How to make pepper steak casserole

Cooktop Cove: How to make pepper steak casserole

By Kate Elliott

Hearty beef and sweet bell peppers just seem like they were made to go together, don't they? That's especially true when you pile them onto cooked rice and cook everything together as a casserole, as in the recipe that follows. The juices from the vegetables and the beef seep down into the rice, so you never have to worry about blandness. To take the flavor up another notch, a quick sauce made up of beef broth and Worcestershire are also then poured over the entire thing.

All of those ingredients make this a perfect dish for anyone looking to cut back on the dairy in their diet. On the other hand, if it's the starch you're concerned about, replace the rice with quinoa, which is actually a seed, not a grain, and it will boost the protein factor of this dish even more. However you choose to make this casserole your own, it's guaranteed to become a hit at your dinner table and one that gets requested time and time again.

How to Make Pepper Steak Casserole

15 minutes

55 minutes

1 hour, 10 minutes

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 pounds round steak, cut into strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

2 cups beef broth

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole dish.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add half the steak and cook until browned on all sides.

Remove steak to a large bowl. Add another tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and cook remaining beef until browned on all sides. When done, transfer to the bowl with the other steak.

Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan and add the peppers, onion and mushrooms. Fry for about 7 minutes, until vegetables have just started to soften, stirring occasionally.

Spread rice into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish and press down so the surface is even.

Lay the cooked beef, peppers and onions on top of rice.

Whisk together beef broth, water, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and ground black pepper. Pour this over the entire contents of the casserole dish.

Place the casserole into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, until rice is hot and sauce has been almost completely absorbed.