Easy Beef Casserole Meal Base
When made in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer, this base can easily turn some beef into a warming, filling casserole! If you are in more of a hurry, try tossing this delicious sauce through a big bowl of pasta to feed a crowd.
Recipe Tester Feedback: “This forms a great base for a lovely rich stew. Add as many vegetables as you can find in the fridge to create a nutritious and delicious warming winter meal." - Julia
No: Egg / Nuts
Contains: Gluten / Dairy
*Variations: Can be made without Gluten
Preparation Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 33 minutes
Serves 4
Can be frozen
You will need:
knife
chopping board
spatula
internal steaming basket
airtight container
Ingredients
- garlic cloves - 4, peeled
- onion - 1, large, peeled and quartered
- carrot - 2, roughly chopped
- celery - 2 stalks, roughly chopped
- oil - 20g
- butter - 50g
- plain flour - 40g, *can use GF
- tomato paste - 50g
- tinned tomatoes - 400g, whole
- beef stock - 20g, or vegetable stock, paste
- water - 100g
- Worcestershire sauce - 50g, *ensure GF if required
- fresh thyme - 3 Tbsp, roughly chopped
- bay leaves - 3
- Serving suggestions:
- casserole beef - 500g, diced, to cook the meal
- carrot - diced, to cook the meal
- potato - diced, to cook the meal
- vegetables of choice - diced, to cook the meal
- pasta - cooked, to serve, *ensure GF if required
Method
- Add the peeled garlic cloves (4), peeled and quartered onion (1), chopped carrots (2) and chopped celery stalks (2) to the bowl. Chop Speed 7 / 4 seconds. Scrape down sides.
- Add oil (20g) and butter (50g) to the bowl. Program 8 minutes / 100C / Reverse+Speed 1.
- Add the plain flour (40g), tomato paste (50g), whole tomatoes (400g tin), stock paste (20g), water (100g), Worcestershire sauce (50g), chopped fresh thyme (3 Tbsp) and bay leaves (3) to the bowl. Program 25 minutes / 100C / Reverse+Speed 1. Set the internal steaming basket on top of the lid to prevent spatters.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.
Serving suggestion:
- Brown the diced casserole beef (500g) on all sides in a frying pan.
- Move the beef into a large casserole dish along with diced carrots and potato.
- Add the meal base and bake at 160C for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, or until tender. Remove bay leaves before eating.
- Enjoy!
Make your own!
* Make your own tomato paste with the Pizza Sauce / Tomato Paste recipe from The Make Your Own Bonus Issue.
* Make your own stock paste with the Odds and Ends Stock Paste recipe from The Make Your Own Bonus Issue.
* Make your own Worcestershire sauce with the Worcestershire Sauce recipe from The Make Your Own Bonus Issue.
