Monday, June 30, 2014

cheeseburger casserole

I don't know about you, but the first time I heard about this dish was when I was watching some American cooking show on the Food Network. My first thought was, HUH?? And my second thought was, WHY??

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.
Casseroles are great when you have fussy kids (or adults) to feed, and this casserole, which tastes somewhat like a deconstructed (for lack of a better word) cheeseburger will be a hit with kids.

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.
Into this I added diced red peppers (or any vegetables you like) and cooked until the vegetables were tender.
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.

To use this linky tool, please make sure that:
(1) Your post is posted in June 2014.
(2) Please mention Cook like a Star in your post and link back to us at Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe, Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Joyce from Kitchen Flavours.

For more details, please see this.

I am submitting this recipe for Cook-Your-Books hosted by Kitchen Flavours.

8 comments:

  1. Hi Diana,
    One pot dish is great, especially when we are busy! And this looks really delicious!
    Yup, I have a few favourites in my list now, thanks to The Deens!
    It has been fun co-hosting with you, thanks for being a great partner! :)

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    1. Thank you for guiding me Joyce! I have loads to learn from you and Zoe :)

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  2. I love cheeseburger casserole! My boys love it too!! Such a great meal for families!

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    1. Hi Sydney thanks for leaving a comment! This is for sure a super kids friendly dish :)

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  3. Hi Diana,

    You did a survey to see what your readers want? Like your intention! You are very well thought. This one-pot meal sure look good!

    It has been a great experience cooking with you and Joyce for CLAS. You are a "cooking machine"!!!! Everything that you cooks look so delicious and well-executed! Wow! Wow! Wow!

    Zoe

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  4. Hi, Diana, your cheeseburger in casserole is definitely easy to be consume by kids!
    Thanks for hosting the Cook like a Star event, I am so sorry that I am unable to cook like a star yet thus I can only see other bloggers cook like a star.
    Anyway, thanks for your continuous support in the LTU event!

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    1. Hi Jozelyn, you are one fine cook/baker!! It's been fun linking up with LTU this June! :)

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