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Home » Recipe » Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole (Whole30 & AIP)

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole (Whole30 & AIP)

Published July 18, 2019. Last modified September 27, 2020 By Anne Marie 21 Comments

21607 shares
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a skillet of ground beef, bacon, dairy free cheese sauce, and avocado sprinkled with cilantro,

Nothing says comfort food like a Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole. Add this simple meal to your list of standby recipes for busy weeknights that even your kids will love – pickles and non-dairy cheese included. Whether or not you’re on a healing diet like the Whole30 or AIP diet, this gluten-free version of a childhood classic certainly belongs in your arsenal of easy dinners.

a skillet of ground beef, bacon, dairy free cheese sauce, and avocado sprinkled with cilantro on a grey background

Is this Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole healthy?

Believe it or not, it is! Unlike its traditional counterpart, my version has a simple list of ingredients that avoids anything inflammatory, it fits easily into any diet. If you are following a low carb or keto diet, just leave out the sweet potato and substitute a non-starchy vegetable of your choice.

a skillet of ground beef, bacon, dairy free cheese sauce, and avocado sprinkled with cilantro on a grey background comes together to make a Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

The ingredients in this Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole:

Not only are the ingredients in this recipe healthy, they are wallet-friendly too. 

Ground beef

Opt for a grass-fed version of this affordable protein. You’ll get some healthy omega-3 fats to combat inflammation, and high-quality protein to keep you full and strong. Other ground meats will work too if beef isn’t your thing.

Sweet potatoes

To make this recipe AIP-compliant, I used sweet potatoes instead of traditional burger buns. Sweet potatoes add fiber, essential vitamins and nutrients, and taste great! Depending on your personal dietary needs, you can also substitute white potatoes (Whole 30 but not AIP), tater tots (not Whole 30 or AIP), plantains, and even yucca. 

Bacon

Thank goodness the low-fat craze is over and we can finally recognize the nutrition (and taste) benefits of bacon. As long as it’s nitrate-free, bacon will add great flavor and satiating fat to this dish.

Nutritional yeast

Luckily, nutritional yeast is autoimmune paleo and Whole 30 compliant. Combined with coconut cream it brings not only a non-dairy cheesy flavor to your meals, but also adds B vitamins.

a skillet of ground beef, bacon, dairy free cheese sauce, and avocado sprinkled with cilantro on a grey background comes together to make a delicious Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

This recipe is perfect for busy families of any size. Leftovers taste great, and it’s easy to double the recipe and freeze a few portions. 

How to Assemble Your Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole:

The prep time is short. Cook your bacon first either in a pan or in the oven, which gets it extra crispy. While your bacon is cooking, start steaming your sweet potatoes. Since both of those will take about 15-20 minutes to cook, brown the ground beef in a pan with coconut oil.

When the bacon and sweet potatoes are ready, add them to the ground beef. Next, combine the coconut cream, nutritional yeast, and ½ cup of sweet potato in a blender for the non-dairy cheese sauce. 

For the big finale, transfer the ground beef to an oven-safe dish and pour the cheese sauce over it. Throw it in the oven, and your cook time will be completely hands-free!

Other recipes you'll love:

  • Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos (Whole30 & AIP)
  • Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken (Whole30 & AIP)
  • Bacon Chicken Ranch Casserole (Whole30 & AIP)
a skillet of ground beef, bacon, dairy free cheese sauce, and avocado sprinkled with cilantro on a grey background
Print Recipe
4.31 from 26 votes

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole (Whole30 & AIP)

This recipe for bacon cheeseburger casserole transforms a childhood comfort food into an anti-inflammatory meal for the whole family. Make it the night of, save leftovers for later, or even freeze half of the batch for your newest gluten free weeknight favorite.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time25 mins
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bacon cheeseburger casserole
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 718kcal
Author: Anne Marie

Ingredients

  • 2 lb ground beef
  • 2.5 cups sweet potato, chopped (about 1.5 medium sized sweet potatoes)
  • 8 slices nitrate free bacon, cooked and crumbled (use sugar free for Whole30)
  • 1 cup green onion, chopped
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper, omit for AIP
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 batch Dairy Free Cheese Sauce

Instructions

  • Start by steaming your sweet potatoes. They should be fully cooked, but not mushy.
  • Melt coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, and add ground beef, sea salt, and black pepper. After 2-3 minutes cooking, add the green onion, and 2 ½ cups steamed sweet potato. Let cook until all the beef is browned. 
  • Add crumbled bacon to the beef mixture. Stir to combine.
  • Pour the dairy free cheese sauce on top of the beef mixture in the skillet, and place the entire skillet into the oven. This is optional, to heat the cheese sauce all the way through.
  • After about 5 minutes, carefully remove the skillet from the oven. Serve with pickles, red onions, cherry tomatoes, and even Whole30 approved ketchup and mustard for a Whole30 compliant Bacon Cheeseburger fix!

Notes

For the bacon:

Cook the bacon using your method of choice. I personally love to bake it - it gets nice and crispy in the oven. Here’s how you bake it: start by preheating your oven to 375°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and lay bacon on top. Bake for 15-17 minutes depending on the thickness of your bacon. Remove from oven and let cool to crisp up more. Keep oven set to 375° for the final step.

