A deliciously messy, meaty casserole made from minced beef, cheese and crispy bread croutons.
Ingredients
Casserole
15 ml olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
700 g beef mince
30 ml tomato paste
125 ml tomato sauce
1 can tinned tomatoes – chopped
30 ml Worcestershire sauce
30 ml fresh origanum
15 ml cumin – ground
2,5 ml salt
dried chilli flakes
1 green pepper – diced
250 ml cheddar cheese – grated
2 ciabatta or sourdough rolls
60 ml butter
Salsa
¾ red onion finely chopped
250 ml gherkins finely chopped
30 ml fresh chives finely chopped
Method:
For the casserole, preheat the oven to 180 °C. Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and sauté for two minutes. Add the beef mince and sauté for five minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, tinned tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, origanum, cumin, salt and chili flakes.
Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the green peppers. Spoon the mixture into a 22 cm x 18 cm baking dish.
Top with the grated cheese. Cut the rolls into 1 cm-thick rounds and spread with the butter.
Arrange the bread over the cheese and meat mixture and bake until golden and crisp for 10-15 minutes.
For the salsa, stir all of the ingredients together. Serve the casserole with the salsa on the side.
TIP: For a leaner meat alternative, replace the beef with ostrich mince.
