My daughter loves looking at cookbooks – just like her mom…  So, this year at the school book fair, when I asked her what she was interested in, she pointed to these three paperback cookbooks for kids.  I winced.  I am a cookbook snob.  I admit it.  It was the Taste of Home, Good Food Kids Love cookbook.  Ugh.

The other week, she asked when we could make something out of one of the cookbooks – so I told her to pick something out, and we would have it for dinner.  What did she choose?  Bacon Cheeseburger Rice…with pickles on top.  Boy this was going to be interesting.

I was very skeptical, but it was actually pretty good – and the best part was the pickles on top.  The combination of the BBQ rice, ground beef, pickles and the crunchy bits of bacon – yum.  Really, if it has bacon in it, can it be bad?  It was delicious – and she ate it because she picked out the recipe.  So – maybe these books aren’t that bad…although I should probably just quit while I am ahead.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1-3/4 cups water
• 2/3 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups uncooked instant rice
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped dill pickles
• 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Preparation

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the beef until no longer pink; drain. Add water, barbecue sauce, mustard, onion and pepper. Bring to a boil; stir in the rice. Sprinkle with cheese. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with pickles and bacon.

Serves 4-6

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Bacon Cheeseburger Rice