Friends, I apologize for my radio silence these past few days! I was away visiting family in Florida over the weekend, and I confess it’s taken a day or two to get my pantry back in order upon my return. But I’m back in the saddle again now and thrilled to be back in the kitchen! Even after a long (and fun, mind you, but still long) day at work, I can almost always muster the energy to roll up my sleeves and get to cooking. Today was certainly no different!
Tonight I brought out one of my longer-term favorites: Vegetarian beef and hash brown casserole! I first made this recipe several years ago after finding it in Christy Jordan’s Southern Plate Classics magazine special, and it’s been a mainstay ever since. Obviously, we use vegetarian beef instead of the real deal – tonight I used four chopped-up veggie burger patties – and sometimes, like tonight, we make some substitutions based on what we have on hand. I was fresh out of my onion/celery/pepper vegetable blend, so I used dried minced onion and a can of pinto beans instead – and we loved the result!
This dish takes a little time to cook, but the prep work couldn’t be simpler: Just place a layer of frozen shredded hash browns in a lasagna pan, bake for 15 minutes, then top with the beef and veggie mixture, the other layer of hash browns, and a jar of spaghetti sauce, and bake again for 15-20 more minutes. Then top the casserole with some shredded cheese and bake for another 5-10, and you’re ready to eat!
The flavors in this recipe are always so grand; we love how the tang of the sauce plays nicely with the milder flavors of the beef and potatoes. Topped with a little salt and pepper (for LeeLee) and nutritional yeast (for me), it’s a grand marriage of flavors indeed!
And furthermore, this casserole makes enough to feed an army. I’m looking forward to digging in again tomorrow!
:)