When the weather gets cold, you still want warm, delicious and filling food. So this time I want to share with you a very delicious meat and vegetable casserole recipe, which is perfect for both lunch and dinner. This meat and vegetable casserole is easy and simple to make, and its variations can be endless, so you can use up the goodness of your garden.
Layered Meat and Vegetable Casserole
This time I made the casserole with what I had in the fridge: pork ham, eggplant and zucchini, but feel free to experiment and use other products. You can change the meat to chicken, turkey breast or drumstick meat, or any minced meat will do. Choose any vegetables you have at home and mix them together. Carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes are suitable for this, but I recommend lightly boiling them so that the whole casserole is cooked evenly. You can also add sliced bell peppers and mushrooms.
For the casserole you will need:
- 400 g pork ham
- 350 g zucchini
- 350 g eggplant
- 300 g canned tomatoes in their own juice or tomato sauce
- 100 g cheese
- 1 onion
- spices: salt, pepper, “Chmeli suneli” spice mix, curry powder, sweet paprika powder
- oil, for frying meat
For the salad:
- 250 g Iceberg or other lettuce you like
- 200 g cucumbers
- 100 g tomatoes
- 80 g radishes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- salt, pepper, dill, to taste
Directions:
1. Cut the eggplant into slices, sprinkle with salt and leave to stand until the juices run clear, to reduce the bitterness.
2. When the eggplant releases its juice, dry it with a paper towel.
3. Cut the zucchini into slices, put the prepared eggplant and zucchini in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, pepper, curry, paprika powder, mix and let stand while you prepare the other ingredients.
4. Cut the meat into steaks about 0,5 cm thick and rub with salt, pepper and “Chmeli suneli” spice mixture.
5. Then lightly fry the meat in a pan with a splash of oil, but do not overcook.
6. Place eggplant and zucchini slices in a single layer in a baking dish, place the prepared meat on them, onion cut into half rings, then add another layer of eggplant and zucchini, place chopped canned tomatoes on them and sprinkle everything with finely grated cheese.
7. Bake the prepared casserole in the oven at 180 °C for about 30-40 minutes. I recommend baking the casserole covered with foil for the first 20 minutes, and then removing it and finishing baking until the cheese is lightly browned.
8. Cut the vegetables for the salad, mix them with oil, lemon juice and spices and serve with the casserole.
