Tomato 'n' Beef Casserole

Unfortunately for the recipe, the night I made this I had filled my belly with cheese and crackers prior to dinner and, therefore, was not very hungry when it came time to eat. Which ended up making this dish less than appetizing for me. But, in the dish's defense, that was my fault for not eating lunch and being so hungry when I got home from work that I wanted to eat everything in sight! Jeremy on the other hand - who had not gorged himself on wheat thins and gruyere cheese - really enjoyed this casserole. And when I had it for leftovers the next day, it was pretty good!

Tomato 'n' Beef Casserole
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 tsp salt
1 cup plain yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp Montreal steak seasoning
1 cup (4 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 lb. ground chuck (I used lean ground beef because it's all I buy!)
1 cup chopped onion
1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced (about 2 cups)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I did not use)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Bring 3 cups water and 1 tsp salt to a boil in a 2 qt saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in cornmeal; reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking constantly, 3 minutes or until thickened. (I poured all of the cornmeal in at once and it became very lumpy. I'm not sure if this is what was supposed to happen or not. You may try slowly adding the cornmeal to the water while whisking. However, lumpy cornmeal and all, this recipe still turned out good! So maybe the cornmeal is supposed to be lumpy . . . ?) Remove from heat, and stir in steak seasoning and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Spread cornmeal mixture into slightly greased 11x7 baking dish.
2. Brown ground chuck in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain and transfer to a bowl.
3. Saute onion and zucchini in hot oil in skillet (I used the same pan as I cooked the beef in) over medium heat 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. (Side note - what does "crisp-tender" even mean?? I mean, how is something crisp AND tender? I just don't understand this concept and yet, it is used all the time in recipes! Even the online-all-knowing-dictionary does not recognize this term! If someone could please explain it to me, I would be greatly appreciative!! Now, moving on . . .) Stir in beef, tomatoes, and tomato paste; simmer, stirring often, 10 minutes (FYI - there really wasn't anything to simmer per se. So I just let it all heat up for a few minutes - say 3 or 4 - and then moved to the next step). Pour beef mixture over cornmeal crust. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese (and you know me, I of course used more cheese! I think I put approximately 1 cup of cheese over the top. Mmm, Mmm Good!)
4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle casserole with parsley just before serving.

Sorry, the picture doesn't do it justice.