Veggie Helper Casserole


Ingredients


  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 serrano pepper, diced
  • 1-2 c veggies (chopped green beans, small cauliflower florettes, frozen peas)
  • 2 dashes liquid smoke
  • 1 pkg ground round
  • 1 can tomato paste + 1.5 can's worth of water
  • 1 T chili powder (or more to taste)
  • dash hot smoked paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 c dried pasta
  • 1 recipe Cheese Sauce
  • 1/4c bread crumbs
  • 2T nutritional yeast
  • garlic and onion powder, seasoning salt and black pepper to taste

Directions


  1. Saute onions, garlic and hot peppers until translucent. Add fresh vegetables and saute golden and fragrant.
  2. Meanwhile, start Cheese Sauce.
  3. Add ground round to onions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, and then add tomato paste, water, and seasoning. Saute and reduce for about 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed.
  4. Preheat oven to 375 and put pasta on to boil and cook al dente.
  5. Add frozen veggies to the ground round mixture.
  6. Combine cooked pasta with ground round mixture and cheese sauce.
  7. Top with additional shredded cheese, and bread crumbs combined with nutritional yeast, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and seasoning salt to taste.
  8. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until top is browned.