“Cheesy” Beef & Potato Casserole
I used to make casseroles all the time. Like a lot. Like every single night.
There’s something extremely satisfying about a cheesy, one dish casserole. It’s comforting. The thing is, most casseroles are made from a bunch of ingredients that are, well, less than optimal. Not to mention casseroles may be a little out of fashion in the kitchen world.
But there’s no denying that everyone loves a good casserole. I truly believed my casserole days were behind me. Once I started eating grain-free & dairy-free, I knew I couldn’t make all those recipes I used to. Over years of refining my health journey there are a lot of things I choose not to eat simply because it’s not the best option. So for these two reasons, I really didn’t think I’d every eat another casserole again.
But then, like the hero of a Disney movie, this “Cheesy” Beef Casserole came into my life. Admittedly, the “cheese” sauce for this casserole was an accidental surprise in my kitchen. Typically accidental surprises end up in the trash but this one was an immediate jackpot.
But this accident is what makes this casserole have that rich, comforting flavor.
If you want a comfort meal or you or someone in your house is a meat & potatoes kind of person, this is your meal! My kids fought over it almost as much as they fight over my Fried Chicken!
“Cheesy” Beef & Potato Casserole
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds lean ground beef or ground wild game
7-8 large red potatoes, peeled & sliced thin
2 cans full fat coconut milk
1 16-ounce bag of frozen chopped kale or spinach
1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup ghee
3 tablespoons arrowroot flour
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
garnish: parsley
DIRECTIONS
preheat oven to 375.
in a large, oven safe skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. add in the chopped onion & sauté until golden.
add the garlic & the ground meat to the skillet & cook until most of the pink is gone, stirring to crumble it while cooking. sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the salt, the pepper, cumin & smoked paprika over the meat & stir to mix well.
add the frozen kale (or spinach) to the skillet & stir to combine it into the meat. turn off the heat on the stove.
lay the sliced potatoes all over the top of the meat mixture, layering it if necessary. (it’s okay if they overlap or if it makes 2 layers of potatoes) make sure meat is completely covered with potatoes.
in a medium size saucepan, heat the ghee over medium heat until melted & slightly bubbly on the edges. add in the arrowroot flour & quickly stir with a whisk. immediately pour the 2 cans of coconut milk into the pan & whisk well.
continue cooking coconut milk mixture over medium until it begins to boil on the edges. add in the remaining salt & the nutritional yeast. whisk vigorously to combine. cook an additional 2 minutes, whisking often. turn off the heat & let it sit on the stove top 2 more minutes.
pour the “cheesy” milk all over the top of the potatoes. making sure to cover the entire top of the potatoes.
cover the skillet & bake 45 minutes. remove the cover/foil & turn the heat up to 425 & bake an additional 15 minutes until top is browned. alternately you can also turn the oven on broil for the last 5 minutes of cooking to ensure a nicely browned top.
garnish with parsley & serve!