For the steamed sweet potatoes:

I steam my potatoes on the stovetop using a steamer basket, but you can also put a bit of water into a large microwave safe bowl, add the chopped potato and microwave in 30 second increments until softened.

To heat the cheese sauce:

You can heat the cheese sauce prior to pouring on the dish if you prefer. If you aren’t using a cast iron skillet, and your skillet isn’t safe to go in the oven, you can heat the cheese sauce on the stovetop or in the microwave (be sure to cover!) before adding to the skillet, then you can skip heating through in the oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 718kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 633mg | Potassium: 878mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 11184IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you try this recipe?Tag me @GrassFedSalsa so I can send you some love!
a skillet of ground beef, bacon, dairy free cheese sauce, and avocado sprinkled with cilantro,

Anne is a certified Integrative Nutritional Health Coach and Interior Designer who is passionate about whole home and body detox, as well as personalized nutritional therapies tailored to the individual. She's the creator of several online programs and ebooks including Ditch Your Nutritionist, Autoimmune Accomplice, and Detox Your Life.

When she's not creating content for her wellness business and website Grass Fed Salsa, you can find her snuggled up to her daughter GG, her husband James, and their pups Cohen and Kiki.

Previous Post: « Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken (Whole30 & AIP)
Next Post: Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos (Whole30 & AIP) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jan D

    April 9, 2022 at 3:17 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! I made this exactly as written. I would not change a thing. The flavor is so good. I was afraid that the coconut cream in the sauce and the sweet potatoes in both sauce and casserole would make it sweet. I tasted the sauce and there was a distinct coconut flavor. But after pouring over the casserole, it was great. The hamburger and bacon even out the flavor and it isn’t sweet at all. I love spinach and mushrooms so I might add those next time. Thank you for such an easy and delicious meal!

    Reply
  2. Valerie

    January 18, 2021 at 4:46 pm

    Wait I don’t see the coconut cream in the recipe? What do I need that for?

    Reply
  3. Kelsey

    January 13, 2021 at 9:58 pm

    Is the 718 cal for the whole recipe or per serving?? If per serving that’s a lot!
    Thanks

    Reply
  4. Mary

    October 29, 2020 at 8:30 pm

    Why are you promoting impossible burgers? This is not paleo and definitely not AIP. Toxic soup is what they are.

    Reply
  5. Maria

    February 24, 2020 at 8:35 pm

    How can you substitute the coconut cream? My daughter has an autoimmune disease and also has food allergy to tree nuts coconut included.

    Reply
    • Anne Marie

      February 25, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      I’m sorry, I’m not sure what else would be a good replacement. If she tolerates regular milk, soy milk, or tigernut (not actually a nut) milk you could try that. I’ve tried making with almond milk and it definitely changed the flavor, so be aware that it may taste different.

      Reply
  6. Erika

    February 11, 2020 at 10:03 am

    What are the nutritional numbers for this recipe? Tracking fat and carbs

    Reply
    • Anne Marie

      February 11, 2020 at 11:48 am

      Great question, I don’t currently calculate nutritional information for my recipes, but it’s something I will be adding in the near future. For now, I would suggest putting the ingredients and servings into a nutrition calculator so you can see if this fits into your macro guidelines.

      Reply
    • Misty

      February 15, 2020 at 4:22 pm

      Oh my gosh this is sooo delicious! Even my boys loved it! Do post the nutritional info please! I gotta are what other yummy recipes you have! Thanks.

      Reply
  7. Holly

    January 21, 2020 at 9:01 pm

    Do you bake it in the oven on 375? (Just keep it on after cooking the bacon in it?)

    Reply
    • Anne Marie

      January 22, 2020 at 9:56 am

      I just updated the recipe – yes! The final bake it just to warm the cheese sauce a bit more without dirtying another dish to heat on the stove or in the microwave.

      Reply
  8. Gen

    January 19, 2020 at 7:44 pm

    5 stars
    whoaaaa this was so good

    Reply
    • Anne Marie

      January 22, 2020 at 9:58 am

      Thank you, I’m so happy you liked it!

      Reply
  9. Erin

    January 19, 2020 at 11:47 am

    Is canned coconut cream the same as canned coconut milk?

    Reply
    • Anne Marie

      January 22, 2020 at 9:57 am

      Yes and no. Canned coconut milk has the coconut cream and water in the can. Canned coconut cream just has the water. If you don’t purchased coconut cream, you can leave a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight and the cream will separate from the water. When you open the can (be very careful not to shake), the coconut cream will be at the top of the can and you can scoop it off.

      Reply
  10. Gwendolyn

    August 24, 2019 at 8:27 am

    It’s just in my house if make the recipe exactly how many servings will it be? I usually eat 4 oz meat portions!!

    Reply
    • Anne Marie

      August 24, 2019 at 9:06 am

      That would be 8 servings.

      Reply
  11. Dawn F.

    August 15, 2019 at 6:30 pm

    Should we peel the sweet potatoes??

    Reply
    • Anne

      August 16, 2019 at 1:01 pm

      You don’t need to 🙂 Just scrub them before chopping.

      Reply
  12. Val

    August 6, 2019 at 5:25 pm

    5 stars
    I made this tonight! SO DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Anne

      August 16, 2019 at 1:03 pm

      Yay! So glad you liked it!

      Reply

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