Mock Chow Mein

A quick, low-cost alternative for those busy nights when it’s tempting to grab take-out...

Mock Chow Mein
Serves 6, cook time approximately 20 minutes


1 lb chow Mein meat (or other ground meat such as hamburger, turkey or pork)
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1½ cups chopped celery
½ cup sliced almonds or cashews
3 cups white rice (quick-cooking or regular, I use regular - enough to serve 6)
Crunchy chow Mein noodles
Soy Sauce

Prepare white rice as indicated on package. While rice is cooking, do the following:
Brown meat in fry pan on high heat, chopping into small pieces as it cooks. Drain off excess fat. When browned, add chopped celery to the pan, stirring constantly, for only 3 minutes or so – just enough to heat through (celery should still be crunchy). Add both cream soups and 1 soup can full of water. Mix well until thoroughly heated through. Remove from heat and sprinkle almonds or cashews on top. Serve over rice with crunchy chow Mein noodles, add soy sauce to taste.

Feel free to switch the cream soups with whatever you have on hand. If you use ground turkey, cream of chicken soup will work well, too. If you have celery haters in your house, substitute canned water chestnuts for crunch.

Low fat hint: When browning meat, I usually do not put any oil in the pan first. If there’s not enough fat in the meat to keep it from sticking (and I usually try to buy the extra lean, when possible), add a small amount of water or broth to the pan.