Chili Meatball Casserole

My sister in law is having a baby and she is due really soon.  As a surprise or her I am making a whole bunch of meals and freezing them.  I am then going to bring them ove after she has the baby so she and brother have food to eat for the first couple of weeks and she does not have to worry about supper.  As a result I have been on the look-out for meals I think that they would enjoy that are easy to freeze and reheat.  This meal fit the bill.  I was actually surprised that this meal was such a hit with my family.  However they all enjoyed it and ate it without complaint, beans, carrots and all.  I was excited that I could do all the dishes before supper so that I had nothing to do after supper.  I think that it turned out quite well.

Chili Meatball Casserole

Ingredients:
mashed potatoes
1 large onion
2 bell peppers
17oz can beans of choice
1/2 cup corn
4 tbsp salsa dip
4 tbsp ketchup
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp chili powder
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp tomato paste
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sweet paprika powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp oil
1 egg
pepper
salt
1 pound of ground chicken



Directions:
1,  Start with a basic pan filled with fluffy mashed potatoes. This is 2 pounds potatoes, boiled in salted water and mashed with hot milk, a little butter and seasoned with pepper and nutmeg.

2.  Season one pound ground beef with 1 tsp sweet paprika powder, salt to taste (1 1/2 tsp or so), pepper to taste, 1/2 tsp curry powder, 1/2 a tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp dried parsley and 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce.  Break an egg into the ground chicken.  Pour in 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and mix it all up.  Slightly wet your hands and form small meatballs.
3.  Chop a large onion and two bell peppers.  Drain your beans of choice. This can be anything from brown beans to kidney beans, white beans or any kind of mix you like.
4.  Heat 1 tbsp oil and brown the meatballs, this will take about 5 minutes. Remove them from the pan.
5.  Heat 1 more tbsp oil and cook the onions, bell peppers and garlic until soft.
6.  Add 2 tsp tomato paste, 1/4 tsp (or more) ground cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, a 14oz can diced tomatoes, 4 tbsp salsa dip and an equal amount Heinz ketchup, 2 tsp worcestershire sauce and a tbsp dried parsley.

7.  Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes. Add the beans, corn and simmer for another 5 minutes. 
And the final step, throw the meatballs back in.
8.  Transfer the meatballs and sauce to a large oven dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, draw some peaks. Grate the cheese and sprinkle it all over.
9.  Bake the casserole at 350F(180C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Until the cheese turned golden brown and it bubbles around the edges.


I love dishes like this, simple but delicious. This was real comfort food, for adults as well as kids. Now, we like to eat chili or chili con carne with mashed potatoes, but I’m pretty sure you can easily replace the potatoes by corn bread, if you like.