Corn Casserole With Meat Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 c. margarine, melted
15-oz. can creamed corn
15-oz. can niblets corn and juice
2 (6 1/2-oz.) pkg. corn muffin mix
2 eggs
1 c. cheddar cheese, grated
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 c. milk vegetable spray
2 lb. ground round
1 c. onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. garlic
1 tsp. celery salt
2 (14-oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can beef broth
6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 c. fresh parsley

Preparation

In a small pan, melt margarine and saute onion and peppers; let cool completely.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, onion and peppers mixture, creamed corn and undrained niblets.
In a small bowl, combine cheddar cheese, cream of mushroom soup and milk. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with vegetable spray.
At the very last minute, stir the muffin mix into the corn mixture, using a whisk.
Stir only until the mixture is moist. The muffin mix must be added at the last moment; otherwise, it oxidizes and the casserole will not rise.
Next, spoon corn mixture into the prepared dish and spoon the cheese mixture on top.
Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
For the sauce, in a Dutch oven, crumble the ground round; add onion, garlic and celery salt.
Cook over a medium-high heat until browned; drain. Add tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, pepper and thyme, stirring well.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add parsley; cook 5 minutes more. Cut casserole into 8 servings, spoon 1 cup of sauce onto each piece.
The sauce can be served over pasta, rice or beans.
The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for one week or in the freezer for 3 months.