One of the Substack authors I recently started following published a recipe for an onion casserole (link to the original below).
The ingredients include butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese, so to me it sounded wonderful. Better yet, it sounded keto-friendly.
Challenge #1
I’ve been tasked with bringing a side dish for my parents’ Thanksgiving dinner. “Something green,” suggested my mom, meaning she was making the bird and stuffing and mashed potatoes and pie, so I needed to bring something that resembled a healthy vegetable. Message received! I really wanted to try this onion casserole…buuuuuuut what if I added green beans to the casserole? Then it would be green and I could have both. Worth a try!
Challenge #2
This is a recipe for a casserole, but I don’t have access to a full-sized oven. I do own an Instant Pot, and I think I can make this recipe work. EXCEPT. The cheese. How do I broil the cheese to be crispy golden brown on top — without an oven?? I will not stand for soggy cheese on my casserole!
My solution idea: make it all in the Instant Pot, except the cheese. The top cheese layer will be broiled in the toaster oven, then added to the final product.
Can this possibly work? Let’s find out!
Ingredients
2 cups thinly sliced onions- the thinner the better
2 cups fresh green beans, cut in 1″ pieces
5 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (the cheap stuff from the can is fine, though if you WANT to grate that much fresh Parmesan go for it.)
1/3 cup white cheddar, shredded
Salt and pepper
The original recipe called for 4 cups of onions. I changed it to 2 cups onions and 2 cups green beans. Also, I added the cheddar- the original called for 2/3 cups Parmesan. I figured it would broil better and melt nicely with the cheddar. It will also transfer more easily if the Parmesan has something else to stick to. To keep the cheese from sticking to the pan, I used parchment paper.
Instructions
- Melt the butter and sauté the onions in the Instant Pot, until the onions are transparent.
- Mix in the other ingredients, except the cheeses.
- Seal the Instant Pot and set it to Pressure Cook on High for 5 minutes. Either quick release or natural release works fine.
- Transfer the finished casserole filling into a serving dish.
- For the cheese topping: Cover the bottom of the toaster oven pan with a piece of parchment paper.
- Arrange your shredded cheddar cheese in roughly the shape of your serving container.
- Cover this layer of cheddar with the Parmesan cheese.
- Broil for 9 minutes or until brown on top.
- Use a spatula to slide the cheese layer out of the pan and onto the casserole.
No one will ever know you didn’t cook this in an oven! Unless of course, you WANT to tell them.🙂
References
Putting on my Amazon affiliate hat: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. More information on my Disclosures page.
If you’re reading this during Black Friday week, you might want to take advantage of these Amazon deals. I used all of these for this recipe, and I recommend them.
- Instant Pot Duo, the 6 quart one https://amzn.to/4ePjwZk
- Comfee Toaster oven https://amzn.to/4i0EreO
- Parchment paper https://amzn.to/413BZ19
- Toaster oven pan set https://amzn.to/4fIinV0
Related articles
Do you like reading about my adventures in an outdoor kitchen in the jungle? Gardening in Hot Climates, Living Without a Refrigerator
Want more keto recipes? Keto pumpkin pie, Keto pizza
Lastly, here’s the original recipe that inspired this one (links off-site):
