Reviewed: Oct. 25, 2009

This recipe has many versions with slight variations. It originated in San Francisco's Joe's Restaurant in the 1930s during the "big band" era. The Bunny Bennington orchestra came in to the restaurant at closing time and the chef whipped this up from what he had on hand. I add a tablespoon of dry Marsella wine while the onions and meat are browning. I beat the eggs together as you would for scrambled eggs and stir into the mix at the end. Just before serving I add pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. Everyone loves it!

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Palmjumper

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Reviewed: Jul. 12, 2009

This is a great recipe, I have made Joe's Special for years but didn't have quite the right combination that I remembered tasting years ago. This one does it, only change I made was to use green onions since I was out of others and added Parmesan cheese. My husband raved about it even though he isn't fond of green onions.

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amcountry

Home Town: Monroe, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 24, 2009

Ok, first of all as a child my dad used to tell us he made this recipe up in the Air Force when he was in charge of cooking which I know now is total bogus (thanks dad). Now, I always loved this dish but it is better made with fresh spinach, saute the mushrooms with some butter seperatly and then you can top with some shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese and season liberally with salt and pepper. Pretty good and pleasing all around with some practice and something that as a kid we all looked forward to and as an adult is still fun to make. Can also be done with sausage for a different taste.

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April D.

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Seattle, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 30, 2009

I tried this tonight. Followed the recipe. Not good. Not bad, but not good. The eggs did nothing for it but my family liked the eggs the best. It seemed to lack a sauce of some sort for the ground beef mixture.

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SarahP

Cooking Level: Beginning

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Reviewed: Mar. 22, 2009

There's an outside chance I did something wrong, but my family and I really just didn't care for this. More than anything, it's just extremely bland--Which we were surprised about given how much onion, mushrooms, and spinach goes into it. The eggs really didn't seem to add anything to it other than filler. I personally found that it got better once I tried adding a little steak sauce, but not enough to make it likely that I'll prepare this again. On the upside, it is extremely filling and makes enough to feed a small army. ...If you can get them to eat it.

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ocp_001

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 14, 2009

Hearty and tasty. Fresh spinach is the only way to go with this dish, however; use 1/2 pound (stems removed,or use the bagged stuff.) It cooks very quickly and gives a far better flavor. I used only half the onion, but added a touch more garlic, as it really complements the beef and spinach.

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Diana

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 15, 2008

Very good, I toasted some bread to go along with it. My boyfriend and I made a meal out of the whole dish, there were no left overs. It was slightly bland though, and I may try some different spices next time.

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PitBoss007

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Clearwater, Florida, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 25, 2008

skipped the mushrooms....good though

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nomadicfour

Home Town: Seattle, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 6, 2008

Delicious! I made this recipe for 2 - my husband and me. I used 1/2 lb ground beef and eyeballed the veggies based on what we had scraps of in the fridge - lots of spinach, 2 big mushrooms, 1/2 an onion and 1/4 green pepper - + 2 cloves of garlic and 2 eggs. I followed the recipe exactly (true, with a small variation in vegetables) until the very end. I may have turned my stove on too high in the beginning because by the time the onion cooked clear I thought the meat was very well-done. When the egg started taking a long time to cook I didn't want the meat to go bad so I ended up scrambling it a bit. Next time I'll turn my eletric stove on 5 from the start rather than 7 (medium high). Still, it was so tasty and easy!

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Qsanti

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Whitefish, Montana, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 22, 2008

wayyyyy too much spinach...

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dhslack

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Severna Park, Maryland, USA

Living In: Arnold, Maryland, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 12, 2008

There was a restaurant here in town many years ago that served this dish & I absolutely loved it so I thought I'd give it a try myself. It is so delicious! I prepared it for 30 people & was quite taken back that almost the entire dish was returned full. It seems the men don't like to eat anything green & the women didn't like mushrooms. What a meal they missed just by not even taking a single bite. This is so very good!

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Carol Sue

Cooking Level: Professional

Home Town: Redmond, Oregon, USA

Living In: The Dalles, Oregon, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 26, 2008

Considering how easy this is, it is delicious! I have 7 children, and none complained about it. This is a definite repeat.

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Mommyof7

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Reviewed: Jun. 11, 2008

Oh yea! This was wonderfully easy and delicious! I followed the recipe really closely - except I added a little butter when cooking the mushrooms 'cuz that's what I do. My family often doesn't see the same thing twice (there's so many things to try!) but this one's definitely a keeper! Next time, I may try adding some butternut squash or red bell peppers or something... 'cuz, again, that's what I do... always embelishing. Thanx for the recipe, JulieP!

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Ann in NC

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Tampa, Florida, USA

Living In: Statesville, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: May 21, 2008

Yummy! I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of this dish. I didn't have any mushrooms and used fresh spinach and it still turned out great. I will try it with the mushrooms next time. My husband loved this and also my two very picky kids.

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