Quick Beef and Salsa Skillet

Great with a green salad with lots of veggies!

Haute cuisine, it is not. Hot and hearty food, it is.

This Quick Beef and Salsa Skillet uses biscuit mix. I am perfectly capable of making biscuits from scratch, but this is a quick and easy way to get dinner on the table in a hurry. We like Mexican-inspired meals. Using Mexican corn and kidney beans was a tasty way to stretch the hamburger. Choose your favorite salsa because it plays a central role in the taste of this dish.

This recipe cooks on top of the stove, which is a bonus during hot summer days. And even with milder temperatures forecast for the rest of this week, it's still nice to use the same pan for browning the hamburger and then putting together the rest of the recipe.

A caveat: Because you are basically steaming the biscuits to cook them, they aren't going to get crusty and brown like they would if you were baking them in a hot oven. So realize that the biscuits are more like dumplings. And, if browning is important to you and yours, you could stick the skillet in the oven for a few minutes. Just make sure the skillet is ovenproof.

Enjoy!

Quick Beef and Salsa Skillet

Serves 6

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 jar (16 oz.) thick and chunky salsa
1 can (15-16 oz.) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Mexican corn, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
2 tsp. chili powder (divided)
1 1/2 cups Reduced Fat Bisquick
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

Cook beef in 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until browned; drain. Stir in salsa, beans, corn, tomato sauce and 1 teaspoon chili powder. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low.

Stir Bisquick, remaining chili powder and milk together until soft dough forms. Drop by 6 spoonfuls onto simmering beef mixture.

Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and cook 8 minutes longer. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook about 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Notes:

• Use a salsa you really enjoy. It can be as hot or as mild as you and your family prefers.
• I ended up with 7 spoonfuls of biscuit batter, but that worked out fine. I was just guessing how big each "dumpling" needed to be and ended up with extra. I don't think it matters that much, other than the recipe is supposed to serve 6. Randy will gladly eat another dumpling, so that's not a problem!