Mexican beef casserole recipe

This makes a change from the usual chilli con carne as it uses stewing beef instead of mince. It is very tasty and is good if you like quite a hot flavour. If you like more vegetables in your casserole you can add extra peppers, onions etc to bulk it out and to feed extra people. This delicious beef casserole is packed full of flavour, tender beef and a rich, spicy tomato sauce that you’ll want to make time and time again. If there’s any of this dish left over, pop in an airtight container and leave in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 700g stewing beef, cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 tbsp hot pepper or chilli sauce
• 2 tsp hot chilli powder
• 1 small hot red chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 500ml hot beef stock
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 2 tsp paprika pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 400g can kidney beans, drained
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160⁰C/325⁰F/140⁰C Fan/Gas Mark 3. Pour 1 tbsp of the oil into a large ovenproof casserole dish or deep sauté pan and heat on a medium setting.
2. Add the onions and garlic and fry gently until softened. Lift out and drain.
3. Add the remaining oil and fry the beef until evenly browned. Return the onions and garlic to the pan.
4. Add the pepper or chilli sauce, chilli powder and red chilli and stir well. Add the tomatoes, stock and tomato purée, stir well then bring to the boil.
5. Add the red pepper, paprika, oregano and kidney beans and stir well, cover and place in the oven.
6. Cook for 3 – 3 ½ hours or until the beef is very tender. Check the casserole from time to time to ensure it does not dry out – add more stock if necessary.

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