Category Archives: Casseroles

Casseroles, Kitchen Diary

CREAMY BACON PASTA

12 Comments

This dish would have to be our no 2 daughters favourite meal. Creamy pasta with bacon, onions, mushrooms and cheese, and guess what, it is so easy.

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I am a bit addicted to sourdough pasta at the moment and I find it quick and easy to make.

To make the pasta go here, otherwise you can use any store bought or home made pasta.

For the sauce here are the ingredients:

  • onion
  • bacon
  • mushrooms
  • cream/milk or evaporated milk
  • grated cheese
  • salt and pepper

You can make this mixture as large or small as you like.  If I am making this for our family of 5 I would only use 1 onion, a hand full of mushrooms and about 250 grams bacon.

All you need to do is fry up the chopped up onion, bacon and mushrooms until cooked, add salt and pepper to taste.  Add milk or cream, and stir until hot, add cheese and melt.

Mix pasta and sauce together and serve.

Note: I used milk from our own cow for this recipe so I didn’t need to add any cream.  I have also used evaporated milk if I have it on hand and this is also nice.

 

 

Casseroles

BEEF AND GUINNESS STEW

9 Comments

This is such a tasty stew to have and as our weather is cooling it is definitely a good one to have on the menu.

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Beef and Guinness Stew using stewing steak.

Ingredients

  • Stewing Steak or Pot Roast (I used stewing steak)
  • 2 cans Guinness Beer
  • 1 Onion
  • 2 cups of sliced mushrooms (or couple of hand fulls)
  • Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
  • Salt and Pepper

Brown onions and mushrooms in a little olive oil.  Use a casserole pot that can go from stove top to oven, I used a dutch oven.

Add beef or roast and brown. Once meat is brown add apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and salt and pepper.

Mix altogether and finally add beer.  Place the lid on and put in a moderate oven for approximately 2 hours.

Serve with mashed potato.

 

 

 

Casseroles

CROCK POT LASAGNE

20 Comments

We were going to be out all afternoon at friends so I decided to put something in the slow cooker (or crock pot) so that it would be ready when we got home.

I came up with lasagne and it tasted really good and was actually nicer than the ones I bake in the oven.  I will definitely be doing this one again.

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Ingredients:

  • Bolognaise sauce
  • White sauce (Bechemal)
  • Feta cheese
  • Asian greens
  • Lasagne sheets (I used dried ones)

I made up a bolognaise sauce using beef mince.  I fried this up with some onion and capsicum.  I always add Soy Sauce and Worcestershire sauce to my bolognaise, along with a pinch of salt and a couple tablespoons of beef stock. Then I added some tomato sauce.  I normally add canned tomatoes but I have run out so sauce had to do.

Whilst the bolognaise was cooking I made an easy white sauce wtih milk and plain flour and whisked it until it thickened.

I left the bolgonaise sauce quite runny as I didn’t want it to dry out too much in the crock pot.

In the crock pot I put bolognaise sauce, then white sauce, then lasagne sheets.  I repeated this until I added the final layer of lasagne sheets and then topped the whole thing with white sauce.

I didn’t put white sauce on the bottom as I thought this would burn.

I also scattered pieces of feta cheese and asian greens throughout all the layers.

I cooked it on low all day (approx 8 hours) and it was beautiful when we had it for tea.

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ENJOY!!!

Casseroles

BACON AND VEGETABLE RISOTTO

2 Comments

This is a quick easy dish, one that I make in my electric pressure cooker.

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Ingredients:

  • 250 grams bacon
  • 1 small sweet potato
  • 1 capsicum
  • 1 onion
  • 1/2 head cauliflower
  • 1 can of champignons
  • 2 cups risotto rice
  • 1 tblsp chicken stock
  • 6 cups hot water
  • pinch salt

Brown bacon and vegetables in the pressure cooker until soft.

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Add rice, chicken stock, salt and hot water and mix together.

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Place lid on and cook on high pressure for 15 mins.  When done, release pressure and stir to combine.  When you open the pressure cooker there will be a bit of liquid on top, just stir the risotto and this will blend in.

