Tonight I cooked a Mexican Casserole online with Frida and Ciana in Frisco, Dallas Texas and me here in Sollentuna Sweden. For them it is Labour Day Weekend. So we made a special casserole we named ”Three Way Mexican Casserole.” It can be eaten as a breakfast casserole in the Holidays or a main course for dinner. For me I will have many lunches and dinners to look forward to.
This casserole is healthy with lots of vegetables, lentils and beans and Mexican spicing that will suit every Taco and Chili Lover. I used ground beef and chorizo sausage in mine and Frida and Ciana had Chicken. It could be made totally vegetarian and taste great. The great thing with casserole is you decide what you put in.
Serves 4 o 6
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for the baking dish
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 12 ounces ground chorizo or Italian sausage, cubed
- 2 potatoes, cubed
- 2 carrots, cubed
- 1/2 cup grean peas
- ½ cup cauliflower, chopped
- 1/2 white or yellow onion, diced
- 1 red onion, diced
- A stalk spring onion chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 200 g green lentils, drained and rinsed and preboil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2-3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
Directions:
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350℉. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with oil and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the cubed sausage and stir. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat and the sausage to a plate, then drain any fat from the skillet.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, and heat until shimmering. Add the onion, pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cubed potatoes and carrots and saute for a couple minutes. Pre-boil the lentils for 10 minutes. Return the beef to the pan and stir in the lentils and the rest of the vegetables. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and let it cool down a bit. Mix the milk and the egg and stir it in the pot. You don´t want the egg to cook so make sure the casserole has cooled down. Add 3/4 cup of the cheese. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer.
Cover with foil; bake for 45 minutes. Uncover; add remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Bj's Live Kitchen 