This delicious, hearty beef casserole was inspired by this very simple Hamburger Recipe . Linda has so many delicious, simple casserole recipes and was my cooking-Bible when I began low-carbing and had no idea what I was doing.

For my final dish, I substituted a somewhat richer creamy ingredient: Jennifer Eloff’s marvelous Condensed Mushroom Soup (scroll down on the page) . You should omit the xanthan gum in her soup recipe, as I also add a fair amount of Smoked Gouda cheese to the recipe, which nicely takes care of thickening the liquid in this recipe. I also greatly increased the vegetables in the recipe for deeper flavor and added parsley and cayenne pepper.

This dish is very quick to make and can even be baked in the same skillet you used for sauteing! I’m all about easy in the kitchen! This entree would be suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal diners who eat occasional dairy. This one is not appropriate for Paleo.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 head (5-6″) cauliflower, cut into flowerettes, steamed or boiled

1 T. butter, unsalted, melted

1 c. celery, chopped

½ c. onion, chopped

1 lb. ground beef (I used 90% lean grass-fed)

½ recipe Jennifer Eloff’s Condensed Mushroom Soup: (omit xanthan gum)

¼ c. chicken broth (I use homemade)

1 4-oz. can sliced mushrooms, undrained

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Dash salt

Dash cayenne pepper (optional)

¼ c. parsley, chopped

6 oz. shredded Smoked Gouda Cheese

DIRECTIONS: Make the mushroom soup by that recipe’s directions, omitting the xanthan gum. You will use half for this dish and can store the balance in the refrigerator for about a week. Set aside for now. Steam or boil the cauliflower until tender (about 15-20 minutes). Drain well and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350º. In an oven-proof skillet over high heat melt the butter. Add the onion and celery and saute/stir until they are tender. Crumble the meat on top and continue to cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add all remaining ingredients but the parsley (including the condensed soup and cooked cauliflower). Stir gently to mix well and turn off the heat. Sprinkle the parsley on top and press slightly into the surface of the casserole. Pop skillet into your preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with a green vegetable or green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 8 servings (my skillet is 15″). Each serving contains:

267 cals, 20g fat, 6.67g carbs, 2.17g fiber, 4.5g NET CARBS, 17g protein, 488 mg sodium