Creamy Beef & Potato Bake

1/4 cup butter, divided
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 zucchini, sliced OR
2 cups peppers, sliced
salt & pepper
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 cup prepared tomato pasta sauce
2 cups milk, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese


Preheat oven to 375
In a skillet, melt 2 tsp butter and oil. Add potatoes and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until almost cooked through.
Seriously, I didn't cook mine long enough, thinking they would cook in the oven, but they were hard in the middle. Boo.
Add peppers or zucchini, salt and pepper. Cook until tender









Spoon vegetable mixture into a 9'x13' baking dish. Set aside.














In skillet, cook onion and Italian seasoning until onion is tender. Add ground beef, cook and stir until meat is cooked through. Stir in tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of milk. Spoon meat mixture over vegetable layer in the dish.











Melt remaining butter, stir and cook for one minute. Gradually whisk in remaining milk. Cook and stir until sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Stir in cheese.












Pour sauce over meat layer. Cook 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.













Let stand 10 minutes before serving.