Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Chuck Wagon Casserole

A hearty casserole of ground beef, seasoned with onion and bell pepper, some beans and corn, a little mixture of chili seasonings and topped off with rustic, cornmeal dusted biscuits.
A hearty casserole of ground beef, seasoned with onion and bell pepper, some beans and corn, a little mixture of chili seasonings and topped off with rustic, cornmeal dusted biscuits.

Chuckwagon Casserole

It's no secret that I love casseroles - and yes, I love them any time of the year because they generally take little prep work and then go into the oven freeing up your time to do other things. They are an easy way to get a filling and tasty meal on the table with not a lot of effort too.

I know a lot of people want to switch over to no-cook meals, main dish salads, sandwiches, and cooking outside when the summer heat kicks in, but my husband still likes a meal, no matter the season, and cooking outside is pretty rough on me with the heat. Thank goodness for the modern convenience of air conditioning is all I can say!

This is called a Chuck Wagon casserole because it's sort of an all in one meal and one reminiscent of what might have been prepared on the wagon trail, in a Dutch oven over a campfire. Ground beef, seasoned with garlic, onion and bell pepper, beans and corn, a mixture of chili seasonings and for mine, topped off with biscuits dusted with a rustic touch of cornmeal. I would really have liked to have had the dozen biscuits, but I made do with what I had, which was a 10-count roll.

By the way... please don't use the larger, gourmet, jumbo biscuits on a casserole. You want the smaller, regular (in other words cheap-o) biscuits to ensure that they will cook through, so save the jumbo tins for breakfast, or you won't be happy!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. We start with a simple saute of onion, bell pepper and garlic. To that add 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of ground beef and cook until lightly browned. Drain off the oil if needed.


To the beef, add the beans, corn, tomato soup, milk, cheese, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce and Cajun seasoning. Stir over medium heat until well blended. Add salt and pepper, to taste.


Transfer to a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish and bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until filling is hot. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and set aside to cool. Remove the casserole from the oven.


Immediately dip the biscuits in the butter and scatter on the top of the hot casserole dish, leaving space in between each biscuit. The biscuits must go directly on the hot casserole to begin cooking on the bottom. Sprinkle the tops of all of the biscuits with cornmeal.


Return to the oven immediately and bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F, for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until biscuits are cooked through and golden brown. All ovens vary, so you may need additional time for the biscuits to be completely cooked through. Check the center biscuits on the bottom and return to the oven if needed. Serve immediately with a green vegetable or a side salad.


Chuckwagon Casserole

Chuckwagon Casserole

Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
Author: Deep South Dish
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 50 Min
A hearty casserole of ground beef, seasoned with onion and bell pepper, some beans and corn, a little mixture of chili seasonings and topped off with rustic, cornmeal dusted biscuits.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1-1/2 to 2 pounds ground beef
  • 2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 (14 ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained
  • 2 cans condensed tomato soup
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
For the Topping:
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 12 regular-sized canned refrigerated biscuits (not large/jumbo)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons cornmeal

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion and bell pepper until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
  3. Add the ground beef and cook until browned; drain excess fat if needed. To the beef, add the beans, corn, tomato soup, milk, cheese, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce and Cajun seasoning. Stir over medium heat until well blended. Taste; add salt and pepper, as needed.
  4. Transfer to a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot.
  5. Meanwhile, melt the butter and set aside to cool. Remove the casserole from the oven, dip the biscuits in the butter and scatter on the top of the casserole dish. Sprinkle the tops of all of the biscuits with cornmeal. Return to the oven and bake uncovered, at 375 degrees F, for an additional 20 to 25 minutes OR until biscuits are cooked through and golden brown. Check bottoms of center biscuits and return to oven if not cooked through.
  6. Serve immediately with a green vegetable or a side salad.

Notes:

Do not allow casserole to cool before adding the biscuits. Add biscuits to hot casserole and return to the oven immediately. Use regular biscuits; do not use jumbo biscuits as they may not cook through well. Please also note all ovens vary, so you may need more time for the biscuits to cook through and brown. Check the center bottoms to see if they need more time. Okay to substitute fresh, homemade or frozen biscuits, but let them thaw before adding them to the casserole. May also halve for a 9 x 9 casserole.

Variation: May also top with a cornbread batter - simply pour on top and bake. Substitute a can of chili beans in sauce for the kidney beans, or use 3/4 cup of barbecue sauce for the tomato soup.

Canned Biscuits, Casseroles, Church Socials, Everyday, Family, Funeral Food, Ground Beef, Main Dish, Potlucks, Quick Meals
Dinner, Casseroles, Main Dish
American
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @DeepSouthDish on instagram and hashtag it #deepsouthdish

Posted by on June 1, 2011

Images and Full Post Content including Recipe ©Deep South Dish. Recipes are offered for your own personal use only and while pinning and sharing links is welcomed and encouraged, please do not copy and paste post or recipe text to repost or republish elsewhere such as other Facebook pages, blogs, websites, or forums without explicit prior permission. All rights reserved.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.
.

As an Amazon Associate, Deep South Dish earns from qualifying purchases. See full disclosure for details.




Hey Y’all! Welcome to some good ole, down home southern cooking. Pull up a chair, grab some iced tea, and 'sit a bit' as we say down south. If this is your first time visiting Deep South Dish, you can sign up for FREE updates via EMAIL or you can catch up with us on Facebook and Twitter too!

Articles on this website are protected by copyright. You are free to print and sharing via Facebook share links and pinning with Pinterest are appreciated, welcomed and encouraged, but do not upload and repost photographs, or copy and paste post text or recipe text for republishing on Facebook, other websites, blogs, forums or other internet sites without explicit prior written approval.
Click for additional information.


© Copyright 2008-2024 – Mary Foreman – Deep South Dish LLC - All Rights Reserved

Material Disclosure: This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from the provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

DISCLAIMER: This is a recipe site intended for entertainment. By using this site and these recipes you agree that you do so at your own risk, that you are completely responsible for any liability associated with the use of any recipes obtained from this site, and that you fully and completely release Mary Foreman and Deep South Dish LLC and all parties associated with either entity, from any liability whatsoever from your use of this site and these recipes.

ALL CONTENT PROTECTED UNDER THE DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT. CONTENT THEFT, EITHER PRINT OR ELECTRONIC, IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE. Recipes may be printed ONLY for personal use and may not be transmitted, distributed, reposted, or published elsewhere, in print or by any electronic means. Seek explicit permission before using any content on this site, including partial excerpts, all of which require attribution linking back to specific posts on this site. I have, and will continue to act, on all violations.





Email Subscription DSD Feed