Meal No. 206: Pipetizer Beef Casserole

In preparation for last Sunday night's chili cook-off, I bought seven pounds of ground beef, intending to make both of my favorite chili recipes. But I ended up only making one because there is always too much chili here! (Last year, one whole pot I made went unnoticed and untouched and there might still be one portion container of it in the freezer.)

So, that left me with two pounds of ground beef that needed to be used before I hit the road for work this week. I dug into The Big Book of Casseroles by Maryana Vollstedt (2000) and found a recipe for something she calls "Tailgate Casserole" (p. 120). That was the basis of last night's supper. I just used Vollstedt's recipe as the starting point, and ended up making quite a few modifications to it, so I'm not sure it is appropriate to call it by that name anymore.


For instance, I increased the sour cream and cream cheese and dropped the cottage cheese altogether, and I added to them a blend of Mexican cheeses. I added minced garlic and oregano and diced mushroom, and I doubled the amount of diced red bell pepper. I substituted mini-penne for egg noodles. Instead of layering the dish, I mixed it all up and let it cook together.


Since good friend Jon Piper also was here, passing through Winston-Salem once again on quick business, and since he had plans to meet a colleague at Arigato's and only wanted an "appetizer" sampler of the casserole once it came out, I have accorded him some honor in the renaming of this casserole.

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"Pipetizer Casserole" is an adaptation of "Tailgate Casserole," from The Big Book of Casseroles, by Maryana Vollstedt. San Francisco: Chronicle Books (2000), p. 120.