Meaty, stringy and beautifully bubbly. A Tuscan casserole is comfort food with Italian flair. And it’s so tasty it’s both the perfect weeknight dinner and a meal worthy of a special dinner, especially if you’re entertaining friends or family.
Casseroles are just easy to put together. They’re basically a whole bunch of tasty stuff in the same baking tray, but how you cook each element and the order in which you combine them matters. Here’s how to make an Italian-style casserole that tastes and smells as lovely as it looks!
Let me just say this recipe is well-rounded and delicious, regardless of your diet. Yet, I should mention this is a low-carb meal, making it super compatible with the keto diet
How to Make A Tuscan Casserole?
Every worthy Italian meal starts with a soffrito, in this case, minced garlic and sliced red onions cooked to tender perfection in olive oil. And with this fragrant base, we’re cooking your favorite ground beef until brown and crispy. Beautifully seasoned with Italian herbs, this one’s a wonderful way to start a casserole!
The thing with casseroles is that there’s always over one starring ingredient. The ground meat is certainly one, but we’re contrasting its meatiness with the most tender green beans, also sautéed with minced garlic and seasoned nicely.
Our third ingredient is a velvety pink sauce and forget about the stuff that comes in a jar; we’re making ours with tomatoes, heavy cream and Cheddar. You’ve never tried a sauce like this one!
It’s time to combine all the elements and top them with a plenty of cheese; this is a casserole, isn’t it? Bake the casserole in the oven until bubbly, and you’ve got yourself a homemade Tuscan casserole that will make you feel proud!
Ideas for the Perfect Casserole
I won’t lie. I love the combination of ground beef and green beans; it’s so Italian! That doesn’t mean you can’t make your own version of a Tuscan casserole.
- Substitute green beans with broccoli or pearly cauliflower for an equally tasty meal. Cook those small trees just like you would cook the green beans.
- Substitute the creamy pasta with a tomato sauce. It will give the casserole a lasagna feel hard to beat. Better yet, toss the veggies and meat with the tomato sauce and top the casserole with the luscious pink sauce for an extra layer of goodness.
- Serve the casserole and dust it with grated Parmesan. You can never have enough cheese, right? And while you’re at it, finish your dish with an olive oil drizzle. I use extra virgin olive oil of excellent quality for the final touch.
- If you’re not all that into ground beef, follow the recipe below and substitute the ground meat with diced or sliced steak. It gives the casserole a completely different feel without changing the flavor much.
Italian Cuisine is Much More Than Pasta!
If you love Italian food but want to skip all those carbs in pasta, there are still many ways of enjoying the country’s heart-warming flavors, and this Tuscan casserole is proof of it. The truth is Italian food is much more varied than you could ever imagine. What all Italian dishes have in common, of course, is that they always bring a smile to your face. Let’s check out the casserole recipe!
Tuscan Beef Creamy Casserole
Meaty, stringy and beautifully bubbly. A Tuscan casserole is comfort food with Italian flair. And it’s so tasty it’s both the perfect weeknight dinner and a meal worthy of a special dinner.
Ingredients
for browning ground beef :
- 1lb ground beef
- 1 medium sized onion (thinly sliced)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
for sautéing green beans:
- 2 cup green beans
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 tsp salt
for Tuscan sauce :
- 1 cup sliced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (can be substituted for gouda)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (for topping)
Instructions
- place a pan over low heat, add olive oil, onion and garlic, cook until softened, add ground beef, turn up the heat, brown off the meat, add salt, black pepper, oregano and basil, cook for a few more minutes then transfer the meat into a casserole dish.
- in the same pan, add garlic, green beans, let the green beans cook for few minutes, season with salt, and take the green beans off the stove when they are soft in the middle.
- in the same Pan, add sliced tomatoes, olive oil, season with salt and pepper, cook until they seem tender, add heavy cream, stir well, add cheese, salt, black pepper, oregano and basil, mix well and transfer the sauce into the casserole dish.
- mix the meat, green beans and Tuscan sauce together, add cheddar cheese on top, and crushed red peppers.
- Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 450Total Fat: 36gCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 24.5g