A healthy take on the viral Big Mac bowls, my Healthy Big Mac Casserole is dairy free, gluten free, and refined sugar free. Made with whole food ingredients, no MSG, and a fraction of the calories of the infamous burger.
I'm fully obsessed with this Big Mac Casserole. I could probably eat this for dinner every night for the rest of my life. We are taking the flavors of a Big Mac, a classic comfort food in the US, and turning it into a healthy beef casserole. This Big Mac Casserole recipe is high protein and packed with plenty of fiber, healthy carbs, healthy fats, and delicious flavor... what's not to love?! I make a big batch of this to have for dinners throughout the week or even lunch. This is the perfect meal prep option or family dinner choice that everyone will love. I'm sure this recipe will become a family favorite!
I serve this recipe over lettuce for more of a healthy big mac salad situation AKA a deconstructed big mac, if you will. This way we are still getting our greens and fiber in. We also make a homemade special sauce (healthy Big Mac sauce) from healthy ingredients. Although you can buy special sauce at the store these days, it has additives and sugar and other weird ingredients, so I prefer to make my own that is just as delicious and not filled with seed oils and inflammatory factors.
Big Mac Casserole Ingredients
- Dairy free cheese: the first component of these Big Mac bowls is the homemade dairy free cheese made from a base of coconut milk and nutritional yeast. It's very easy to make, but you do want to make sure to have at least 30 minutes for the cheese to cool. You can make this ahead of time by up to 3 days. Just keep it stored in the fridge. When heated, you'll get a plant based melty cheese that is reminiscent of the real thing!
- Casserole: the next component is the casserole itself. This calls for golden or russet potatoes, fennel or white onion, and ground beef. Plus plenty of spices to flavor this deconstructed big mac! I prefer to use lean ground beef to keep this recipe healthier, but you can use a higher fat variety for a juicy ground beef casserole.
- Special sauce: my homemade special sauce is made with a yogurt base, then we add in tomato paste, mustard, vinegar, paprika, and salt. Delicious and healthy with no seed oils or MSG. Traditional big mac sauce does contain dill pickle relish, but I don't find this is a common household ingredient. I don't want you to have to buy a whole jar just to use a tiny bit. No time for food waste in this economy! So I omit it and this creamy big mac sauce still tastes great. You can always add 1 teaspoon of pickle relish or some chopped pickles and their juice.
- Toppings: the last important piece of this Big Mac salad situation is the toppings. What are your favorite burger toppings? Tomatoes, onion, pickles, avocado, shredded lettuce.... add your favorites!
Homemade Dairy Free Cheese
I love to use my own homemade dairy free cheese because the store bought varieties tend to have a lot of weird ingredients, flavorings, and preservatives. They aren't the most gut friendly. Store bought vegan cheese is great for convenience, but not ideal to be eating all the time.
My homemade vegan cheese is easy to whip up and it's what I use in my Gluten Free and Dairy Free Lasagna recipe, but if you don't feel like making your own cheese or you tolerate dairy, feel free to use any variety of cheddar cheese you like!
Big Mac Casserole Toppings
- Shredded iceberg or romaine lettuce
- Diced onion or fennel
- Chopped tomatoes
- Pickle slices
- Avocado
- Sesame seeds
Substitutions and Variations
- Ground beef: if you're not a red meat fan, try using ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Potato: feel free to use sweet potatoes for a low FODMAP version. Or your favorite potato variety, like fingerling. If you're short on time or don't feel like chopping, you can try using freezer french fries for a quick hack!
- Cheese: use store bought dairy free or regular cheddar cheese.
- Make vegan: make vegan big mac bowls by using a plant-based ground meat alternative or even lentils!
- Bump up the nutrients: Add diced bell pepper, shredded carrot, and/or diced zucchini to the ground beef mixture to add more hidden veggies and nutrients to this recipe!
Storage
You can store leftovers in the large casserole dish you used to bake it in, just cover with tinfoil and keep leftovers stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also portion and freeze this healthy casserole in freezer safe, airtight containers. The sauce will freeze okay, but you can also whip up a fresh batch when needed.
Thaw frozen leftovers in the fridge overnight then heat at 300F in the oven until warm.
What to Serve this Casserole with
This healthy cheeseburger casserole is a stand alone meal, especially served over extra lettuce. You really don't have to make anything else. That's why I love this meal, one dish and that's it!
More Delicious Dinner Recipes
Sheet Pan Honey Balsamic Chicken
Healthy Big Mac Casserole
Equipment
- cutting board
- knife
Ingredients
Dairy Free Cheese Sauce*
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- ½ tablespoon garlic infused olive oil**
- 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon tapioca starch
- ⅓ cup water
Bowls
- 1.5-2 lbs golden or russet potatoes chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 1 fennel or onion diced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder omit for low FODMAP
- ½ teaspoon onion powder omit for low FODMAP
Special Sauce
- ½ cup yogurt of choice
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Toppings
- onion
- tomato
- shredded romaine lettuce
- pickles
- avocado
Instructions
Dairy Free Cheese Sauce
- Combine the coconut milk, olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt, and lemon juice together in a saucepan and whisk to combine over medium heat.
- Whisk together the water and tapioca starch in a measuring cup. Pour this into the saucepan with the other ingredients, whisking often, until the cheese thickens. It will take a few minutes too start noticing thickening and another 5+ minutes to reach the end consistency.
- You'll know the cheese is done because it starts to pull away from the side of the pan. It should drip off a spatula like a pot of melted cheese would.
- Remove the cheese from the heat and transfer to a heat safe, glass container. Let cool at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before using. If not using right away, add the lid and transfer to the fridge.
Casserole
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Chop potatoes and toss with 2 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, turmeric, and paprika.
- Pour potatoes into a casserole dish (this can be a 9x9 dish or 9x13 style dish).
- Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden brown and done.
- While potatoes cook, heat the other tablespoon of olive in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel or onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until soft.
- Add the ground beef and brown.
- When the potatoes are done, spread the beef mixture evenly over them then top with the cheese sauce. The sauce can get sticky, just do your best to spread evenly over the mixture. If using regular cheese, sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Add the dish back to the oven and cook until cheese is melted and bubbly. About 5-10 minutes. Make the sauce during this time.
Special Sauce
- Mix all ingredients for the sauce together until smooth.
Assembly
- When casserole is done, top with chopped tomatoes, lettuce, pickles. Drizzle sauce overtop or serve on the side.
- I love serving this casserole over extra lettuce.
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