Beef and Spinach Casserole: Greek spanakopita flavours in a hearty dinner dish |

I’ve been watching a lot of Harry Potter. The movies are great to watch but also good background noise for when I’m trying to do really important stuff. I’ve also been watching Dexter on Netflix because I was really into the first season and then it fell off my radar, well there is a lot of catching up to do. So, much like before, watching shows, applying for jobs, and working on my paper has been my life. I had an interview yesterday for a great new position at an exciting firm, but we’ll see if anything comes of it. I am keeping my eye on the market and have been seriously looking into jobs in the UK (yaaaay Caelin), Toronto (yaaaay Heidi, Lauren, and Andreé) and the states (yaaaaay Trader Joe’s)! I am so incredibly tired of the never-ending weekend, but trust that something will come along soon. I am enjoying the search so far, I am definitely getting a feel for the job market in Vancouver.

OH! And also, happy Valentine’s Day! Gen and I aren’t celebrating today because he’s working all night. We are postponing our festivities until Sunday when we can spend the day together. The plans? We are having a Die Hard marathon (at my request, I haven’t seen them) and I am making us a series of delicious meals that are sure to be feature on Not Crocker! But for all of you lovers out there, happy love day! To all those without someone special to smooch on today, make some Scotch Truffles or Rum Cupkrakes and know that someone, somewhere thinks you’re awesome!

I always forget about my leafy greens. I love kale but it can be expensive, so instead of buying a cheaper option I tend to forgo the leafy greens altogether. Well I had some ground beef left over from some meatballs yesterday and was thinking about how delicious a spinachy, feta-y, garlic-y, spanakopita-like dish would be. This meal is totally hearty with rich flavours. In lieu of pastry I just made up a walnut crust for the bottom that adds a nice buttery contrast to the main dish. Add in your own veggie favourites and certainly add more cheese if you want, I think more is better! This dish can be made vegetarian by swapping out the beef for boiled lentils, to make it vegan you will need to swap out the dairies for non-dairy versions and omit the eggs (add a little water to the dish in this case to keep the moisture).

Beef and Spinach Casserole

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cup walnut halves
1/2 cup butter

1-2 tbsp coconut oil (or other oil of choice)
2.5 lbs ground beef (or lentils)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup zucchini, chopped
5 cups of frozen spinach (I used a single 500g bag)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp coarse salt
2 cups crumbled feta
3 eggs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 cup marble cheese (or mozzarella), shredded

DIRECTIONS

In a food processor, grind the walnuts until they are a coarse meal.
Add the butter and process until the mixture becomes pea-sized clumps.
Spread the mixture evenly in the bottom of a 9- x 13-inch glass baking dish. Press down and refrigerate while you make the filling.
Heat the oven to 350°F.
In a large pan, sauté the beef in the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Cook until browned. Drain the meat and set aside.
Back in the same pan, adding a little more coconut oil if necessary, sauté the onions until translucent.
Add the mushrooms to the pan with onions and a tablespoon of water. Sauté both for a couple of minutes.
Add the garlic, salt and pepper (more if needed), zucchini, and spinach. Cover and let cook over medium-high heat for 8 minutes.
Add the beef back to the pan and stir well to combine. Add the eggs and feta and stir to evenly distribute.
Spoon the meat mixture over the walnut base. Sprinkle with parmesan and then marble cheese.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is browned and the mixture is bubbling. Allow the dish to sit for 10 minutes, to allow ease of serving.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream.