"The Duke" aka John Wayne Casserole

Sooo....John Wayne had a casserole.

Ummm, not so much.

I was intrigued when I saw the name of this recipe and as most of you know I have an inquiring mind so I wanted to know why this was called John Wayne casserole and boy oh boy did I find a slew of different answers.

After reading lots of different theories I'm choosing the one that seems the most logical. Who knows if I'm right or not. This one just sounded right to me.

This from the University of Mississippi's Cafeteria:

The John Wayne Casserole is one of those old favorites. Served every other Thursday and nicknamed "The Duke," it has been a menu staple for 15 years. They once stopped serving the dish, but the retirement was brief-it was returned to the kitchen's repertoire due to much demand.

The John Wayne Casserole with Southwestern flavors quickly became a cafeteria favorite when it was introduced. "It was not unusual to see lines out the cafeteria door, and it has always been a top seller," says Williams. "We've tried putting other menu items up against it, but it still proves to be the one that people want." The spicy concoction is clearly a preferred dish and likely to be a part of UMC cafeteria's offerings for years to come.

So there you have....recipe from the University of Mississippi...sounds logical right? This recipe just sounded like something my men would like. Well they didn't like it, they loved it. I think the creamy topping made it.

I adjusted it a bit. There really wasn't enough topping to cover mine so I amped it up a bit and it came out perfect.




The Duke - John Wayne Casserole
adapted from the University of Mississippi Cafeteria
2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained
1 (1.25-ounce) packet taco seasoning(2/3 cup water)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 small yellow onion, sliced
2 cups biscuit mix mixed with 3/4 cup water.
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 (4-ounce) can sliced jalapeno peppers or a can of green chilies

Heat the oven to 350. Cook the onion slices until translucent. Add in the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain any grease. Return to the pan and add in taco seasoning and 2/3 cup water; set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise and half of cheddar cheese (6 ounces).

Stir biscuit mix and water (3/4 cup) to form soft dough. Pat dough on the bottom and one-half-inch up the sides of an 9 x 13 greased casserole dish.

On top of biscuit mix, evenly distribute ingredients in the following order: ground beef, tomato slices, green peppers, jalapeno peppers & sour cream mixture. Top with remaining shredded cheese.

Bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until edges of dough are slightly brown and cheese is bubbly.