The Betty Crocker Project : Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

I can remember being a little eater and reading recipes on the side of products and cans of vegetables for pretty random things like Cornflake-Covered Pork Chops and Cheezy Corn Wiener Roast made from those mysterious "Cheese Food" substances that never made their way to our kitchen. I never grew up in a home where my mother would allow us to eat food that she said "wasn't really food". So I would read these recipes as if they were a sneak peak into what was on dinner tables all over America being served by Non-Italian mothers that didn't think Ragu tasted like catsup. . . which it does. . . but that's a tangent for another day.

So one of the more exciting parts of this project ( for me anyways - I suspect Dan is being a really good sport ) was making some of the more random, creative and oh so very American - Brand Suggesting - Cross Promotional Concoctions. . . such as this true classic : THE IMPOSSIBLY EASY CHEESEBURGER PIE!

Now - Anyone who has ever been to our house to eat or watch a movie  - whatever - knows I like to research things. I like going into really anything with a little bit of a heads up of what to expect. Surprises are for people who aren't prepared. So I looked into this so called "Cheeseburger Pie". . . and guess what? This is a REAL THING. I found little old ladies sharing their recipes via websites I'm pretty sure their grandkids made and several recipes designed for bachelors and Southern Food Enthusiast with raving reviews from folks filled with cherished childhood memories of making this dish from a recipe on a Bisquick or Velveeta box. AH-HA! I KNEW IT!

It was surprisingly easy to Veganize this recipe and I have to admit it was also pretty good. I would wholeheartedly suggest giving it a try. It would be a great thing to bring to a potluck or BBQ - especially one with meatier guests.

• 4 Vegan Boca Patties 
• 1 Large Red Onion ( chopped )
• 1/2 Teaspoon Braggs
• 6 Slices of Tofutti American Cheese Slices
• 1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
• 1/2 Cup Original Bisquick
• 1 Cup Soy Milk 
• 2 Eggs worth of Ener-G Egg Replacer
• Olive Oil for cooking
• A Few Dashes of Liquid Smoke
• Margarine for greasing the glass pie plate

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.
Grease a  9 inch glass pie plate with Margarine - You can also use a cooking spray.

Heat the Olive Oil and Liquid Smoke in a cast iron skillet - add Boca Burgers and Red Onions. Brown the Burgers and Onions. Once the Burgers start to get a to soft - chop them up into bite size clumps with your metal spatula. Stir in Braggs. Cook until the Onion is translucent and Burger clumps have crispy edges ( be sure and scrap up any Burger that is sticking to the skillet - those are the best parts ).

Spread in pie plate. Slice up 4 Tofutti Cheese Slices and sprinkle on Boca Burger pieces.

In a small bowl, stir in the remaining ingredients with a wire whisk until blended.Sprinkle the Nutritional yeast over the Burger pieces and Cheese and then pour the Bisquick mix into pie plate - over Burger pieces and Cheese.

Slice up the remaining 2 Tofutti Cheese Slices and Sprinkle of the top.

Bake about 25 minutes or until you can poke the center with a toothpick and have it come out clean. 

I ate mine with a side of dill pickles. Dan ate his with mustard and catsup. It is a Cheeseburger after all and I have to admit  - it was everything I always knew it would be!