September 10

Hamburger Cheesy “Mac” Casserole


A lot of my cooking is a synthesis of laziness and resourcefulness. Laziness: I don’t like to copy recipes or bring them up on electronic devices to come down to the kitchen with me if I don’t absolutely have to. Resourcefulness: I look around at what I have and try to make something out of it. Combine both of these factors with a questionable memory, and you’ve got Dixie in the kitchen blending several recipes to make a new one. Fortunately, a lot of times it comes out pretty good anyway.

This casserole was one of those better experiments, a synthesis of the Stuffed Chicken and the Cheesy Mac Casserole recipes I made properly earlier in the week. It was a very filling single-dish meal with plenty of leftovers for the next day. Hope you like it!

Cheesy Mac Low Carb Casserole

Hamburger Cheesy “Mac” Casserole

Very rich and filling, with strong comfort food overtones!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cauliflower Casserole, Low Carb Casserole
Servings: 6
Calories: 616kcal
Author: Dixie

Ingredients

Casserole

  • 1 pound hamburger
  • 16 oz. frozen cauliflower (1 bag)
  • 10 oz. box frozen spinach
  • 2 tsp beef broth base (optional but adds a nice dimension to the flavor)
  • 2 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 Tbsp minced (dried onions)
  • 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke (optional)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Crushed ]Pork Rinds mixed with dash of Applewood Rub (all optional)

Sauce

  • 8 oz. cream cheese (1 pkg)
  • 2 cups shredded Colby-Jack Cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Havarti Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Heavy Cream

Instructions

  • Gather your goodies.

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cook up your hamburger. I use my ever-handy electric skillet. Add in the broth base, the Liquid Smoke, garlic and onions to cook with the hamburger.
  • Cook spinach in the microwave. Drain well.
  • Add spinach to browned hamburger. Mix.

  • Cook the cauliflower. You can cook however you want to, but I like to use veggie cooking bags in the microwave. Put on paper towels to dry. Add some salt to draw moisture out and speed the process.
  • Put drained and patted dry cauliflower in casserole dish.

Sauce Making

  • Melt Cream Cheese and 2/3 of the shredded cheeses with the 1/2 cup heavy cream over medium low heat. Be careful not to burn, stirring regularly.

Mixing it together!

  • Put hamburger mix in casserole dish with the cauliflower. Mix well.

  • Dump melted cheese mixture over the hamburger, spinach and cauliflower. Mix well.
  • Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese.
  • Bake about 10 minutes. Add crushed pork rinds mixed with seasoning if using.
  • Bake another 15 minutes for a total of about 25 minutes, until browned around the edges and bubbly. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I used a cup of crushed pork rinds and it was too many. Between that and the Applewood rub, it had a good flavor overall but was much more salty than necessary. Next time, I'll use 1/2 or even 1/4 cup crushed rinds instead and just a dash of the rub.
You could easily use whatever cheese types you have on hand.
Nutritionals are my best estimate based on what I used. If you need to track closely, please figure your own numbers using your own ingredients.
Nutrition Facts
Hamburger Cheesy "Mac" Casserole
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 616 Calories from Fat 448
% Daily Value*
Fat 49.82g77%
Trans Fat 0.777g
Cholesterol 6.4mg2%
Sodium 818mg34%
Carbohydrates 9.74g3%
Fiber 3.376g14%
Sugar 2.713g3%
Protein 39.73g79%
Net Carbs 6.36
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Made this? Show it off!Follow @lowcarbzen & tag it #lczen.

 


About the author...

Zen Goddess

Just a regular gal who found she feels better eating low carb.

Tags

Casserole, Cauliflower, Cheese, Hamburger


  • ok – this looks very yummy – but as with many websites – there is not a printer friendly button to print JUST the recipe – we don’t need to print 6 pages with pictures…just the recipe….not wanting to waste the paper for all that…

  • to print just recipe go to page set up and look at it and find the page number that the recipe is on and request only that page. . I did and it printed just recipe

  • 5 stars
    This is a fantastic recipe, left overs did not make it 16 hours in my house. Took it to work and shared and they all love it too. Thanks!

  • 5 stars
    THIS was awwwwesome! Everyone loved it, even my picky eaters! Thank you for sharing! I didn’t do the rub or the pork rinds crushed up at all – but it was fabulous!

  • 5 stars
    We loved this dish and am making it again for the second time. I am doubling the cauliflower to stretch it a little more as everyone had seconds and we love cauliflower! I even had some for breakfast. I have even shared the recipe with several friends.

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