Microwave loco moco

Name: Microwave loco moco
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 oz 85/15 ground beef; 1 pinch salt; 1 pinch black pepper; 1 pinch onion powder; 1 tbsp brown gravy mix; 1 tsp soy sauce; ⅓ cup water; 1 large egg; ½ tsp vegetable oil; 1 cup microwave rice pouches, half an 8.8 oz pouch; 1 green onion, torn into small pieces (optional)

A juicy hamburger patty on rice, smothered in brown gravy and topped with a soft egg, the Hawaiian comfort plate made entirely in the microwave.

20 min total
12 min hands-on
A little more hands-on
Serves 1
About $3.17 a serving
570 calories

Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.

Ingredients

For 1 servings.

4 oz 85/15 ground beef
1 tbsp brown gravy mix
1 large egg
1 cup microwave rice pouches, half an 8.8 oz pouch
1 green onion, torn into small pieces (optional)

From your pantry

1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 pinch onion powder
1 tsp soy sauce
⅓ cup water
½ tsp vegetable oil

Each serving has about 570 calories, 33 g protein, 47 g carbs and 27 g fat, and costs about $3.17 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.

Missing something?

No 85/15 ground beef? 90/10 ground beef works.
No green onions? Chives work.

Steps

Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.

Mix the beef with the salt, pepper and onion powder and press it into a flat patty about 4 inches wide, with a dent in the middle.
Dolly’s tip: The dent stops the patty puffing into a ball as it cooks.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Put the patty on a microwave-safe plate lined with a paper towel, cover it with another paper towel, and microwave 2 minutes.
Timer: 2 min
Flip it with the fork and microwave 1 to 1½ minutes more, until it reads 160°F in the middle.
Timer: 1 min 15 sec
Dolly’s tip: No thermometer? Cut into the middle with the fork. No pink should be left.
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
the gravy mix, soy sauce and water together in a mug, microwave 45 seconds, whisk, then microwave 30 seconds more until thick.
Timer: 45 sec
Dolly’s tip: Start gravy mix in cold water. Stirred into hot water it goes lumpy.
Crack the egg into a mug rubbed with the oil, prick the yolk, cover, and microwave at 50% power for 1 to 1½ minutes, until the white is set and the yolk is still soft.
Timer: 1 min 15 sec
Dolly’s tip: Always prick a yolk before it goes in the microwave. Steam builds inside and an unpricked yolk can pop.
Food safety: Soft yolks are a small risk. If you’re pregnant, or cooking for small children or older people, cook the eggs until the yolks are firm, or use pasteurized eggs.
Heat the rice in its pouch as the package says, usually 90 seconds, and put half in a bowl.
Timer: 1 min 30 sec
Set the patty on the rice, pour the gravy over it, and slide the egg on top.
Dolly’s tip: Break the yolk into the gravy as you eat. That’s the whole point.
Scatter the green onion over and eat it hot.