A hearty casserole of ground beef, seasoned with onion and bell pepper, some beans and corn, a little mixture of chili seasonings and topped off with rustic, cornmeal dusted biscuits.
Chuckwagon Casserole
It's no secret that I love casseroles - and yes, I love them any time of the year because they generally take little prep work and then go into the oven freeing up your time to do other things. They are an easy way to get a filling and tasty meal on the table with not a lot of effort too.
I know a lot of people want to switch over to no-cook meals, main dish salads, sandwiches, and cooking outside when the summer heat kicks in, but my husband still likes a meal, no matter the season, and cooking outside is pretty rough on me with the heat. Thank goodness for the modern convenience of air conditioning is all I can say!
This is called a Chuck Wagon casserole because it's sort of an all in one meal and one reminiscent of what might have been prepared on the wagon trail, in a Dutch oven over a campfire. Ground beef, seasoned with garlic, onion and bell pepper, beans and corn, a mixture of chili seasonings and for mine, topped off with biscuits dusted with a rustic touch of cornmeal. I would really have liked to have had the dozen biscuits, but I made do with what I had, which was a 10-count roll.
By the way... please don't use the larger, gourmet, jumbo biscuits on a casserole. You want the smaller, regular (in other words cheap-o) biscuits to ensure that they will cook through, so save the jumbo tins for breakfast, or you won't be happy!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. We start with a simple saute of onion, bell pepper and garlic. To that add 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of ground beef and cook until lightly browned. Drain off the oil if needed.
To the beef, add the beans, corn, tomato soup, milk, cheese, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce and Cajun seasoning. Stir over medium heat until well blended. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Transfer to a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish and bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until filling is hot. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and set aside to cool. Remove the casserole from the oven.
Immediately dip the biscuits in the butter and scatter on the top of the hot casserole dish, leaving space in between each biscuit. The biscuits must go directly on the hot casserole to begin cooking on the bottom. Sprinkle the tops of all of the biscuits with cornmeal.
Return to the oven immediately and bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F, for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until biscuits are cooked through and golden brown. All ovens vary, so you may need additional time for the biscuits to be completely cooked through. Check the center biscuits on the bottom and return to the oven if needed. Serve immediately with a green vegetable or a side salad.
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