Monday 19 May 2008

Pasta Mince Casserole

This is the first in a new series of family favourite recipes - a lot of friends have been asking me for these as well as some of my favourite slow cooker recipes. it seems a few of my friends got slow cookers for Mother's Day and now need new recipes for them.
This one is an oven recipe that my Mum gave me - it is in her handwriting in an old diary. It was one of her very practical gifts to me, early on in my married life.
This one is also great to make up the night before, but don't put it in the oven till the next day. Also makes great leftovers and freezes well.

Pasta Mince Casserole
1 large onion (diced)
500g topside mince
3/4 cup grated carrot
2 medium tomatoes (chopped) or 1/2 tin drained chopped tomatoes
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 cups shell or elbow macaroni (cooked for about 7 mins)
2 cups grated tasty cheese
1 440g can cream of mushroom/celery soup or cream of soup replacement (see below)

Method
Little oil in a pan.
Add onion to meat, stir over high heat until lightly browned
Add carrot, Worcestershire sauce and chopped tomatoes.
Then add can of soup (or substitute), stir until heated through.
Grease a long casserole dish.
Place a layer of macaroni.
Layer of cheese.
Layer of mince mixture.
Continue until you finish with a cheese layer.
Cook for a bout 35 mins at about 180c, until cooked and lightly browned on top.

Not sure which website I got this recipe from but it worked well as a replacement for the tinned soup! Thank you to whoever it was :)

Condensed cream of chicken soup
1.5 cups homemade chicken stock
1 small onion finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tbs fresh parsley (1/4 tsp dried)
dash of paprika
1.5 cups reduced fat milk
0.75 cup plain flour


Method
Boil together stock, 0.5 cup milk and the seasonings for 3-5 minutes.
In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining milk and flour until smooth. Add tot he boiling stock mixture and continue whisking until the mix boils and thickens.
Mixture should be cooled and then refrigerated or frozen in portions.
Make approx 3 cups.
1.5 cups is roughly the equivalent of a 440g tin of condensed soup.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I tried this recipe last week and am making it again this week. My husband and children all thought it was delicious. It's a keeper for our family. Thank you

Lis said...

Glad you like it...my family love it too !

Chantel said...

Hi Lis,

I stopped over from Rhonda Jeans blog as I was searching her archives on ways to use lemons :)

I cooked this mince Casserole last night and it's just lovely. I love that I can freeze it too because my partner doesn't like the same foods as me so cooking for 1 is difficult sometimes.

I'm enjoying it now for lunch at work :)

Just wanted to say thank you!

I also love that your mum made you a handwritten book for when you were married - I might ask my mum to do the same for me, I'm quite sentimental and would love to have something like that hand down :)

Lis said...

Thnaks for visiting Chanel, I don't get the time to post as often as I used to but i am still trying to add my favourite recipes as I get time.
I love the recipe book my Mum gave me and I still cook quite afew dishes from it.
Lis :)