Cheeseburger Loaf

After two weeks of a whiny children ridden, mad-woman rushed, behind-numbing, wallet-breaking fun-filled Disney Vacation (plus a little family trip for a wedding), we are back and I'm so ready to get back in the swing of things! After looking, I see that my post stating that I wouldn't be posting for two weeks did NOT show...grrr...so I'm sorry for anyone that looked and was confused. Also, being fairly new, I didn't feel comfortable asking for guest posters for that long.

To kick things off I have a "new" recipe for you! This one we have used as a go-to recipe for years and the entire family loves it. It's very filling, time and cost-efficient (after a Disney trip, I'm all about that), and most importantly--delicious! I adapted this recipe from a Taste of Home magazine about 5 years ago. You can find the original recipe here. What I like about this recipe is that it is easily adaptable to suit your tastes and there are so many different things you can do with it.

Here's my version of The Cheeseburger Loaf:

1 1/2 lb ground meat of your choice (I'm using 82% ground beef in this one, but ground turkey is great in it)
1/2 can of condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup your favorite BBQ sauce
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
Salt and Pepper to suit your tastes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tsp sugar
1 loaf of French bread (l lb) (unsliced)
Approximately 5 slices of your favorite cheese (using American here)

First, begin browning the meat and while it's going, work on chopping/mincing the green peppers and onions.  I, of course, do all the mincing by hand ;)

Some people like to add their veggies at different times, but I prefer once the meat is cooked about halfway through so that some of the fat has cooked off of it. By the time the meat is browned, the veggies are tender. 

Drain the fat and return meat and veggies to pan.

Add garlic powder,salt and pepper, sugar, tomato soup, and barbecue sauce.

On medium heat, bring the mixture to the point where it just starts to bubble up.

Allow to slowly simmer (low heat) for approximately 15 minutes. Sauce will bubble slightly and be thick.

While the mixture is simmering, turn your attention to the French bread. Using a bread knife, cut off the top third of the loaf.

Set the top aside and using a spoon, carefully scoop out the inside of the bottom side, leaving approximately 1/2 inch for the shell and creating a tunnel. (My family likes to snack on the scoopings as it cooks! Saving for breadcrumbs is also a good idea.)

Slather the top side with butter and place both pieces on a baking sheet. Fill the tunnel with the simmered mixture.

Top with slices of cheese.

Using the broil setting, place the loaf in the oven. Watch carefully and pull once the cheese is melted. It only takes a few minutes, so don't walk away!

Once it's done, place the top back on the loaf and slice in 1-2 inch sections and....

ENJOY!!

Sharing with: