#1,499: Paleo Tex-Mex Casserole

I LIKED this recipe (which has been on one of my pinterest boards for almost a year now!), but didn't love it and I THINK it's because of the coconut oil.  It was too sweet tasting, so I will omit the coconut oil next time or use olive oil instead.  I'm finding I don't love cooking with coconut oil as often as I thought I would.  I think I'm more of a savory girl than a sweet one...when it comes to meat dishes!  Personally, I probably will not make this recipe again, especially because there are SO many steps to this one.

1 – 1.5 pounds grass-fed ground beef (I used ground turkey)
2 cups spinach
2-3 carrots, diced
1 parsnip, diced (I omitted)
1 zucchini, diced
2 cups diced bell peppers
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz can organic diced tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil, bacon grease or lard
⅓ cup taco seasoning
½ tsp sea salt
5 cups shredded sweet potatoes, about 3 (I used 1 sweet potato)
½ cup coconut oil, melted
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground coriander

Optional garnish: fresh cilantro, sliced scallions, avocado and hot sauce

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Chop, dice and mince all the veggies and garlic.

Melt half of your fat of choice in a very large skillet or heavy-bottomed pan and add in all the veggies.  Season with that ½ tsp of sea salt, toss together and cook these down until they are just about fork tender. Remove from the pan and set aside for later

.

In the same pan, add in the other half of your fat and get it up to temp.  Crumble in the ground beef, top with taco seasoning, mix and brown.

While the ground beef browns, peel enough sweet potatoes to get about 5 cups worth (about 3). Grate the sweet potatoes and set in a large mixing bowl.

Melt ½ cup of coconut oil and pour over the shredded sweet potatoes while warm, toss immediately! The coconut oil will start to solidify again as it cools, so work efficiently.

Once the coconut oil is mixed well, sprinkle the sweet potatoes with the onion powder, chili powder and ground coriander. Mix together.

Add the cooked vegetables and the diced tomatoes back into the pan with the beef, mix carefully to bring everything together and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer all of this veggie-meaty goodness to a large casserole dish (I filled a 9″ x 13″ pan). Top with the seasoned, shredded sweet potatoes, cover with foil and pop this in the oven.

Bake at 375°F for 20-30 minutes, then remove the foil and broil on low for 5 minutes — or until the sweet potatoes have browned and crisped up a bit.

To serve, top with fresh cilantro and sliced scallions with some avocado and hot sauce on the side!