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Serve while hot and ENJOY!!

PS: you can really use any fresh vegetables you have and any meat. Chicken thighs would be a nice change as well.

Casseroles

HEART STOPPER POTATOES

17 Comments

We had some friends for dinner on Saturday night and we had a BBQ with salads.  Here in Victoria where we live, the evenings can get really chilly right through summer and it was chilly last night, so I made a delicious hot potato dish to serve with our meat and salads.

This is a dish you wouldn’t want to eat every night but for special occasions it is great.

Ingredients

  • 2.5 kg potatoes – I used the small washed potatoes
  • 250 grams bacon
  • 2 large leeks
  • 600 ml cream
  • 500 grams grated tasty cheese
  • olive oil spray

Method

Pre-boil potatoes, while potatoes are cooking cut up and fry the bacon and leeks together.

Cut potatoes in half or quarters and place in the casserole dish sprayed with olive oil spray.  Tip in the bacon and leeks when cooked and mix together a bit.

Pour over the cream and place cheese on top.  Bake in moderate oven until golden and brown – about 45 mins.

This was absolutely delicious and our guests really enjoyed it – I hope you do too.

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This post is linked up here…

Five Friday Finds

 

Casseroles

SPAGHETTI MEATBALLS WITH FETA

4 Comments

This is a really nice meal that everybody will enjoy.

Ingredients

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Meatballs:

  • 1kg beef mince
  • 1  1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp beef stock
  • feta

Sauce

  • canned tomatoes
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1 tin sliced champignons
  • 1/2 cup tomato paste
  • 1 tsp beef stock
  • soy sauce – splash
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1 tblsp olive oil
  • 1 tblsp garlic

Method

Meatballs:  Mix mince, rolled oats, salt, beef stock and eggs together.  Then place a bit of mince in your hand and put a small piece of feta into the middle of the ball and close it over so you can’t see the feta.

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Meatball mixture
Feta in the middle of meatball
Feta in the middle of meatball

Brown the meatballs and then set aside.

Browned meatballs
Browned meatballs

Sauce:  Fry up onion in olive oil until translucent,  add garlic, champignons, tomatoes, beef stock, soy sauce, tomato paste.  Bring to the boil and add the meatballs and simmer until they are cooked. (approximately 20 mins)

Cook spaghetti and drain.  Place spaghetti into a bowl and add meatballs and sauce.

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 Notes:

  • I use my own  homemade feta, but any feta would do.
  • I really like using French Onion Soup Mix with my beef, but I didn’t have any.  I would use this in the meatballs instead of the beef stock.
  • I used my own preserved tomatoes, and they worked really well.
  • I made my meatballs early and put them into the fridge to set for an hour or so.

ENJOY!

Casseroles, Multi cooker recipes

ONE POT WONDER

3 Comments

I am the queen of one pot wonders (self imposed title)

I love them, they are so quick, easy and tasty.

Here’s the recipe of the one I made tonight.  I think I’ll call it …….

Mince One Pot Wonder

  • 500 grams of Mince
  • 1 Onion
  • 3 Stalks of Celery
  • 1/2 Small Cabbage
  • 2 Carrot (grated)
  • 1/2 cup Tomato Sauce or 1 Tin Crushed Tomatoes
  • 1 Packet French Onion Soup Mix
  • 1 tblsp Olive Oil
  • Water
  • 1 Packet Pasta – I used macaroni

Place saucepan on the heat and add olive oil.  Fry onion and celery until soft, add mince, cook until mince is browned.  Then add the cabbage, carrot, tomato sauce and french onion soup mix and water. Cook until cabbage is soft.

Cook pasta in separate saucepan and drain and rinse and then add to mince mixture and combine.

PS: I know I said this was a one pot wonder and technically I used two pots, but you can make this in the pressure cooker or in one pot but you need to add more water so the pasta cooks.

PPS: If you cook this in the pressure cooker just make sure that the pasta is covered by liquid.

PPS: You can add any vegetables or meat that you like to this dish, the process is the same.

ENJOY