Maritime Madness

Maritime Madness is the kind of one-bowl ground beef casserole that built mid-century weeknight cooking on Canada’s east coast. The whole thing comes together raw in the casserole dish, no skillet required, then bakes covered until the meat is set and the oatmeal has soaked up the cream of mushroom and ketchup into a meatloaf-adjacent slab.

Oatmeal is the unsung worker here, doing what breadcrumbs would in a meatloaf but with a softer, more tender result that keeps the ground beef from drying out over the long bake.

The lid comes off for the last 15 minutes so the top browns properly. Serve it over mashed potatoes or with a sharp coleslaw to cut the richness.

Kitchen Tips

• Use lean ground beef as the recipe calls for, anything fattier will pool grease on top and dilute the seasoning.
• Mix with your hands rather than a spoon, you want every ingredient evenly distributed before patting it into the dish.
• Do not skip the cover-off browning stage at the end, this is where the top gets that caramelized crust.
• Let it rest 5 to 10 minutes after baking so the cuts hold their shape.

Variations

• Swap cream of mushroom for cream of celery or cream of chicken if that is what is in the pantry.
• Stir in a half cup of shredded cheddar with the oatmeal for a richer, gooier version.
• Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika to lean into the barbecue sauce note already in the mix.