Bursting with flavors, slightly sweetened with apricot jam, and simple to prepare, this one-pan South African bobotie casserole is a perfect dinner solution for your busy weekdays.
Tired of the same old ground beef recipes? Then you will love this one-pan bobotie casserole, a traditional dish of South Africa, because you don't need a new skill to make it.
Why this recipe works:
Bobotie is like making a meatloaf without getting your hands dirty. Everything is cooked in one skillet and then the same skillet goes into the oven. Easy-peasy and delicious. It's so good, I made it twice in a week!
Bursting with flavors, slightly sweetened with apricot jam, and simple to prepare, the bobotie will quickly become your family's new favorite meal.
Best of all, it's made in one pan and thus a perfect solution for busy weekday dinners. Less time cleaning up = more time with your family.
What is Bobotie?
This one-pan dish is similar to that of Greek Moussaka, minus the potatoes. It is traditionally served with yellow rice, which is also flavored with spices and sweetened with sultanas (golden raisins). Leftovers are great for brunch!
I love that we can make small changes and still enrich our food experience. Don't get me wrong, I sometimes go to great lengths for a fabulous meal or a dessert, but on most days I just want something simple without having to rotate the same dishes over and over.
When my (South African-native) talented friend Michelle told me bobotie is her favorite dish and that I should make it, I hesitated. I assumed that it must be complicated or at least that it uses to me unknown ingredients.
I was wrong (my husband is writing down this date, lol). It's as simple as it was making their oatmeal cookie bars.
Ingredients:
- Fat - Oil. You can use canola, vegetable, avocado, grapeseed, or olive oil.
- Protein - Ground beef and eggs. Choose lean meat so you don't have a pool of grease in your finished dish.
- Aromatics - Onion and garlic.
- Spices - Curry and turmeric powder, ground ginger, and cinnamon.
- Herbs - Bay leaves.
- Seasonings - Salt and ground pepper.
- Vegetables - Carrot.
- Liquids - Lemon juice, milk, and beef or chicken broth.
- Fillers - Breadcrumbs.
- Sweeteners - Apricot jam and sultanas (golden raisins).
Instructions:
- In a large cast-iron or oven-safe skillet, cook the onion and garlic in the oil. Add the ground beef, salt, and pepper and cook until meat is browned and crumbly. Use a wooden spoon or a fork to break down large lumps.
- Add the carrot and lemon juice and mix it through. Stir in the spices, jam, and sultanas if using. Add the breadcrumbs and broth and mix to combine. If the mixture is too crumbly add more broth, one tablespoon at a time. Level the mixture with the back of a spoon.
- Lightly whisk together the eggs and milk. Pour the milk and egg mixture (the custard) over the meat mixture and lay the bay leaves on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes or until the egg custard is set and golden brown in color. Serve with rice.
More South African recipes to try:
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South African One-Pan Bobotie Casserole
Equipment
- cast iron skillet
- Mixing bowl
- whisk
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ teaspoon salt and ground pepper
- 1 large carrot peeled and grated
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon each curry and turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon each ground ginger and cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon smooth apricot jam
- ¼ cup sultanas (golden raisins), optional
- ½ cup beef or chicken broth
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 4-5 bay leaves
Instructions
- In a large cast-iron or oven-safe skillet, cook the onion and garlic in the oil. Add the ground beef, salt, and pepper and cook until meat is browned and crumbly. Use a wooden spoon or a fork to break down large lumps.
- Add the carrot and lemon juice and mix it through. Stir in the spices, jam, and sultanas if using. Add the breadcrumbs and broth and mix to combine. If the mixture is too crumbly add more broth, one tablespoon at a time. Level the mixture with the back of a spoon.
- Lightly whisk together the eggs and milk. Pour the milk and egg mixture (the custard) over the meat mixture and lay the bay leaves on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes or until the egg custard is set and golden brown in color. Serve with rice.
Expert Tips
- Replace apricot jam with fruit chutney if you prefer.
- You can add ½ cup sliced almonds to the meat mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to a small casserole dish if you don't have an oven-safe skillet.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a microwave.
- It's delicious served with sultana yellow rice.
Jessica says
Wow this was delicious and easy. Thanks for the recipe! I made it as written except I added a little mango chutney I had in the fridge. Also made the yellow rice and it went great with it! Definitely will go into the regular dinner rotation.
Jas says
Thank you, Jessica! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Annemieke van den Heuvel says
It was soooo good!!! Greetings from The Netherlands
Jas says
Dankjewel, Annemieke! So glad you enjoyed our bobotie recipe! 😀
CP says
Hi Jas-
One of my dearest friends from Capetown used to make this for me all the time, and I would drool over it 🙂
I am over the moon for this recipe-thank you.
I made it with ground turkey instead. Still as delicious !
Jas says
So glad you enjoyed it! 😀
Jamie says
This was SO good! I had never tried South African food before but my boyfriend and I are trying foods from different countries every week. I made this with the sultana rice. Delicious!
Jas says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Jamie! Sultana rice complements the dish perfectly. 🙂