Traveling across the beautiful plains of the Midwest, heading to the great heights of the Rocky Mountains, traveling west carries with it a lot of romance. Let your taste buds get swept away in the feeling with this Western Casserole! Packed with ground beef and Southwestern flavors, the Western Casserole is a truly majestic dish from sea to shining sea. Melty cheese, tangy olives, and wonderfully spicy chili powder ensures there’s no bland or boring bites anywhere to be found in here. So, start heading west!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup bell pepper, color of your choice, chopped
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 1/2 cups canned tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup ripe olives, chopped into large pieces
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups cheese, of your choice, shredded
- fresh parsley, optional, to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and cook, while crumbling, until it is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 3 –Transfer the beef to a plate and drain all but 1-2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet.
Step 4 –Return the skillet to medium-high heat.
Step 5 –Add the onion, the bell pepper, and the rice to the beef drippings and cook until the onion starts to brown, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 6 –Add the tomatoes, the water, the olives, the ground beef, the chili powder, the black pepper, and the Worcestershire sauce.
Step 7 –Bring the beef mixture to a boil.
Step 8 –Pour the beef mixture into a 2-quart baking dish.
Step 9 –Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked, about 40 minutes.
Step 10 –Uncover the casserole and sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese.
Step 11 –Bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
Step 12 –Serve garnished with the parsley.
