley, basil, and/ or thyme

• ½ pound elbow macaroni cooked and drained

• 1 cup shredded cheese optional

•  

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Brown the ground beef, onions, and celery in a skillet over medium heat. Be sure to break up the ground beef as you are browning it.
• Stir in the tomatoes, corn, tomato sauce, and seasonings and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Remove the mixture from the heat then add the macaroni and stir until all of the ingredients are well combined.
• Place the macaroni mixture in a 2-quart casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.
• Top with shredded cheese in the last 5 minutes if desired.

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