This casserole brings back memories not only of Thanksgiving green bean casserole, but also of a lovely little dish that my mom used to make called Tater Tot Casserole. Remember it? I know that many of you do! It had tater tots, canned mushroom soup, and ground beef and was the only way my mom could get me to eat green beans! I was not a veggie lover as a kid. I was an “earth-toned eater,” my parents used to say. Since then, I’ve gotten over my veggie-phobia and created this gussied-up version of the classic with the addition of pearl onions and fried shallots, making it a modern-day comfort food. The crispy shallots really make this dish, so be sure to cook plenty!
BEEF INGREDIENTS
2 TBSP coconut oil
1/3 cup (720 ml) chopped yellow onion
1½ pounds ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 TBSP (15 ml) coconut oil
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup (240 ml) chicken broth
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 TBSP (15 ml) arrowroot starch
¾ cup coconut milk
ADD-INS
1 pound (454 g) frozen green beans
1 cup (240 ml) pearl onions (outer skins removed)
FOR SERVING DAY
3 TBSP (45 ml) coconut oil
3 large shallots, thinly sliced
Serves 4
Prep Day:
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 TBSP (30 ml) coconut oil.
Add the onion, and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.
Add the ground beef, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Brown the beef, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes.
Transfer the beef mixture to a large bowl, and set it aside.
To make the sauce, add 1 TBSP (15 ml) coconut oil to the same skillet.
Add the mushrooms, and cook them until they are browned and the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Turn up the heat to medium-high, and slowly whisk in the chicken broth, making sure to scrape the delectable brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
Add sea salt and pepper, and bring the mixture to a simmer for 1 minute.
In a small bowl, whisk the arrowroot starch into the coconut milk. Slowly add this mixture to the simmering broth, whisking as you pour it in.
Bring the liquid just to a simmer, and remove the pan from the heat.
In the large bowl with the beef, add the sauce, green beans, and pearl onions. Stir to combine.
Place the entire mixture in a 2-quart casserole dish, cover it, and refrigerate it to let it cool completely.
Once cooled, seal the dish with a lid or plastic wrap. If using plastic wrap, also cover it with foil, and freeze until needed.
More Recipes You'll Love
Creamy beef and green bean casserole with pearl onions is the comfort classic, fully paleo-fied. Ground beef browns with mushrooms in a silky coconut milk and chicken broth sauce thickened with arrowroot, then bakes with green beans and pearl onions under a crown of crisp fried shallots.
Pro Tips
- Cook the mushrooms a full 8 minutes until their liquid evaporates and they brown properly — that's where the deep, savoury flavour of the sauce comes from.
- Whisk the chicken broth in slowly and scrape up the browned bits from the beef and mushrooms; those sticky bits dissolve into the sauce and make it taste long-cooked.
- Arrowroot starch is the paleo stand-in for flour here; whisk it in so it thickens the sauce without any grain. The coconut milk makes it properly creamy.
- Frozen green beans are perfect — they hold their texture in the bake and skip all the trimming. Add the pearl onions straight in too.
- Fry the shallots in coconut oil on serving day until golden; that crunchy topping is what makes a green bean casserole feel complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this casserole ahead?
Yes, the recipe is freezer-friendly: make the beef and sauce base ahead, freeze it, then thaw and assemble with the green beans and pearl onions before baking and adding the shallots.
Is green bean casserole paleo?
This version is: coconut milk and arrowroot replace the canned soup, the topping is fried shallots instead of breaded onions, and the beef is seasoned simply.
Can I use fresh green beans?
Fresh green beans work nicely — blanch them briefly first so they're tender-crisp before they go into the casserole with the sauce.
What can I use instead of coconut milk?
The coconut milk gives the sauce its creamy body, but cashew cream is a decent substitute if you tolerate nuts. The arrowroot does the thickening either way.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- ADD-INS
- 1 pound frozen green beans
- 1 cup pearl onions (outer skins removed) FOR SERVING DAY
- 3 TBSP coconut oil
- 3 large shallots, thinly sliced Serves 4 Prep Day: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 TBSP coconut oil.
- Add the onion, and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the ground beef, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Brown the beef, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes.
- Transfer the beef mixture to a large bowl, and set it aside. To make the sauce, add 1 TBSP coconut oil to the same skillet.
- Add the mushrooms, and cook them until they are browned and the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high, and slowly whisk in the chicken broth, making sure to scrape the delectable brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Add sea salt and pepper, and bring the mixture to a simmer for 1 minute.
- In a small bowl, whisk the arrowroot starch into the coconut milk. Slowly add this mixture to the simmering broth, whisking as you pour it in.
- Bring the liquid just to a simmer, and remove the pan from the heat.
- In the large bowl with the beef, add the sauce, green beans, and pearl onions.
- Stir to combine.
- Place the entire mixture in a 2-quart casserole dish, cover it, and refrigerate it to let it cool completely.
- Once cooled, seal the dish with a lid or plastic wrap. If using plastic wrap, also cover it with foil, and freeze until needed.
