This recipe is part of my Illusion Recipes series – vintage dishes designed to imitate expensive or hard-to-find foods using everyday ingredients. Known historically as “mock” recipes, these clever creations offered the look and feel of classic favorites without the cost.
Mock Chow Mein is a mid-century casserole using pantry staples. It’s an easy budget-friendly recipe the whole family will love. If you wanted to you could add chicken instead of ground beef, or maybe add mushrooms.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Brown ground beef, celery and onion. Add soy sauce.
- In a large bowl, combine rice, cream of mushroom soup, water and drained bean sprouts.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Loosely cover with foil and continue baking another 30 minutes, until rice is tender.
Notes
This is a classic mid-century “mock” casserole designed to mimic restaurant-style chow mein using pantry staples.
Adapted from a newspaper clipping, c. 1968
More “mock” recipes to try Mock Apple Pie and Mock Filet Mignon
Soy sauce became a common pantry ingredient in mid-century American kitchens, especially in recipes inspired by Chinese-style dishes like chow mein.