Grandma Itta's quinoa minced layered casserole

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 500 g minced beef
• 2 onions
• 200g bacon
• 3 gherkins, sliced
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 150 g pizza cheese
• 200 g light cream
• 1 tsp mustard
• 50 g tomato paste
• 2 tbsp paprika powder
• 2 tsp Cajun Rub (Cajun spice mix)
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 tsp, heaped curry powder
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp vegetable broth
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

Grandma’s standard casserole for family celebrations

Rinse the quinoa and cook according to the package instructions. Fry the bacon in a non-stick pan without fat until crispy and set aside on kitchen paper. Once cooled, break it into pieces. Dice 1 onion and sauté in the pan until translucent. Add the ground beef and season with half the paprika, Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper, and fry until crumbly. Remove the ground beef from the pan and drain in a sieve. Slice the second onion into half rings and roast it. Remove from the heat and set aside. For the sauce, mix together the vegetable stock, crème légère, mustard, tomato paste, the remaining spices, cumin, curry, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/convection oven. In a baking dish, layer the ingredients in the following order: quinoa, ground meat, 1/3 sauce, 50g pizza cheese, bacon bits, roasted onions, cherry tomatoes, gherkins, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.