Rice a Roni has been around for years. Recently, they added a pasta line and even more recently added Nature’s Way to both the pasta and rice line. Nature’s way is all natural with no preservatives and no artificial flavors. I am a big fan of natural. My friends will tell you that I like foods without the extra junk in it. These packaged items are available for right around a dollar and even less on sale and make great pantry staples. This recipe, like the others on this site can easily be converted to organic if you wish. Combining mushrooms, sauteed ground beef and green beans with this packaged mix makes a complete delicious meal.

1  pound ground beef
1/2  cup chopped onion
1 - 8 oz. package sliced fresh mushrooms, rinsed well
2 - 4.5 oz. packages pasta with mushrooms in cream sauce like Nature’s Way by Pasta Roni
1  additional cup milk
1 - 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
2  cups green beans, frozen works great here
1/4  teaspoon each black pepper and garlic salt

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef with chopped onion. At the point where it is about 1/2 way done, add the mushrooms and allow them to cook with the beef. Drain any extra fat. While the beef is cooking, prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Once it is complete, add additional cup of milk, cream of mushroom soup, green beans, black pepper and garlic salt. Stir into beef and mushrooms. Makes 4-6 Servings. Enjoy!

Draining Fat Tip: When ground beef cooked in a skillet needs to be drained, pouring into a colander can be a hassle,the following method saves time. Remove the skillet from the heat onto a padded surface. Slightly tip the pan, pushing the ground beef, onions and mushrooms to high end allowing the fat to collect on the low end. Blot the liquid grease with a few paper towels and dump in the trash. Resume preparation.