It is a keeper recipe for sure!! This is comfort food - hearty comfort food and tastes like down-home country cooking. Add a vegetable or salad and you have a delicious meal. You could serve it with roasted peppers and onions. That recipe is coming soon.
This recipe is made with ground beef, seasoned with garlic and seasonings, mixed with cooked diced mushrooms and onions and a creamy gravy. Spread that mixture in a casserole dish and top with the tastiest Cauli mash topping ever! The secret is using the combo of ingredients suggested especially the cream cheese and the secret ingredient, Mozzarella cheese! You will simply not miss mashed potatoes on top of this casserole. However, that said, if you are in maintenance, you can add a small, cooked potato to the cauli mash and mash it in. I didn't do that even although I am in maintenance; it just isn't necessary. This casserole is so tasty! You must try it!
I didn't use French onion soup or anything like that but in the Creamy Gravy, I added two tablespoons of brown gravy mix (commercial with no MSG) and that along with onion powder just added some lovely flavorings that perhaps mimic French onion soup; no idea how closely, but it worked! If you don't have that on hand, don't worry, just use some Worcestershire sauce which can be added to the sauce or directly to the meat.
This is a stick-to-your ribs meal that will keep you happy and satisfied on your low-carb diet. You don't have to do Keto to be a dedicated low-carber. I haven't done that since I first started out with Atkins in 1999. Well, actually, that is not quite true. I did do it again years later for 3 months and documented everything I ate, but did not lose an ounce. That put me off. I also tried the Fat Fast and that sometimes worked, but I found it to be so restrictive, and if I went over the amount of calories allowed, I could actually gain weight. So I gave up on that as well. It might be I was not successful because I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and for me that was too low-carb. I found I could barely pee at night, too. I became too dehydrated. So, I switched to moderate low-carbing, and even although many of my recipes can fit into a Keto diet, it is not what I do and haven't done for years. I also have not counted carbs for years. I know more or less what the carbs are in foods and what I can have to remain stable in my weight. For weight loss, what works for me and has always worked well is to do Intermittent Fasting and moderate low-carbing. After 4 weeks I have usually lost 4 to 5 lbs. I don't see the drop on the scale for at least a week or more, but it happens. Stick with it!
Ingredients:
2 lbs lean ground beef (1.9 kg)
2 tsp minced garlic (10 mL)
11/2 tsp salt (7 mL)
1/2
tsp black pepper (2 mL)
1 cup diced mushrooms (250 mL)
1 cup diced onions (250 mL)
Creamy Gravy:
4 oz cream cheese (125 g)
1/2
cup whipping cream (125 mL)
2 tbsp water (30 mL)
1 tbsp extra-light olive oil (15 ml)
1 tsp onion powder (5 mL)
1/8
tsp salt (0.5 mL)
2 tbsp brown gravy mix (30 mL)
(commercial kind)
Mashed Cauliflower Topping:
1 medium cauliflower
3 oz cream cheese (90 g)
1/4
cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (60 mL)
1 tbsp butter (15 mL)
1/2
tsp salt (2 mL)
1/2
cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (125 mL)
Garnish:
2 slices bacon, cooked, diced
Green onions, tops only
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
In large, nonstick frying pan, fry ground beef over
medium heat breaking it up very small with a firm spatula. As it begins to brown, add garlic, salt and
black pepper.
In another nonstick frying pan, cook onions briefly
in some extra-light olive oil and then add mushrooms and cook until onions and
mushrooms have browned. Add to cooked
ground beef.
Creamy Gravy: In saucepot, add cream cheese, whipping
cream, water, extra-light olive, onion powder and salt. Whisk every now and then. When the sauce is
smooth, stir in the brown gravy mix.
Stir the sauce into the ground beef and vegetable mix.
Mashed Cauliflower Topping: Cut up cauliflower and add to boiling
water. Cook until soft and tender to the
tip of a sharp paring knife. Drain. Place in a salad spinner and spin dry or mop
the cauliflower with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
In food processor, place cooked cauliflower along
with cream cheese, Mozzarella cheese, butter and salt. Process until smooth.
Assembly of casserole: In 8 x 12-inch (20 x 30 cm) glass baking
dish, place ground beef mixture. Press
down lightly with a spatula or big spoon.
Spread Cauliflower mixture over top.
Sprinkle with shredded Cheddar cheese.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes.
Yield: 8 servings
1
serving
437.8
calories
29.7
g protein
32.3
g fat
1.4 g fiber
5.2
g net carbs
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