Horace’s Ranger Casserole

Submitted by: Stephanie Mallicote

On many Friday nights in late 1950s Texas, during football season, mom and her friends would hang out in her backyard after the games. Her dad set up a large table in the yard and served his Ranger Casserole out of a very large stewpot. There were tubs of ice with soft drinks, and a record player. There was lots of music and dancing and laughing.

We don’t know where the recipe originated. Horace was a cook in the navy during WW2, and then had a career in the restaurant business until he retired in the 1980s, so maybe he developed it along the way. Nevertheless, it is a family favorite because not only is it a great crowd pleaser, it is so easy to prepare.

The recipe below is transcribed from Horace’s own handwritten notes.

Ingredients and Instructions

• Preheat Oven to 350F
• In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp Crisco and brown 1 lb ground beef, 1 Cup chopped yellow onion, 1/2 Cup chopped green peppers. Once meat is browned, add in 2 Cups “canned tomatoes including liquid”, 1/2 Cup uncooked rice, 1 tsp chili pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper.
• Bring to boil, then pour everything into a greased casserole and cover with the lid. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes.

(This serves 4 but you can double or quadruple the amount depending on the crowd size.)