Beef Casserole Recipes | Taste of Home (2024)

FAQs

What is the key to making a good casserole? ›

We suggest using chuck steak as it is well marbled and stays tender through long cooking. You could also use brisket, bone-in ribs or beef osso bucco. You may think you're doing your stew a favour by using a more expensive cut like rump or eye fillet, but these are too lean and will be dry and stringy.

Balance Flavors

Casseroles can really shine when they achieve a harmonious balance of flavors. Sweet, salty, spicy, and acidic elements should blend well and complement each other. Add ingredients like caramelized onions, olives, or lemon zest to give your casserole a depth of flavor.

So what's inside? Let's talk anatomy: A standard dinner casserole usually includes a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a sauce (or other binding ingredient), and cheese.

Uncovering the foods promotes browning and crisping, and reduces the amount of liquid in the finished dish. If a casserole looks soupy when it's ready to bake, bake it uncovered unless the ingredients include pasta or rice, which absorb liquid.

You don't have to brown meat before braising or stewing. Browning meat develops color and flavor in the finished dish. It's is recognized as being a French technique and if you are cooking in that style, browning the meat will make the dish better.

Very simply put, browning equals flavor. As beef sears, the outside caramelizes, adding extra flavor to the beef, not to mention creating these tasty little browned bits that form on the bottom of the pot. Without browning, the finished stew just won't taste as good and the sauce won't be as dark.

The time a casserole takes to cook will vary from 2-2½ hours for chuck, blade and thick flank, up to 4 hours for shin, leg and neck. Pork cuts for braising and casseroling normally take 1½ hours, and lamb much the same.

Two options really, either it is really a poor cut of beef, or more likely it hasn't been cooked for long enough. Usually 3 hours in the oven in a casserole dish at 180C/350F should make any cut of beef tender. You probly cooked it to hot to fast. Try using a crock pot for tender beef .

What is John Wayne casserole made of? ›

John Wayne casserole is made of delicious layers of biscuit, seasoned ground beef, and a creamy sauce all covered in a layer of gooey cheese. It's a hearty family meal that's guaranteed to please your picky eaters!

Bottom Round Roast

Great value and very lean. Best for roasting or slow-cooking and slicing thin.

Browning adds flavour and it makes for a better looking final dish. Preheat the pan so it's ripping hot, then cook the beef in batches. An overcrowded pan can lead to boiling instead of browning. Let the meat sit untouched for 2-3 minutes on the first side, then a minute or so on the others.

Make-ahead meals (especially baked casseroles) are terrific because you can completely assemble them in advance and bake them just before serving. They're the ultimate comfort food as they come bubbling hot and delicious straight from the oven to the table to the delight of family and friends.

In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, ...

There are 3 main parts that make up a casserole: the starchy base, the filling, and the sauce. The base: The starchy base is the foundation of the casserole. It isn't going to be the most flavorful part of the dish, but it is what will make the casserole filling and satisfying.