Whole30 Ham & Hash Brown Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet onion (diced)
• 3 stalks celery (diced)
• 2 tbsp garlic (minced)
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
• 2 cups cooked ham (diced)
• 1 lb bag frozen hash brown potatoes (compatible)
• 6 tbsp ghee
• ¾ cup ghee (melted for topping)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 6 tbsp potato or arrowroot starch
• 2 cups almond flour
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper

Method

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. 2

   Melt 6 tbsp ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add diced onion, celery, and garlic. Cook until onion is translucent, about 7-8 minutes to build that rich flavor base.

3. 3

   Whisk together chicken broth, coconut milk, starch, salt and pepper in a separate bowl.

4. 4

   Add the broth mixture to the sautéed vegetables. Cook for 3-4 minutes until sauce thickens, stirring regularly. The combination will be thick - this is normal!

5. 5

   Blend the sauce in a blender or food processor until smooth. The vegetables should be fully blended into a creamy, dairy-free sauce that gets its richness from those sautéed vegetables.

6. 6

   In a large 9x13 casserole dish, combine the frozen hash browns, ham, and peas. This time-saving use of frozen ingredients makes prep so much easier. Top with blended sauce and stir until well combined.

7. 7

   Sprinkle the top of the casserole with nutritional yeast for that touch of 'cheesy' flavor. In a small bowl, combine almond flour with melted ghee using a fork to create the topping. The topping will be more of a paste than crumbly, but do your best to crumble small pieces over the casserole.

8. 8

   Bake uncovered for 1 hour, until the topping is brown and potatoes are tender. This creates that mouth-watering, crunchy topping everyone will fight over.

9. 9

   Cool on the counter for 10 minutes before serving.