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Mediterranean Tuna and Cauliflower Casserole
I have a confession to make. Some weekends I just can’t meal prep. I know. It seems almost sacrilegious to say that on a paleo blog, but it’s true. I try to keep easy things on hand to throw together for those days, like sausages, precooked meat frozen in smaller packages, frozen veggies, store-bought, compliant broth, and marinara sauce.
Inspired by this recipe on The Kitchn. I tried to create a version with the same flavors but without all the inflammation. I can’t eat grains or dairy so I knew it would be quite the challenge. Challenge accepted.
I raised the stakes by making this recipe a virtual pantry meal. The only fresh ingredient listed below is the lemon, which you probably have hanging around in your fridge anyway or could omit if you didn’t have it. On one of my test rounds, I had run out of lemon so I skipped it. I still ate three helpings. Check your labels carefully. When I went looking for compliant ingredients at my local store, I found jars and cans that ran the gamut with ingredients. Some jars of olives actually had sugar in them. What?! Why?!
I did make a point to test this using frozen cauliflower that I did not thaw because some days I’m just too lazy to deal with thawing cauliflower. It worked just fine so if you are lazy like me, toss the whole thing in the oven covered with foil. Bake it for 30 minutes, uncover it and continue to bake for another 20-30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the cauliflower is cooked through.
One last tip, the coconut butter will be crumbly as you try to remove it from the jar. That’s perfect. I just measured crumbles into a measuring cup, one ¼ cup at a time. You need the crumbles to spread across the top just before baking so it resembles cheese. Keep it away from the stove/oven as you prepare everything so it doesn’t soften or it is hard to crumble across the top. It just sticks to your fingers and gets messy. Tasty, but messy.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
4 cups frozen cauliflower florets, thawed
2 5-ounce cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained
1 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts, quartered and drained
1 4-ounce can of sliced black olives, drained
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon lemon juice, about the juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon lemon zest, about 1 lemon
1 14-ounce can of coconut milk
2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil, plus some to grease the pan
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
½ cup coconut butter crumbles, divided (This is sometimes called coconut manna)
1 tablespoon Greek seasoning blend, divided, plus enough to sprinkle on top for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F or 400 F if using a convection oven.
In a small saucepan over medium low heat, whisk together the ghee or coconut oil and the arrowroot powder until well combined. The arrowroot turns into a bit of a paste with ghee, but not so much with coconut oil. No worries. It will still thicken the sauce.
Add the coconut milk to the saucepan and continue to whisk until the coconut milk thickens. Add ¼ cup coconut butter, half of the Greek seasoning, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Remove from the heat.
Grease a baking dish with a little ghee or coconut oil.
Add the cauliflower, the tuna, artichoke hearts, olives, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, the remaining seasoning blend, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl.
Mix the white sauce with the cauliflower mixture and spread evenly throughout the baking dish.
Crumble the remaining coconut butter evenly across the top. Sprinkle with a little Greek seasoning blend.
Place in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, turning halfway to allow the top to brown evenly. The casserole is done when the cauliflower is heated through, the sauce is bubbly, and the top is golden brown.
