Husband's Delight Casserole is one of these fun recipes that bears an Amish name. In Amish culture, the husband is still generally (there are exceptions) the breadwinner, with the wife playing a supporting role. So when you find a recipe like "Husband's Delight," well, that is something the wife is fixing because her husband likes it. This is a very simple, hearty recipe of hamburgers and noodles, a very, very typical Amish "pile meal." Enjoy!
💒 Husbands and Wives in Amish Culture
The family dynamics of an Amish family are very similar to those of wider American culture from the 1950s and earlier. Here are some rules that wives often fill in the an Amish home:
- caring for the children
- sewing/mending
- cooking/baking
- helping with homework
- paying bills
- Gardening
Here are some men's roles:
- barn chores (milking, taking care of horses)
- garden tilling
- repairs
- main source of earnings
Of course, this list is not by any means set in stone. A lot of husbands do helping with cooking, especially when it comes to grilling. But I've seen husbands helping along in the kitchen making cupcakes or doughnuts too. And women helping with horseshoeing, so roles do vary.
🍲 What is Husband's Delight Casserole?
You want an easy answer? Well, there is no easy answer. But traditionally Amish men have been laborers have some sort, for instance, farmers in the field or cabinet makers or harness shop owners. These are all occupations that require a high caloric intake. And a recipe like Husband's Delight Casserole does deliver the calories.
This recipe does call for Velveeta cheese, a highly processed "melting cheese" that has become popular among some Amish. Processed convenience foods - canned soups, melting cheeses, crackers - have become embraced by some Amish. That's not necessarily a good thing for a healthy diet, but it does help load up calories which is the goal of Husband's Delight.
🍜 More Amish Cheesy and Noodle-Filled Recipes
📋 Step-By-Step Husband's Delight Casserole
Husband's Delight calls for noodles. This is one area of the recipe where most Amish cooks wouldn't skimp, they'd use their own homemade noodles.
Most Amish cooks would have a supply of homemade beef on hand, but use whatever you have. And, yes, you could use ground turkey instead, ground ham, ground chicken, venison, or a blend of whatever meat you choose.
My parents made this and they skipped the Velveeta cheese in favor of shredded Cheddar. That's fine. It works. It's probably a healthier option. It won't give you quiet the gooey, melty texture of Velveeta, but you can use any kind of shredded cheese instead.
This is the noodles after the sour cream and cream cheese and hamburger are all added.
Spread over the tomato sauce and cheese of your choice and bake.
This pairs well with any vegetable or some fresh fruit on the side. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. This will also freeze.
🖨️ Full Recipe
Amish Husband's Delight Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound hamburger, browned
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 8 ounces noodles, cooked
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup Velveeta or cheese of your choice
Instructions
- Cook the noodles until tender.
- In a big skillet, brown the hamburger and drain.
- In a 10 X 13 glass baking dish or a deep roaster, dump noodles and hamburger and stir.
- Add sour cream and cream cheese.
- Stir the mixture.
- Spread tomato sauce over everything and top with cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 45 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.
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