My mom used to make a cheeseburger pie when I was growing up and remember thinking it was delicious!! Every time I make something that has a recipe behind it, I always feel like I need to make it my own. So, here is Vanessa’s orginal Bacon Cheeseburger Pie…

1.5 lbs of lean ground beef
3 slices of thick cut bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped small
2 green onions, chopped
Spinach, a good handful, and chopped (or other super green like kale or chard or a little bit of all three!)
2 carrots, chopped small
1 small tomato, sliced
2 Dill pickles, chopped
Tomato paste, 1/2 of small can
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 egg
Splash of milk
Garlic powder, a few dashes
S & P (sea salt and fresh ground pepper are best)
Olive oil
Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Tempura mix, dry (or bisquick as substitute but this is my twist :))

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• Heat a sauté pan on medium and coat the pan with olive oil
• Sauté onion, carrots, and spinach/greens until soft and wilted
• In a bowl, combine ground beef, sauté mixture, green onions, bread crumbs, milk, egg, S & P, garlic powder and tomato paste
• Put ground beef mix in the same sauté pan over medium heat and cook until the meat is almost all brown.
• Transfer meat to a square pan, spread out evenly, and cover lightly with shredded cheese
• Make the tempura mix into a liquid by adding water until there are no lumps and is somewhat runny
• Pour the tempura on top and add more cheese
• Add the slices of tomato and pickles on top
• Bake for about 1/2 hour or until tempura starts to brown
• Let cool for 10 minutes, add bacon on top, cut and serve!