Yo-Ho Casserole

Time :1 hour 30 minutes
Yield :6 servings

Recipe Background

Yo-ho! Yo-Ho! A casserole for us! Yo-Ho Casserole is sailing the high seas of flavor on a ship of crisp hash browns. Melty cheese and a beefy, beautifully seasoned filling offer an ocean of savory goodness you won't want to miss! With tomato brightness and green pepper freshness, Yo-Ho Casserole is ready to tackle the high seas of hunger with you as its captain!
Yo-ho! Yo-Ho! A casserole for us! Yo-Ho Casserole is sailing the high seas of flavor on a ship of crisp hash browns. Melty cheese and a beefy, beautifully seasoned filling offer an ocean of savory goodness you won't want to miss! With tomato brightness and green pepper freshness, Yo-Ho Casserole is ready to tackle the high seas of hunger with you as its captain!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 green bell pepper chopped
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more, to taste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more, to taste
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (30-ounce) package frozen hash browns
  • 4 cups cheddar cheese grated, divided
  • 2 green onions optional, sliced, for garnish

Directions

  • Position an oven rack in the center position.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil.
  • Add the ground beef to the hot oil and cook, while crumbling, until it is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Add the onions, the garlic, and the bell peppers to the ground beef and cook, while stirring, until the veggies start to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Season the beef mixture with 2 teaspoons of the salt, the cumin, the paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper.
  • Add the diced tomatoes and their juices to the beef mixture and reduce the heat to low.
  • Simmer the beef mixture, while stirring regularly, until the moisture has mostly evaporated and the mixture is similar to a sloppy Joe consistency.
  • Transfer the skillet from the heat.
  • Add about 2/3 of the frozen hash browns to the prepared baking dish, loosely spreading them out into an even layer.
  • Top the hash brown layer in the baking dish evenly with the beef mixture.
  • Sprinkle the beef mixture layer with 2 cups of the cheddar cheese.
  • Top the cheese layer in the baking dish with the remaining shredded hash browns, loosely spreading them over the top.
  • Season the hash brown layer with the extra salt and the extra black pepper.
  • Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
  • Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining cheese.
  • Bake the casserole until the cheese has melted and the hash browns are crisp, about 15 minutes.
  • Allow the casserole to cool for 5 minutes.
  • Serve garnished with the green onions.
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