Beef Chow Mein Casserole

From the kitchen of Ruth Herrmann

1 lb ground beef
1/2 yellow or white onion (chopped)
1 cup celery (chopped)
1 can water chestnuts (chopped)
1 cup rice, uncooked
1 cup chow mein noodles
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can chicken & rice soup or chicken & stars with rice
3 - 4 cups water (if using Minute Rice, use only 3 cups)
1/3 cup soy sauce

Brown hamburger and drain. Saute onion and celery in a small amount of butter or oil. Mix all ingredients together in a greased 9 x 13 pan, add the water last.

Bake at 350d for 1.5 hours, add more noodles on the top for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Add salt and pepper for seasoning if you choose, and enjoy!

Side notes: You can easily substitue other ingredients in this recipe, such as using cooked wild rice, or different 'cream of' soups. If you don't have the 'chicken and rice' soup in your pantry, you can use some chicken stock and add a little more rice to the dish. If you want your kids (or hubby!!) to have some more veggies, add some to the casserole.

This dish may seem to be done after an hour in the oven, but baking the entire time is recommended as the flavors blend completely.