Weekly Meal Deal: Cuban Stuffed Potato Casserole

Being from the Tampa area,  you get a taste for Cuban food, because it is everywhere.  One of my favorites are Cuban Stuffed Potatoes.  For those of you who don’t know what these are, they are like mashed potatoes shaped into a ball, with a ground beef filling in the very center. They are then breaded and fried.  All I can say is yum!

While I do not have the talent to make these as spectacularly as they do in Ybor city, I came up with this quick and easy casserole that has some of the same flavors I love! This is like a Cuban Shepherds Pie! You can make this ahead and just pop it in the freezer for one of those nights when you don’t have time to cook! Super easy, and amazingly tasty!

Cuban Stuffed Potato Casserole

Cuban Stuffed Potato Casserole Printable Version

• · 2 cups Prepared Mashed Potatoes
• · 1/2 cup chopped onion
• · 2 cloves garlic chopped
• · 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• · 1 tbsp. olive oil
• · 1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
• · ¼ stuffed green olives (manzanillas)
• · ¼ tsp. oregano
• · ½ tsp. chili powder
• · Salt and pepper
• · 1 (8 ounce) can of tomato sauce
• · ¼ cup bread crumbs (or crushed rice chex for GF)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, sauté onions, pepper and garlic in the olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add ground beef to mix. Cook beef, crumbling it while it browns. Add seasonings and chopped olives.

Allow to cook a few more minutes until beef is fully cooked.

Add tomato sauce while stirring. Cook 1 to 2 minutes longer to incorporate the sauce.

Place the beef mixture into 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish.

Top the beef with an even layer of mashed potatoes.

Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake for 20-30 minutes until topping is brown and casserole is bubbly.

Serve with a side salad.

Makes 4-6 servings

Try one of these Dessert Recipes for something sweet afterward!

Tagged as: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, ground beef, olives, potato, tomato sauce, Weekly Meal Deal