This is a delicious and easy Whole30 ground beef casserole recipe that is a healthy take on a big mac! The classic flavors you know and love, all baked together in a paleo, gluten free Big Mac casserole that’s loaded with veggies. It’s great for a family friendly weeknight meal, or for meal prep lunches for the week.
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Big Mac Whole30 Casserole Ingredients
You won’t believe it, but this casserole recipe is under ten ingredients, and most of them are vegetables! It also uses ground beef, so all in all, it’s a pretty budget friendly recipe! Aside from the ground beef, you’ll need 1 cup of diced white onions, 1 diced green pepper, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 2 potatoes, dill pickles, sesame seeds and Special Sauce.
Two important things to note about these casserole ingredients are that first you’ll want to get dill pickles that do not contain additives that aren’t Whole30 compliant. There are many varieties at many different grocery stores, such as Target, Walmart, Whole Foods and more. The second thing is that you will want to make sure you drain both the canned tomatoes and the ground beef really well to prevent too much excess liquid from settling at the bottom of the Whole30 casserole.
Related: Whole30 Compliant Items at Target, Whole30 Compliant Items at Walmart
How to Make this Whole30 Casserole
This Whole30 Big Mac Casserole couldn’t be easier to prep. You’re first going to start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and then browning the ground beef with the onion. While the beef and diced onion mixture is cooking, add the potatoes, peppers, pickles and tomatoes into the casserole dish. When the beef has browned, drain the grease and return it to the pan or a separate bowl, where you’ll mix in the Special Sauce.
Once the beef, onion and sauce is mixed together, add that to the casserole dish with the vegetables. Then, add in the sesame seeds and after that you’ll just give it all a quick mix to combine all of the ingredients. Leave it in an even layer in the dish, cover with foil and bake for an hour, or until the potatoes are cooked through.
Once it’s done, remove it from the oven and add any toppings you may want. If you’re not doing a Whole30 or are not strictly Paleo/dairy-free, you can add some cheese to the top, or over half of the top, in the last half of the baking time to melt it over the top of the casserole. Adding cheese to half is a great option to make it even more family friendly!
You can make your own Whole30 Special Sauce with this recipe!
Whole30 Big Mac Casserole Toppings
When you’re chopping up the veggies, reserve a bit of the diced onion to add as a topping once it’s done baking. You’ll also want some shredded romaine lettuce, extra pickles, sesame seeds, fresh tomato and a bit more Special Sauce to drizzle! You can really make it your own by adding any burger toppings you’d like. Crumbled bacon would be another excellent, and tasty, addition!
Other Whole30 Casserole Recipes You’ll Love:
Chicken and Bacon Alfredo Casserole
PrintBig Mac Casserole: Whole30, Paleo, Gluten-Free
This is a delicious and easy Whole30 ground beef casserole recipe that is a healthy take on a big mac! The classic flavors you know and love, all baked together in a paleo, gluten free Big Mac casserole that’s loaded with veggies. It’s great for a family friendly weeknight meal, or for meal prep lunches for the week.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Casserole
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 cup white onion, diced
- 2 russet potatoes, diced (about 4 cups)
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained well
- 1 green pepper, seeds and stem removed and diced
- 1/2 cup chopped dill pickles
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup homemade Special Sauce
For Topping:
- Shredded romaine lettuce
- Additional diced white onion, dill pickles, sesame seeds, diced tomatoes, extra drizzle of Special Sauce
Instructions
- Add the diced white onion and ground beef into a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until the onion is translucent and the beef is browned. While it’s cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., and add the diced potatoes, diced green pepper, chopped pickles and diced tomatoes into a large casserole dish
- When the ground beef and onion mixture is done, drain well to remove the grease. Return it to the pan and then stir in the Special Sauce. Add it to the casserole dish with the veggies
- Next, add the sesame seeds, and then stir everything together to combine the meat with the vegetables. Make sure the casserole is arranged in an even layer in the dish and then cover with foil
- Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are able to be pierced with a fork
- Remove from the oven and top with your burger toppings and additional Special Sauce
Notes
- If you’re not strictly Whole30/Paleo/Dairy-Free, feel free to add 1 cup shredded cheese over the top of the casserole in the last 30 minutes of baking, or over 1/2 of it for family or kids who are not dairy-free, leaving the other half Whole30 compliant.
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Anna says
This was amazing! My husband and I have been trying the Whole 30 recipes since November for dinner. We aren’t following it to a tee…I still like my wine?, We will make this again and the secret sauce by scratch was amazing!
Teirrah says
This was soooo good. I honestly didn’t think it was going to be as good as it was LOL. I don’t know why. But it was simple and easy to make (even making the special sauce from scratch) and my only regret is that I didn’t double the recipe. Yum! This and your instant pot cashew chicken will be on regular rotation in this house. Thank you!
paleobailey says
I’m SO, so glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you so much, Teirrah! I really appreciate you! <3 - B
Cindy says
What size can of diced tomatoes?
paleobailey says
13.5 (or the standard can size)!
