So sorry for the sporadic blogging these days! Between some travels and just a crazy life, it just keeps getting pushed. You know? But today I'm giving you yet another post from my friend, Anita! She's been so wonderful to put together a lot of their family favorites to share with you guys!
I’m a huge fan of one-pot meals, because my kids get to eat everything all in one dish (it’s hard to pick things out when it’s all mixed together!) and there’s less clean up involved (dishwashers are hard to come by over here). So when I stumbled upon this recipe, I couldn’t resist making it since you cook everything all in one pot including the noodles! And you can just serve it straight from the pot as well. I’m talking my kind of low maintenance meal. I’ve also adapted this recipe make it Asia-friendly if you, like me, live in a place where good beef is hard to come by at an affordable price. I only use 1/3 the amount of beef that the original recipe calls for and I substitute the other 2/3 with pork which is a fraction of the cost of beef, and I add beef bouillon and steak seasonings to make it taste more beef-y. I also use fresh tomatoes in place of canned tomatoes and water and chicken bouillon in place of canned chicken broth. I hope your family enjoys this dish as much as ours does!
One Pot Cheeseburger Casserole
(Adapted from No. 2 Pencil)
½ pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 teaspoons beef bouillon
Montreal steak seasoning (see substitute below) or salt and pepper to taste
½ of a large onion, diced (I use purple)
½ bell pepper, diced (red or green)
1 large clove garlic, minced
28 oz (about 800g) tomatoes, roughly 4 decent sized fresh tomatoes, diced
1 6-oz can tomato paste + ¼ cup water
4 cups water + 4 tsp chicken bouillon (or 4 cups chicken stock)
¼ cup ketchup
2 teaspoons dijon mustard (or mustard of your preference)
1 pound short pasta, we like to use fusilli or penne
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (can substitute some with mozzarella)
Freshly diced tomato
Green onions
Pickles
Shredded lettuce
Cook ground beef and pork together in a large pot until no longer pink; drain excess grease and return to pot. Add onion and bell pepper, season with beef bouillon and a generous sprinkling of steak seasoning or salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent and bell pepper is tender. Add garlic and cook one minute longer. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and ¼ cup water, 4 cups water and chicken bouillon, ketchup, mustard, and pasta to the pot and bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat, cover and let simmer until pasta is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Once pasta is cooked, remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle additional cup of shredded cheese on top and re-cover pot with lid until cheese is melted.
Add your choice of traditional cheeseburger toppings according to your preference (Our family likes fresh diced tomatoes and green onions but you could also add pickles and shredded lettuce).
Optional: We also like to stir in 1 cup corn, about 1 ½ cups black beans, and a sprinkle of cumin and/or other Mexican spices to give it a tex-mex flavor.
Serves about 6 to 8 people.
Montreal steak seasoning substitute:
2-4 tablespoons salt (coarse/kosher)
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried onion or onion powder
½ tablespoon garlic powder
½ tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ tablespoon dried thyme
½ tablespoon dried rosemary
½ tablespoon dried coriander
½ tablespoon paprika
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