Meat-za Pie

Meat-za Pie
2 Tablespoons oil
one pound (454 grams) extra-lean ground beef
ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry seasoned breadcrumbs (or use your own seasonings)
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup ketchup (or tomato paste or tomato sauce)
1 cup sliced fresh button mushrooms (or one 10 ounce/284 mL can, drained)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (or cheddar, or add some Parmesan too)

In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the beef and scramble-fry until fully cooked. Transfer to a pan/pans. Season with pepper and breadcrumbs, and moisten with milk. Add ketchup, and stir it all up with the meat in the pan.  Spread the meat evenly in the bottom of the pan, then top with the mushrooms, then sprinkle with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375◦F for about 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and entire dish is hot. Serve with potatoes, pasta, or rice.

This is a quick, tasty family meal and a good way to use ground beef (I'm sure it would work with other meats too though). It is also incredibly versatile - if you don't like mushrooms, use another vegetable. Use any cheese you like. Add more spice, chopped peppers, different cheeses, whatever. Also the dish is quite forgiving, the oven temperature and baking time may be varied, and it may be baked with other dishes too. The breadcrumbs really give the dish a lot of flavor, so you don't even need to add salt to the meat. The ketchup also adds a hint of sweetness to the dish, and has more flavor than tomato paste and most sauces, so I would recommend using this. I used slightly more than a pound of beef, so I also increased the amounts of the other ingredients, and divided it all into two 8-inch round pans. The original recipe suggest a 9x9 inch pan. Just use whatever works for you!