Description

A cozy, hearty spinach and beef casserole with fresh mushrooms and melty jack cheese. You call it what you want, we call it Spinach Fandango.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (80/20 or leaner)
1 medium onion, diced
8 oz fresh button mushrooms, chopped
2 - 12oz packages of frozen spinach, cooked and all the water fully drained *see note
2 cloves garlic, minced or fine grated
1 tsp dried oregano or Italian seasoning
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice (or rice of your choice) prepared according to package directions (makes approximately 1 cup cooked rice)
1 cup sour cream
1 10.5oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup (or cream of celery)
4 cups (16 oz) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large skillet or dutch oven, cook the ground beef over medium high heat until browned, then add in the diced onion and chopped mushrooms and continue to cook until the onions are soft and fragrant, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Microwave the frozen spinach to defrost it. I microwaved it in a microwave-safe bowl for 4 minutes. Then, remove from the microwave and over the sink, press the spinach up against the sides of the bowl to extract excess liquid and drain off the liquid. You can also use cheesecloth or a sieve if you prefer.
Once the spinach is fully strained, add it to the browned beef mixture with the garlic, oregano, salt and cooked rice and mix well.
In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream and cream of mushroom soup and mix fully then fold it into the spinach and beef mixture with half of the shredded Monterey Jack cheese (2 cups), then transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish and smooth the top.
Sprinkle remaining shredded Monterey Jack Cheese evenly over the top of the casserole and cover the whole dish with aluminum foil.
Bake at 350F for 25 minutes then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes until the top is melty and bubbly. If you want more browning, turn on the broil setting to High and broil for 2 to 3 minutes.
Allow to rest for 5 minutes after removing from the oven before slicing and enjoy!

Notes

Make it even lower carb: Substitute one 10oz package of frozen riced cauliflower for the rice and cook it according to the package directions. Then, press it up against the side of the bowl to remove the excess water and strain off that liquid.

You can use leftover rice. 1/2 cup uncooked white rice yields approximately 1 cup cooked rice.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 290
Sugar: 3.2 g
Sodium: 310.5 mg
Fat: 16.8 g
Carbohydrates: 9.1 g
Fiber: 2.4 g
Protein: 26.7 g
Cholesterol: 72.7 mg