Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Place an ovenproof pan over high heat. Add olive oil, then the ground beef and a large pinch of salt. Cook for about 1 minute, breaking the meat into smaller pieces. Add the diced onion and continue cooking, crumbling the meat, until it starts to brown and the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Ensure the meat is deeply browned for the best flavor.
- Reduce the heat to medium-high, or medium if the pan is very hot. Add the butter and minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until the butter melts, about 1 minute. Stir in the black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne. Cook and stir for about 1 minute. Add the chopped bell peppers and cook and stir until just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the rice to the pan and stir until it is coated with the fats, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining salt, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, and beef broth. Raise the heat to high and stir everything together until the mixture begins to simmer. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle about half of the shredded cheese over the mixture, saving the remaining 1/2 cup for the top. Use a spoon to stir the cheese in evenly. Cover the pan tightly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, uncover it, and check the rice for tenderness in a few spots. If the rice is not tender, cover the pan and continue to bake. Once the rice is tender, remove the casserole from the oven, uncover it, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, and turn on your oven's broiler.
- Broil the casserole until the cheese is melted and starting to brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Let the casserole rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Notes
For a quicker browning of the cheese, you can finish the casserole in a 450 degree F (235 degrees C) oven until the cheese is browned, about 10 minutes.