Sausage Strata

This is my version of this yummy casserole which I first found in Sue Gregg's "Meals in Minutes" cookbook. It can be made with ground (minced) turkey, beef or lamb. It is a great dish to make double of, and freeze the extra one for another day. (This recipe makes enough for six people - serve with a salad to stretch it.) You might find, however, that your family likes it so much they won't let you freeze the extra one - my kids ate the first one for lunch and then wanted the second one for dinner! I gave in, because I was busy drawing and didn't want to stop to cook.

I use my Thermomix to make the bread crumbs, then make the white sauce, then saute the veges, then cook the meat mixture and add in the eggs - then I put it all together in a casserole dish.

1. Lightly saute zucchini and mushrooms in oil until barely cooked, and remove to bowl:
- 2 Tblspns olive oil
- 4 cups unpeeled, thinly sliced zucchini
- 1 to 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms, optional

2. In large pan, saute onion in oil, then add other indgredients and mix and brown; set aside to cool:
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 Tblspns olive oil
- 500g (1 lb) ground beef, turkey or lamb
- 1 Tblspn tamari/soy sauce
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp sage
- pinch cayenne pepper

3. Make 2 cups of white sauce or cheese sauce (see recipe here for dairy free version). If not using cheese, add 2 tsp chicken or vege stock concentrate to add flavour (or a couple of tsp of savoury yeast flakes).

4. Add to cooled meat mixture:
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup wholewheat spelt bread crumbs or gf bread crumbs

5. In casserole dish, layer cheese sauce, zucchini, mushrooms and meat mixture in two layers. Start and end with cheese or white sauce.

6. Bake uncovered at 175 degrees C (350 F) for 30 minutes. Eat now, or cool and freeze.

7. To cook a frozen casserole, place frozen dish in oven and cook, covered, for 3 hours on moderate heat. Or thaw out in fridge and cook for 1 hour.