Ingredient: potatoes, cooked & thickly sliced

Cauliflower Casserole w/ Ground Beef & Potatoes

Cauliflower has had a millennial makeover and it’s never been more appealing. For years cauliflower has been a staple side, steamed or baked and smothered with cheese sauce, but there’s so much more to do with the humble cauliflower.

Cauliflower totally transforms into something new depending on how you cook it. Steam and puree it and it becomes very silky. Add the pureed cauliflower to soups, mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese to thicken them and add flavor and creaminess without dairy. Bake it with cheese and cream for a hearty gratin that’ll top any potato casserole. You can pickle cauliflower and add it to salads, appetizer platters or sandwiches — it’s especially good on falafel. Deep fry cauliflower and eat it as a snack, like popcorn, or toss the crispy, fried florets into a salad. Roast it – on its own or with other vegetables like carrots — till it’s golden brown and tender and serve it as a side dish or add it to pasta to make a complete meal. With a simple blitz, cauliflower makes an ideal ‘dough’ for a healthier homemade pizza base. The possibilities are endless!

This comforting casserole consists not only of cauliflower but beef, potatoes and cheese. It’s the full meal deal!

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 Cauliflower Casserole w/ Ground Beef & Potatoes
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Rate this recipe!
Cuisine American
Keyword cauliflower casserole w/ ground beef
Servings
Ingredients
Cuisine American
Keyword cauliflower casserole w/ ground beef
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Boil potatoes with their skins in lightly salted water. Drain & peel immediately. Let cool then cut into 1/4-inch slices.
  2. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a boil & cook the cauliflower florets for about 6 minutes until al dente. Drain the cauliflower in a colander & reserve 2 3/4 cups of the cooking liquid. Drain cauliflower WELL.
  3. Heat a saucepan with a dash of oil & fry the onion & garlic until soft, but not colored. Add the ground beef & fry. Season with salt & pepper & stir in 1/2 of the green onion. Continue to cook until the released moisture has evaporated. Place in a dish & set aside.
  4. Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter a 9-inch pie plate or casserole dish. Set aside.
  5. Heat saucepan, add butter & allow to melt. Add the flour & stir well with a whisk for about a minute to allow the flour to cook. Stir in veg broth powder & add the reserved cooking liquid from the cauliflower. Keep stirring until you have a smooth & thickened sauce. Stir in 1/2 of the grated cheese until incorporated, then add the remaining green onion. Turn off heat.
  6. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with half of the potato slices, followed by the cauliflower & ground beef. Divide 1/2 of the sauce over it & cover with the remaining potato slices. Place the remaining sauce over potatoes & sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.
  7. Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Baked/Stuffed Picnic Loaf

Bread, cheese, bacon & leeks all baked together in the ultimate picnic loaf! This recipe idea derives from a Portuguese traditional stuffed bread made in the North of Portugal called ‘Bola’. This was made by the farmers wives for their husbands to take to work when they were out working the fields. It consists of bread dough enriched with ‘lard’ or butter and then put in layers in a baking tray, filled in the middle with meat leftovers like roast pork, veal, chicken or chourico (smoked pork sausage).

This kind of reminds me of Pan Bagnat, the traditional Nice ‘sandwich’, in which the top of a round loaf would be sliced off and some of the crumbs hollowed out, mixed with tuna, olives, anchovies, etc. then spooned back in and the ‘lid’ put on top. Later variations are often made with ham and cheese and sometimes peppers are added.

In September 2017, I posted a blog on Pan Bagnat. Once the flavors all meld together the taste was incredible. I thought this stuffed bread would be perfect for an outdoor summer meal or picnic.

Print Recipe
 Baked Stuffed Picnic Loaf
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine European
Keyword baked stuffed picnic loaf
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine European
Keyword baked stuffed picnic loaf
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Very lightly grease a skillet with olive oil, put in the bacon & sauté until browned. Add the chopped shallot; sauté until softened, then add the leek. Stir together and remove from the heat – you want the leeks to keep their color so don't overcook.
  2. In a bowl, whisk sour cream, eggs, mustard & spices together. Don’t overmix: keep the mixture a little lumpy.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
  4. Slice into the bread, but not all the way through. You need to cut deep enough into the bread to open out the loaf and fill between the “slices, while leaving the loaf connected at the base. Place the bread on a sheet of parchment paper.
  5. Into each slot in the bread, place a slice of potato, followed by some of the bacon, shallot and leeks.
  6. Use the paper to lift the bread onto a baking tray. Spoon some of the sour cream/egg mixture into each slot, so that the bread absorbs as much as possible.
  7. Finally insert the slices of cheese. Enclose the loaf fully in the baking paper and then wrap it in foil to make a tight parcel.
  8. Put the wrapped bread into the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, then remove the tray and open the foil and parchment paper. Return to the oven until the top of the bread and its filling is golden brown. Remove and serve!