POWS (as in those POW! blocks in Super Mario Bros., not P-O-Ws)
It’s a weird name. I don’t know where it came from, but these pows were a favorite of mine when I was a kid and I still like them today. I especially like how easy they are to prepare. With the ingredients listed below, each serving comes out to just under $5.00, but keep an eye out for sales, many of these ingredients freeze well and you’ll be able spread your budget even further.
You’ll just need to pick up a few items at your nearby grocery store. These ingredients will make four servings, with some leftover for your next meal.
POWs:
1 Pound Package of 85/15 Ground Beef // $4.99
6 Slices of Cooked Bacon // $4.99 per pound
1 Can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup // $.99
4 Hamburger Buns (most come in 8 count packages) // $1.99 per 8 pack
8 oz Velveeta // $2.99
‘Chips’ on the side:
1 pound bag of carrot chips // $1.99
2 large apples // $2.00
Ok, let’s add this up! 4.99 + 4.99 + .99 + 1.99 + 2.99 + 1.99 + 2.00 = $19.94. There are 4 servings here, so $19.94 / 4 = $4.99 PER SERVING! + leftover buns, bacon, and velveeta 🙂
So, how do you combine these ingredients to make the aforementioned, weirdly-named, yet strangely-tasty pows?
Cook up the meat!
- First, cook up the bacon. You’ll need 6 slices, crispy is best.
- Feel free to snack on the extra bacon while you’re cooking, mmm!
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet, drain the grease.
- Crumble the bacon and add to the ground beef.
- Add the tomato soup to the pan (just the condensed soup, no added water or milk)
- Stir it all together.
Start your ovens!
- Turn your oven on broil.
- Lay out 8 bun halves on a baking sheet.
- Top with the ground beef, bacon, and tomato soup mixture.
- Cut the Velveeta into small cubes and add 3-4 cubes on top of each.
Brown & toast them up!
- Put the baking sheet of open-faced pows in the oven for a couple minutes, checking frequently so the Velveeta is a nice golden brown and the buns toast up.
- Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
- Serve with carrot chips and thinly sliced apples (‘chips’).
POW!
