Tuesday, November 13, 2012

beef-and-rice casserole... 30 minutes

My 18-month-old LOVED this and had 2 helpings of it! She even ate the leftovers for lunch the next day! My 3-year-old had no idea he was eating carrots! My husband enjoyed it but said that the crusty bread was a necessity to add a little crunchy texture to the meal.
 
the goods:
 
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
5 cups reserved Quick Meat Sauce
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
1 bunch scallions (green parts only), sliced
2 zucchini or summer squash, very thinly sliced

 
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. In a large cast-iron skillet, bring meat sauce to a rapid simmer over high. Stir in rice and remove from heat.

 
Top with scallions, then carefully arrange zucchini in a single, slightly overlapping layer.

 
Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil, and top with breadcrumb mixture.

 
Return to heat and bring to a simmer. Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake until rice is cooked through and breadcrumbs are golden, abotu 10 minutes more.

 
Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

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