If you are into traditions, this one is a must! Lucky New Year Casserole is loaded with some lucky black-eyed peas to get the year started off right. This highly flavored, spicy, ground-beef-and-rice-filled casserole will be a fortunate addition to your good luck charms roster. As luck would have it, Lucky New Year Casserole didn’t get this good on accident! Those black-eyed peas give your meal great promise for an even greater (and tastier) year!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 large yellow sweet onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh jalapeños, minced, plus more, to taste, sliced, for garnish
- 1/2 cup celery, very thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth or stock
- 8 tablespoons butter, sliced
- 4 cups black-eyed peas
- 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 pound cheddar cheese, sliced
Directions
Step 1 –Lightly coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2 –In a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until it is shimmery.
Step 3 –Add the onion, 1 tablespoon of the jalapeños, and the celery to the heated oil and sauté until the onions are translucent.
Step 4 –Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic to the veggie mixture and sauté, about 2 minutes.
Step 5 –Add the ground beef, the salt, and the black pepper to the veggie mixture and cook, while crumbling the meat, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 6 –Drain the excess grease from the skillet and set it aside.
Step 7 –In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the remaining oil until it is shimmery.
Step 8 –Reduce the heat to medium. Add the rice to the heated oil and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns light brown in color.
Step 9 –Slowly add the broth, the salt, and the black pepper to the rice mixture and stir to combine.
Step 10 –Add the butter and bring the broth mixture to a boil.
Step 11 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 12 –Reduce the stovetop heat to low, then cover the saucepan and let the rice simmer, about 20 minutes; do not stir.
Step 13 –Transfer the saucepan from the heat.
Step 14 –Add the black-eyed peas and the tomatoes with the green chilies and their juices to the cooked beef mixture and fold to combine. Place the skillet over medium heat and heat until it is warmed through.
Step 15 –Add the cooked rice to the ground beef mixture and fold to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until it is heated through.
Step 16 –Taste the beef mixture and season with the salt and the black pepper, as needed.
Step 17 –Pour the beef mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Step 18 –Place the cheese slices, in a single layer, on top of the beef mixture.
Step 19 –Bake the casserole until the cheese slices are browning around the edges of the pan, about 20-30 minutes.
Step 20 –Let the casserole rest, about 10-15 minutes.
Step 21 –Serve the casserole garnished with the extra jalapeño slices.
