can swap the cream of mushroom soup for cream of chicken or cream of celery if they shy away from mushroom pieces; just keep the same amount of milk and onion soup mix so the texture and flavor stay similar.

If you’d like to stretch the meat a bit further, mix in 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs and 1 beaten egg with the ground beef and onion soup mix—this gives a more meatloaf-style patty and can yield an extra serving or two. For a milder onion flavor, use only half the packet of onion soup mix and add a pinch of salt and pepper instead.

To sneak in some veggies, scatter thinly sliced mushrooms or onions in the bottom of the glass baking dish before adding the patties, or tuck a few frozen green beans or peas around the edges; they’ll cook right in the sauce. If you