Vegetarian “Beef” and Hash Brown Casserole.

Friends, please forgive me for my radio silence last week.  LeeLee and I took a little trip – can you guess where?  (Let me know in the comments!)

Believe it or not, this was actually a Recessionista adventure.  LeeLee was traveling on an all-expenses-paid fellowship, and so everything except for my airfare and personal expenses were taken care of!  It’s not a bad way of sightseeing, if you ask me, and I’ll tell you all the details in upcoming blog posts, when I tackle some veg versions of the local cuisine.  I can’t wait to experiment with some new flavor profiles!

But on to tonight’s dinner: “Beef” and hash brown casserole!

I’ve made this meal quite a few times, and it never gets old.  Not even when you take into account the fact that this can easily feed our family for five or six meals (either lunch or dinner)!  It’s just that good.  And it extends forever.  Even when our appetites are ravenous, we can’t get through even a small percentage of this recipe!  It’s a great way to stretch your ingredients and reduce your daily prep time.

And the final results are just great.  We love the heartiness that the veggie beef and potatoes give the dish, served in tandem with the sweet tang of the spaghetti sauce and the creaminess of the cheese on top.  Next time, I think I’ll add some pinto beans to the mix as well for some extra pizazz!

At any rate, it’s good to be back home and back on the blogging wagon.  Look for some international flavors to pop up on the blog in the next few weeks!

:)