Imagine it’s the beginning of the month – right after pay day, and like everyone else – you are living it up. Takeaways, all-of-the-time. Prawns – only king-size, will do. Truffles and saffron – use it like confetti.  MCC – poppin’ bottles. But when the mid-month slump hits the two-minute-noodle-type dinners are real. And, whatever has been collecting dust in the food cupboard or at the brink of freezer-burn in the fridge-freezer – suddenly becomes potential. So, this recipe is inspired by these times; times when you must dig deep (in the fridge, food cupboard and your imagination).

It was exactly a time like this that inspired the creative sparkle in me and I started making what I now call: Oops I Did It Again, Burger Bake. This recipe is here to inspire you to use what you have, to make something delicious even if you lived it up, the first weeks in the month.

Ingredients: 

How To Make Burger Bake:

1) Place 1 Tbsp. of coconut oil in a skillet and melt on a medium heat. Add the bacon, honey, Marmite and mix. Fry until bacon is crispy and browned. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2) Place the remaining coconut oil in the skillet/pan; brown the mince, then and add the onion, tomato mix and if you have opted for the veg mix – now is the time to add them to the skillet.

3) Spray an ovenproof dish with non-stick spray. Place half of the pulled-apart bread pieces in the dish, add the bacon and add half of the shredded cheese.

4) Then add the mince mix; then half of the remaining cheese (1/4 of original), the last bit of bread and all the cheese.

5) In a mixing bowl, mix the eggs, milk/cream, salt and pepper together. Whisk together and pour over the rest of the layers evenly.

6) If you have time for days (which no one has!). Leave in the fridge overnight or an hour covered with foil.

7) Or live life on the sparkle edge and chuck it in a 200 ˚ C oven (pre-heated – don’t overdo it cowboy!) for 40 minutes or until the top is golden, the cheese melted and the bread toasty.

8) Serve with the pickles and suggested sauce or condiments of your choice.

And there you have it sparkle cowboy! Let me know how the recipe goes and how you adapted it to your month-end pantry.

Get ready to sparkle your belly, with Sparkle Ellie!