Million Dollar Ground Beef Casserole

Million Dollar Ground Beef Casserole

from southernliving.com
Entree
70 min
12 servings

The weeknight casserole staple is amped up with flavor from aromatics and tangy tomatoes, plus cream, pasta, and loads of cheese. It's a dish so good, you'll swear it's worth a million bucks.

Ingredients

  • cooking spray
  • 2 tbsp.olive oil
  • 1bay leaf
  • 1 lb.ground beef
  • 4 clovesgarlic, minced
  • 1 mediumonion, chopped
  • 2 mediumcarrots, chopped
  • 1 tsp.kosher salt
  • 1 tsp.black pepper
  • ½ cupdry red wine
  • 1can whole peeled tomatoes, such as san marzano
  • 1 cupheavy cream
  • 1 tsp.fish sauce
  • 8 oz.uncooked fusilli pasta
  • 2 tbsp.thinly sliced fresh basil plus more for garnish
  • 16 oz.shredded low-moisture part skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1 ½ cupspanko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp.butter, melted
  • ½ cupgrated parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. 1

    Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Gather all ingredients.

  2. 2

    Heat oil with bay leaf in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and garlic, cooking until browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add carrots, onion, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 to 4 minutes. Add red wine, tomatoes, heavy cream, and fish sauce. Use your spoon to break up tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

  3. 3

    Add pasta and basil, and cover with a lid. Simmer for 10 additional minutes until pasta is nearly tender. Remove from heat. Remove and discard bay leaf.

  4. 4

    Add 1/2 of meat mixture to prepared casserole dish. Top with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat this layering process one time.

  5. 5

    In a medium bowl, stir together breadcrumbs, butter, and Parmesan. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake in preheated oven until browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Garnish with additional fresh basil.