This is one of my favorite recipes from Christy over at Southern Plate! At first blush, beef and hash-brown casserole may not seem to be the most vegetarian-friendly dish, but it’s so easy to veggie-ize nearly anything these days, and this is no different. Who WOULDN’T love a blend of veggie burger crumbles, shredded hash-brown potatoes, pasta sauce, onions, and (vegan, tonight) cheese? It fits the bill any time!
The casserole isn’t exactly a quick-fix meal, but it is a surefire multitask recipe. With very few steps, it’s easy to set and forget, freeing up time to, say, do a load of laundry (check) or clean the kitchen from a rush-out-the-door morning (check) or dust the living room (OK, maybe not). Add the potatoes, bake; add the crumbles, onion, sauce, potatoes, bake; add the cheese, bake. And you’re done! It can’t get much easier than that. Or much tastier, either!
Tonight, on the side, I sautéed up a mix of frozen vegetables – peas, corn, green beans, and carrots. I added some chipotle seasoning from Rosetta Farms and, for an extra-special surprise, several strips of veggie bacon, which I cut into little squares. I sautéed everything at medium-high heat for the last 20 minutes of the casserole’s cook time, and everything came out hot, crispy and well-seasoned!
I confess we each enjoyed two hearty servings of casserole, plus the entire pan of veggies! And since the casserole recipe makes a full lasagna pan’s worth, we’ll have plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week. Not a bad deal when you get right down to it!
:)