Patchwork Casserole

In the fall and winter, I love making casseroles.  I love being able to do a little bit of quick prep and then ignore the dish for an hour while it finishes.  A bonus is that the house gets nice and toasty and it smells great!

I admit that the main reason I tried this recipe was because I wanted to cut shapes out of cheese.  Silly I know, but it was fun. J  The dish itself was quite good.  The addition of the cheese in the middle adds a little extra interest.

The recipe you see below is actually half of the original.  This was perfect for a small family, with about 4 servings.  The original recipe serves 8-10.  I also exchanged the green pepper called for in the recipe for a sweeter red bell pepper.

Patchwork Casserole

1 lb ground beef

1 small red bell pepper (about 1 cup), chopped

½ cup onion, chopped

1 pound southern style hash browns, thawed

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

½ cup water

3 oz tomato paste

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp dried basil

¼ tsp black pepper

½ lb (about 8 slices) American cheese singles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place beef and onion into a large skillet; cook until beef is browned.  Drain off fat.  Add red pepper and cook until tender.

Stir in hash browns, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and spices.

Spoon half of the meat mixture into a 2 quart baking dish. Top with half (about 4 slices) of the cheese.  Top with the remaining meat mixture.  Cover and bake for 45 minutes.

Cut remaining cheese into fun shapes. Place on top of casserole.  Let stand for 5 minutes, until cheese melts.

Recipe Adapted from America’s Favorites: Casseroles & One-Dish Meals

Enjoy!

Amy