THE WORKS DOUBLE CHEDDAR HAMBURGER CASSEROLE





THE WORKS DOUBLE CHEDDAR HAMBURGER CASSEROLE

So rich and creamy with the Cream Cheese Sauce!  This is a delicious, very satisfying casserole to feed a large family!  All you need is another vegetable or salad on the side and dinner is served!  The cauliflower acts like hamburger helper and makes this a very substantial-tasting casserole. Tons of veggies in this meal.  Have you ever noticed that on a low-carb diet, one eats more veggies than ever before!  This is a fact for most of us.  Vegetables are good carbs and they make up for the starchy sides in a meal.

3 lbs lean ground beef (1.4 kg)
2 slices bacon
2 tsp salt (10 mL)
2 tsp crushed garlic, bottled kind (10 mL)
1 tsp black pepper (5 mL)
3 tbsp bacon fat, divided (45 mL)
1 lb cauliflower, grated (0.45 kg)
3 tbsp water (45 mL)
1 cup chopped onion (250 mL)
1 lb mushrooms, sliced (0.45 kg)
Seasoning salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (500 mL)
Creamy Sauce:
8 oz regular cream cheese (250 g)
1 cup whipping cream (250 mL)
1/4  cup water (60 mL)
2 tbsp olive oil (30 mL)
1/4  tsp white pepper (1 mL)

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

In nonstick frying pan, over medium heat, brown ground beef (breaking it up small with a spatula from time to time).  At the start of cooking add bacon which has been cut into small pieces with a kitchen scissors.  Add the salt, garlic and black pepper.  Set aside in a large bowl.

In nonstick frying pan and add 1 tbsp bacon fat over medium heat. Add cauliflower and toss to coat.  Add 2 tbsp (30 mL) water, cover pan and cook 4 minutes. (It will continue cooking in the oven)

In nonstick frying pan, in 1 tbsp bacon fat, cook onions until turning soft.  Add remaining bacon fat and toss mushrooms and onions to coat.  Cook over medium heat until the water from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms and onions start turning brown. Sprinkle with seasoning salt and black pepper, to taste. Add to the large bowl and combine well.

Creamy Sauce:  In nonstick frying pan, combine cream cheese, whipping cream, water, olive oil and white pepper.  Stir or whisk over medium heat until the sauce is smooth and creamy. 

Stir the Creamy Sauce into the meat and vegetable mixture.  Put half the mixture in a 9 x 13-inch (2 L) casserole dish.  Sprinkle with 1 cup (250 mL) grated Cheddar cheese.  Top with the remaining meat and vegetable mixture and the remaining Cheddar cheese.

Bake 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Yield:  10 servings
1 serving
617.3 calories
37.2 g protein
49.1 g fat
1.4 g fiber
5.3 g net carbs 


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