April says
Part of my January whole30 is to try one totally new recipe each week (break away from my favorites) This was my new recipe today… and I loved it! It took me a whole lot longer than 15 minutes to prep… I am just a slow cook, and I did make my special sauce. My husband, who is usually not a fan of my whole30 recipes, was impressed with it also! I think it’s a keeper! Thanks for sharing!
paleobailey says
I’m SO glad to hear this!! Thank you so much for giving it a try and taking the time to come back and let me know you both enjoyed it!
Kirsten says
This has become my favorite goto recipe. I have substituted cauliflower for the potatoes. We are having it for dinner tonight.
paleobailey says
I’m so happy to hear this!! Thank you so much! Cauliflower sounds like an awesome substitute, too!
Angie says
Loved this recipe. Kids gobbled it up
Yvonne Hoekstra says
Loved this casserole…a lot of chopping but so worth it. Really different. My Grandkids love it and really does remind you of a Big Mac!
paleobailey says
I’m so glad to hear this! Thank you so much!!
Andrea Johnson says
Not sure what I did wrong but my potatoes were still pretty hard after 1 hr and 20 minutes. It was still tasty, just tough potatoes! I didnt have the sauce so I used Walden Farms calorie free thousand island.
paleobailey says
I’m glad you enjoyed! If the potatoes are chopped too large this can happen, or if the dish wasn’t covered during baking. Sorry about that!!
Sarina says
Love this! Subbed PK 1000 Island and half white sweet potatoes but it was still delicious. Not as “Big Mac”esque as the salad but love it. Added lots of extra pickles and some dill in kraut too. Yum!
paleobailey says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The 1000 island and kraut sounds awesome, too! Thank you!!
Erin says
My 8 year old bonus kid LOVED this recipe! She’s asked for it twice since. It is delicious. Thank you 🙂
paleobailey says
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thank you so much for giving it a shot! I’m really glad you all love it 🙂 Thank you!! – B
Ellen Chirhart says
I made this recipe on election night because I knew I would want something tasty to look forward to. It did not disappoint!! Thank you Bailey for creating recipes for comfort meals that I can still feel good about. I’ll be making this one again no doubt!
paleobailey says
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! And thank you for giving it a shot!! <3 - B
Carol says
Hi Bailey! In this sentence, “Two important things to note about these casserole ingredients are that first you’ll want to get dill pickles that do not contain additives that aren’t Whole30 compliant.”, you meant to say, “…that are Whole 30 compliant.” Right?
paleobailey says
Hey Carol! You’ll want dill pickles that ARE Whole30 compliant, and that DO NOT contain additives that are not compliant, such as added sugars.
Nikki Schneider says
LOVED this recipe! It was a staple during my whole 30 & helped with my fast food cravings! I felt like I was indulging even when I wasn’t.
paleobailey says
I’m SO happy to hear this!! Thank you so much, Nikki! <3 - B
Sarina says
Love it. Subbed the PK 1000 island since i had it on hand and half white sweet potatoes. Not exactly as “Big Mac” as the salad but love it just as much.
paleobailey says
I’m so happy to hear this! White sweet potatoes sound awesome, too! I’ll have to try it 🙂 Thank you! – B
Callie says
Family approved!!!!
paleobailey says
SO glad to hear this! Thank you so much!!
Nicholette Huval says
I’m very new to paleo. What I’ve read says no potatoes though. So do I just not put the potatoes for it to be paleo?
paleobailey says
Hey Nicholette! They’ve been included as a nutrient rich vegetable for over a decade in the paleo community, as new studies and research has been done on their many nutritional benefits, how long potatoes have been around, and their purpose/place in a healthy paleo diet. I’ll leave some links for you to check out on why all potatoes have been considered to be Paleo for around 10+ years now by most of the Paleo thought leaders such as Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf. Although I’m sure you could find some older literature that says to exclude them, which is what makes it confusing, most choose to include all vegetables now. That being said, if you WANT to leave them out, you totally can – whatever works for you!! 🙂 Hope this helps!
https://robbwolf.com/2011/11/03/meat-potatoes-back-on-the-menu/
https://paleoleap.com/are-white-potatoes-paleo/
https://paleoflourish.com/why-arent-potatoes-paleo/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/potatoes-healthy/
Susan says
Everyone in the family LOVED this! Our son can’t have avocados and Sprouts had a “special sauce” made with sunflower oil instead so we did that instead. Super delicious recipe, we will definitely eat it again! My husband loves Big Macs, so calling it that bummed him out because he was expecting it, BUT had I not given it that specific name, he wouldn’t have been a little shocked. Lol.
paleobailey says
Haha! Love this!! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it. Thank you so much, Susan!! I really appreciate you giving it a try, and taking the time to come back to let me know how it turned out! 🙂 – B
GIna says
Cannot wait to try this with the special sauce from Primal Kitchen! They are sold out currently? Do you recommend anything as a substitute?
paleobailey says
Hi! You can make your own super easily with this recipe!! https://www.wholekitchensink.com/homemade-special-sauce/ 🙂
Heather Butler says
I have made this almost every week of being on the Whole30! It’s easy and tasty!
Marisa says
This is me and my husband’s favorite! So so so yummy!!! Easy too 🙂