I can’t think of a better Mueller family recipe to start off this website with. I don’t know if Jackpot Casserole resonates with the rest of the family as it does with Ben, Jon and I, but this is something we ask Mom to make whenever we are home. It’s a family standard. It’s a must. I remember sitting at the dining room table at 918 Penn Ave. eating seconds and thirds of this dish as a tiny 4 year-old; I remember sticking the olives on the ends of my fingers and walking around The Cabin popping them off, one by one; I remember being in the kitchen with Gramma, watching her make Jackpot and getting So.Darn.Excited when it was in the oven and I could see the cheese bubbling over the sides. This is comfort food at it’s ultimate, at it’s finest and is unequivocally Gramma Jo.
Jackpot Casserole
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 can tomato soup
1 1/2 cans water
14 ounces egg noodles
1 can cream style corn
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can olives, sliced
Brown meat with onion and drain fat. Add soup, water and noodles and bring to a boil. Cook until noodles are tender. Stir in corn, half the cheese (or all) and the olives. Top with remaining cheese (optional) and bake in greased casserole at 375 degrees for 35 minutes (or until cheese on top bubbles).
We usually get some baked potatoes in the oven and eat the Jack with baked potatoes, sometimes even using it as an topping for said potato. When Ben moved to Sacramento, the only thing he wanted was a nice casserole dish he could make Jackpot in.
- Angela
