That was a while back, and I am happy to say that I have since broadened my mind, and admit that hey, actually, this is not at all a bad idea for a dish.
Recently, I did a small survey to see what recipes my reader (ahem, that's you) want to see in my blog and quite a few asked for one pot dishes. Well, your wish is my command, so today, for my final post in Cook Like a Star - Paula Deen and the Deen Brothers, I present to you the know-how on how to cook this easy-peasy casserole.
The first thing I did was to brown the minced beef in a heated Dutch oven with some olive oil. Just be patient and let the beef brown, stirring ever so often. Once the beef was brown, I added the diced onions and cooked a further 2 minutes.
I added Worcestershire [wors-ter-sher] sauce, dried oregano, salt and pepper.
Gosh I love the smell of Worcestershire sauce!
Then I added the chopped tomato.
And stirred to combine. Let this simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Finally, simply add the cooked pasta (I always take 2-3 minutes off the recommended cooking time).
And mixed.
If you are feeling lazy, you can serve this, topped with some Parmesan cheese.
If you want something a bit more fancy, then dish this into a casserole dish (or individual dishes) that has been sprayed with oil, top with Cheddar and some black pepper, and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the tops have turned golden brown, and the sauce is bubbling.
Which is how we like our casseroles.
It has been a great month cooking and baking with the Deens.
I have added some great dishes to my repertoire.
Thanks, Paula!
RECIPE
Cheeseburger Casserole (Serves 6)
Adapted from Paula Deen
Ingredients:
1 lb. (450g) ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped - I used a red pepper
1 (28-oz.) can chopped tomatoes, with juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces (226g) wide egg noodles - I used shaped pasta
Cooking spray
2 cups (200g) grated sharp cheddar cheese
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176.6°C). In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat, stirring to break up the lumps, until all of the pink is gone from the meat. Get an adult to help you drain off the fat. Add the onion and the green pepper, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, with juice, and the Worcestershire sauce, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low. Simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes.
2. Fill medium pot half full of water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring the water to a boil. Stir in the noodles and boil for about 8 minutes, until tender. Get an adult to help you drain the noodles, Return the noodles to the pot. Pour the tomato mixture over the noodles and stir until blended.
3. Put the noodle mixture into a baking dish that you have sprayed with cooking spray. Top with cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Enjoy it has a family meal, then refrigerate the leftovers.
This post is linked to Cook like a Star, Paula Deen and the Deen Brothers organised by me the Domestic Goddess Wannabe, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.
Want to cook or bake like Paula Deen or the Deen Brothers? To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from their websites or cookbooks and link with us at this (Joyce's), this (Zoe's) or this (Diana's), post for the whole of June 2014.
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I am submitting this recipe for Cook-Your-Books hosted by Kitchen Flavours.