BURGER SCRAMBLE FLORENTINE

DOTTIE'S BURGER SCRAMBLE FLORENTINE
2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 ounces onion, chopped (about 1/2 a small onion - see my update below)
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional, not included in the counts)
10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional, not included in the counts)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Spray a 2-quart casserole with non-stick spray. Brown the hamburger and onion (and fresh garlic, if using) in a large pot or Dutch oven; drain the fat. Stir in the spinach; mix until well combined; add the salt and pepper (and garlic powder, if using). Add the cubed cream cheese and stir until blended, mashing it into the meat to blend well. Stir in the parmesan and cream; mix well. Pour into a casserole dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350?30-35 minutes, until bubbly and browned.

Makes 6-8 servings
Can be frozen

Per 1/6 Recipe: 514 Calories; 40g Fat; 33g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs
Per 1/8 Recipe: 386 Calories; 30g Fat; 25g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs

This is a very popular dish with low carb dieters. It's from Dottie at Low Carb Friends. Click the photo to see a close-up.

UPDATE 1/8/12: This has become a favorite of mine so I'm increasing my rating to 5 stars. I've made it more times than I can count. I love that it's so tasty, inexpensive to make and also that it makes so many servings. One batch of this lasts me several days. I have tweaked it a bit over the years though. The original recipe didn't call for any garlic. Now when I make it, I add quite a bit more onion, a couple cloves of fresh minced garlic and maybe 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. The garlic makes a world of difference in the flavor and I highly recommend it. The extra onion and the garlic do increase the carb count. Here's a rough estimate of the counts per serving with the extras:

Per 1/6 Recipe: 522 Calories; 40g Fat; 33g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 1.5g Dietary Fiber; 4.5g Net Carbs
Per 1/8 Recipe: 392 Calories; 30g Fat; 25g Protein; 4.5g Carbohydrate; 1.5g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

DOTTIE'S BURGER SCRAMBLE FLORENTINE VARIATION
2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 ounces onion, chopped, about 1/2 a small onion
1 clove garlic, minced
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 2 ounces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cook the garlic and mushrooms along with the ground beef and onion and use 2 packages of spinach instead of just one.

Per 1/6 Recipe: 531 Calories; 41g Fat; 35g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs
Per 1/8 Recipe: 398 Calories; 30g Fat; 26g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

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