This Paleo Cheeseburger Casserole is an epically delicious, healthy meal the whole family will love! It’s made with a layer of crispy hash browns, seasoned burger, a dairy-free cheese sauce, and fresh toppings.
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Ok, now let’s talk Paleo Cheeseburger Casserole! It’s no secret that I LOVE BURGERS. A giant burger with french fries was my first meal after Gray’s delivery and I crave one at least once a week. While I prefer my burger bun-less (lettuce-wrapped, instead), I do still like all the fixings. This casserole is fashioned after my favorite meal …made even more epic by a Paleo-friendly “cheese” (or regular shredded cheese, if you’d prefer that!). The casserole starts off with a crispy layer of hash browns (to replace the fries), a layer of seasoned “burger,” and a layer of either (really easy) Paleo cheese or shredded cheese. All you need to do is assemble, bake so that the flavors come together a bit, and top with your favorite fresh bonus fixings. Spoon up your servings and enjoy!
Recipe Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil (or another fat of choice)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 pounds of ground beef
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 1, 20-ounce package of frozen hashbrowns (or 5 cups of shredded potatoes)
- 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese OR Paleo nacho cheese
- 4 slices of bacon, cooked, for topping
- 1/4 head of iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced, for topping
- 1/2 of a tomato, diced, for topping
- 1 avocado, diced, for topping
- 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced, for topping
How to Prepare this Paleo Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Saute the onions and garlic – heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a 13-inch cast iron pan (or an oven-safe skillet of similar size). Add the diced onions and garlic and saute for 5-7 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Add the ground beef – add the ground beef, salt, and pepper to the skillet with the onion and garlic, and cook for 7-8 minutes, until the ground beef is browned and fully cooked. Then remove the ground beef mixture from the pan and set aside.
- Brown the hashbrowns – add the 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan, then add the hashbrowns. Cook the hashbrowns for 5-6 minutes, then flip, and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the potatoes are crispy and cooked through.
- Assemble the casserole – place the ground beef mixture on top of the hashbrowns in an even layer. Then, top with either the Paleo nacho cheese or shredded cheese.
- Bake – put the skillet in the oven and bake the casserole for 15 minutes.
- Top, serve, and enjoy – once the casserole has finished baking, garnish it with the lettuce, bacon, tomato, avocado, and jalapeno, and serve!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’ve ever been to the ground beef section of the grocery store, you know that there are lots of different lean/fat ratios to choose from when it comes to this versatile protein. We typically use 85/15 ground beef for this recipe (and most ground beef recipes in general).
Because this casserole is a really balanced meal all on its own, you actually don’t need to make anything extra to go alongside it. If you want to, though, a nice simple lemon arugula salad would be really tasty!
Store any leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stored this way, it’ll keep for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze the casserole for up to 3 months! My favorite way to do this is to package individual portions in airtight, freezer-safe containers so that I can heat up a serving (or two!) at a time.
Paleo Cheeseburger Casserole Video
Here’s the recipe video with step-by-step instructions, enjoy!
More Favorite Ground Beef Recipes
Cheesy Hamburger Casserole
Ingredients
For the Casserole:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil or other fat of choice, divided
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 20 ounce package frozen hashbrowns or 5 cups shredded potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese or Paleo nacho cheese for dairy-free
For the Topping:
- 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1/4 head iceberg lettuce thinly sliced
- 1/2 tomato diced
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 jalapeno thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a 13-inch cast iron pan, or 9×13 inch oven-safe pan, heat the oil over medium heat, add the diced onions and garlic and saute 5 to 7 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add the ground beef, salt, and pepper, and cook 7-8 minutes until ground beef is browned and fully cooked. Remove from pan.
- Add the 3 tablespoons oil to the pan, then add hash browns. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, then flip, and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the potatoes are crispy and cooked through. Place the ground beef and onion mixture on top of the hash browns, then pour on the nacho cheese.
- Put the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. While casserole is baking, prepare the toppings.
- Once casserole has finished baking, garnish with the lettuce, bacon, tomato, avocado, and jalapeno and serve!
Nutrition
Going to make this tonight!! Can’t wait!!
Hart of Dixie is the show I binged when my little guy was actually still little!! It’s similar to Gilmore Girls in that the town plays such a huge role in the show. Those two shows are my fave so I highly recommend Hart of Dixie if you like Gilmore Girls.
Also Queer Eye just released on Netflix and it’s such an uplifting show. I cried several times watching it.
Thank you for a great recipe, can’t wait to try it out!
I saw this recipe get posted and I decided I needed to make it ASAP! So that’s what I did. It was fantastic and pretty dang easy to make! This was also my first time making Fed & Fit’s paleo ‘cheese’ and let me tell you…we will be make it again. So. Good!
So glad you liked it Tayler!
That looks amazing! I loved the binge tv shows when my bubba’s were small and I was stuck on the couch feeding. I’m not sure if it’s the same in America (I’m in Australia) but I really loved Chuck, Hart of Dixie, Gilmore Girls, Victoria and Suits. Enjoy that time, once they start moving it gets so busy. I rarely get time to watch tv at all now and if I do it’s kiddy shows
I enjoyed the docuseries Dark Money. And second (third, fourth?) the suggestion for The Crown. Call the Midwife is also a nice, pleasant little show. Godless was great too but it’s not everyone’s taste. Handmaid’s Tale was also great if you’re up for some Hulu viewing.
OH and how could I forget!! Madam Secretary is also wonderful.
Ugh I agree that “Parenthood” is SOOOO good! One of my favorites! The Crown. How to Get Away With Murder. Royal Pains (a medical show that is actually smart and entertaining!) Master of None.
If you haven’t already, I definitely recommend watching Parenthood! You’ll laugh, you’ll cry…it’s the best!!
Many moons ago i binge watched reruns of Seventh Heaven and supermarket sweep (pre netflix) while nursing my 2 oldest.
Call the Midwife and Stranger Things are my current favorites. Enjoy the time with that sweet baby!
Agree above with Young and Hungry – but Netflix just released the third season of Crazy Ex Girlfriend. Wikipedia describes it as a “romantic musical comedy-drama television series” and it’s absolutely wonderful.
Also, this meal is definitely happening next week in our household. YUM!
Hi! I watched so much tv while nursing too! Definitely the most tv I have ever watched in my life in such a short period of time.
Some shows that I watched and loved during the first few months were How to Get Away with Murder, Life in Pieces (short episodes and easy to watch), Glitch, and Travelers.
Thank goodness for Netflix!!
This looks great, can’t wait to try! And that cheese – so far I haven’t found a paleo friendly cheese I like, so I’m excited to try it! Two of our favorite Netflix binges have been Shameless and Nurse Jackie, and I loved Breakinh Bad too. My old favorites that I watch over and over are Friends, The Office, and Parks and Rec
I had the same experience with my girls! Lots of binge watching while snuggling. If you have amazon prime Sneaky Pete and Goliath are 2 really good shows. I second the The Crown, great show!
I would definitely recommend Scandal!
Have you watched The Crown yet?! If not, it’s a must see!!! Also, When Calls The Heart is a great one to watch too 🙂 And oh this recipe looks yummy! I can’t wait to try it!
Ummmm…this recipe is going to the top of my menu for next week! It looks so good!! As far as tv shows- if you liked New Girl then I recommend Young and Hungry and also Baby Daddy! Both are silly and cute!