Pizza Casserole

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 cup brown rice, uncooked
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• olive oil, for pan & casserole dish
• 3/4 lb lean ground beef
• 3 cups of your favourite tomato sauce, prepared or homemade
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2 place rice and water in a medium saucepan, cover and bring to a boil.
• 3 reduce heat and simmer for approx 45 minutes.
• 4 remove pan from the heat, to a wire rack to cool slightly (fluff rice with a fork), while the rice is cooling: brown beef in a large skillet,breaking up gently as it browns.
• 5 add the tomato sauce, pepper, oregano and garlic, adjust seasonings to your taste.
• 6 cover skillet and simmer 15 minutes, after the 15 minute simmering add any of your favourite diced vegetables etc to this sauce.
• 7 to the cooled rice mix, stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, mixing well lightly oil a casserole dish.
• 8 spread about a 1/3 of the cheese& rice mixture on the bottom of the dish.
• 9 spread about 1/3 of the beef/ sauce mix on top of that layer.
• 10 repeat layers, ending with the beef/ sauce mix.
• 11 sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella on top of the mixture.
• 12 bake approx 20 minutes.