This Beef and Kale Casserole is hearty, healthy and delicious. It’s a great one pan meal that’s nutrient dense and comforting, AIP, paleo and Whole30 compliant.
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Casseroles are some of my favorite comfort foods. This AIP Beef and Kale Casserole is no exception. It’s made using ground beef and kale and topped with a creamy cheese-like sauce.
Here are the main ingredients in this Beef and Kale Casserole:
- ground beef (can substitute ground pork or lamb)
- dried basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder
- celery
- kale
- nomato sauce or coconut aminos (use for Whole30)
- Full fat additive free coconut milk
- tapioca or arrowroot starch
- apple cider vinegar
- turmeric (optional)
Here’s how to make this AIP Beef and Kale Casserole:
- Begin by sautéing onions, garlic and celery in olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.
- Once the onions have begun to turn translucent, add the ground beef along with the dried herbs and cook until meat begins to brown.
- Add coconut aminos or nomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Finally, add chopped kale in batches, stirring to incorporate and wilt slightly between each addition.
- To prepare the “cheese” sauce, combine coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, dried thyme, turmeric and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. In a small bowl, mix together tapioca starch and water to make a slurry. Once coconut milk mixture has reached a rolling boil, add in slurry and whisk continuously until mixture begins to thicken.
- Place beef and kale mixture into a casserole dish and top with “cheese” sauce. Broil on high for 3-4 minutes, monitoring closely to ensure the top doesn’t burn.
FAQs
Can I make this dish with another green?
Yes, substitute spinach, collard greens, rainbow chard or any other leafy green here for the kale.
Can I make this coconut free?
Unfortunately I haven’t found a substitute for the coconut milk in the “cheese” sauce but feel free to check out my Cauliflower Gratin for a delicious dairy and coconut free creamy sauce that you can swap for the “cheese” sauce here.
Can I add a starch into this?
Yes! This dish is great with sweet potatoes. If you’d like to add them in, I’d suggest 1.5 cups (finely diced). Add them into the pan just after the olive oil has heated and allow to cook 7-10 minutes. Remove from the pan to sauté beef and return with the kale.
If you try this AIP Beef and Kale Casserole I would appreciate it if you would give it a rating and short review. Also, be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious.
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Beef and Kale Casserole (AIP, paleo, Whole30)
- Total Time: 50 minutes
Description
This Beef and Kale Casserole is hearty, healthy and delicious. It’s a great one pan meal that’s nutrient dense and comforting, AIP, paleo and Whole30 compliant.
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 TBSP nomato sauce or coconut aminos*
- 5–6 cups lacinato or curly kale, chopped
“Cheese” Sauce
- 1 cup full fat, additive free coconut milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- pinch of turmeric (optional – for yellow colour)
- 2 TBSP tapioca or arrowroot starch + 1 TBSP water
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large stockpot over medium heat. Once warm, add onions, garlic and celery and sauté until the onions turn translucent (4-5 minutes), stirring intermittently.
- Add the ground beef along with the dried basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary and cook until meat begins to brown.
- Add coconut aminos or nomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Add chopped kale in batches, stirring to incorporate and wilt slightly between each addition. Taste mixture for salt and adjust if necessary.
- To prepare the “cheese” sauce, combine coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, dried thyme, garlic powder, sea salt and optional turmeric in a small saucepan over medium heat. In a small bowl, mix together tapioca starch and water to make a slurry. Once coconut milk mixture has reached a rolling boil, add in slurry and whisk continuously until mixture begins to thicken.
- Place beef and kale mixture into an 8×8 casserole dish and top with “cheese” sauce. Broil on high for 3-4 minutes, monitoring closely to ensure the top doesn’t burn.
Notes
* use coconut aminos for Whole30 option
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Mains
Keywords: aip, paleo, whole30, casserole, beef and kale casserole, one-pan meal
Five Star recipe destined to repeat
Ok this was so good!! Easy to make and so full of flavor!! It was a hit for the entire household, even the 1 year old had seconds. Thank you!!
★★★★★
This was fantastic! I’m on a crazy elimination diet and had to take out some stuff and it was STILL amazing!! I’ll be doubling the recipe next time so I have leftovers. So, so good… even the none-dieters wanted more. Bravo!!
★★★★★
This recipe really hit the spot! I love casseroles, they scream comfort food to me. I food prep on the weekends so I don’t have to cook during the week and this is going to heat up great!
I will make 1 tweak next time and cut the salt in half because I used coconut aminos instead of nomato sauce and it is really salty.
★★★★★
So yummy! Very comforting recipe on a cold winter night.
★★★★★
This was so yummy and pretty easy to make too! This will definitely be on repeat in our house!
I made this for the second time last night and added butternut squash, per the instructions in the blog for adding a starch. It was so, so good. Non-AIP husband loved it – even the sauce! Thanks for another hit, Nicole!
★★★★★
Nicole, I loved this recipe! I had a few friends coming over so made a double batch – warned them it was my first time making it, so not to have high hopes – but they LOVED it! I served it with buttered, toasted coconut bread. This recipe taught me about thyme- now I know what flavour it gives. Have added this to my roster! Thanks!
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear that Andrea! Thank you for taking the time to leave this review (and all the others), I and other readers greatly appreciate it.
This was so good and so easy to make! My husband, who typically doesn’t like my AIP meals, loved this! Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Thank you Faith! I’m so glad to hear it and thanks for leaving a review.
This casserol is absolutely amazing! The herb combination, vegetables and sauce give it a ton of flavor. This will definitely be in my regular meal rotation!
★★★★★
The taste was great! I think I may have added a bit too much salt though, so my bad. I also think I did something wrong with the “cheese” sauce. I cooked until thickened but when I poured it over the beef mixture it resembled runny egg yolks. 🙁
★★★★★
So yummy! Kids loved it!
★★★★★
Looks good. Have you tried freezing and reheating?
I haven’t! I’d probably freeze without the cheese though.
Delicious!!! This is great for a meal and leftovers will be amazing for a snack or with grain free chips!
★★★★★
Thanks for this great recipe! I made it right away and it’s delicious! 😀
I modified it a bit to make it low FODMAP as well. Also added some nutritional yeast, it’s the first time I tried having it again, yay!
★★★★★
I made this tonight and it was amazing!!! We ate it so fast I forgot to take a picture!!
Oh awesome! I’m so glad. Thank you for leaving a review.