5-Ingredient Ground Beef and Vegetable Casserole

Step-by-Step Assembly

1. Brown the beef.
   • Heat a skillet over medium heat. Toss in the ground beef—no need for oil if your meat has some fat.
   • Cook until there’s no pink. Break it into small pieces. Maybe season lightly with salt and pepper, though you might skip that if you’re watching sodium.
   • Scoop it into a bowl. You’ll notice a little grease left behind. Drain it if you want, or leave a teaspoon or so for flavor.
2. Layer the potatoes.
   • Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
   • In a 9×13-inch baking dish, arrange half of the potato slices in a single layer. They’ll overlap slightly. It’s fine if they touch.
   • I sometimes pop a few cloudy thoughts here: does it matter if they overlap? Probably not. They all cook through together.
3. Add half the peppers and beef.
   • Scatter half the chopped bell peppers over the potatoes.
   • Spread half the cooked beef on top.
4. Pour on the soup.
   • Spoon the cream of mushroom soup evenly. You can thin it with a splash of milk if it seems too thick—though, honestly, sometimes I skip that. It works both ways.
5. Repeat the layers.
   • More potato slices. Then peppers. Then beef.
6. Top with cheese.
   • Finish with that cup of cheddar. Cover every inch if you can. You want golden, bubbly cheese at the end.
7. Bake.
   • Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
   • Remove foil, bake another 15–20 minutes until cheese browns at the edges.

Little Tips I Picked Up

see continuation on next page