A classic steak dinner done sheet pan style. This keto steakhouse dinner is full of healthy fats and infinitely satisfying. It’s an easy-to-make Paleo meal the whole family will love. In partnership with Organic Valley.
Oh I’ve got a good one for you today! An easy family-style dinner that seriously satisfies. Oh and did I mention that it’s incredibly healthy, ketogenic, and dairy-free? Or sort of dairy-free? Just go with me here. I will explain more as we go.
So yeah, ghee. Chances are you’ve heard of it, even if you’ve never used it. We’re going to talk about this ghee-licious stuff for a few moments and how perfectly it fits into a healthy keto diet. Any healthy diet, to be honest. I am not giving up butter any time soon but for many recipes, I am leaning more and more toward using ghee. Especially Organic Valley’s wonderful pasture-raised ghee.
What is Ghee and why is it great for a Keto Diet?
In the simplest of terms, ghee is clarified butter taken even further. This means the butter has been cooked until it separates into its basic components of fat and milk solids, and then simmered even further until all the liquid evaporates. What you are left with is pure butter fat.
Pure fat. Right there, you have reason enough to make it part of your healthy low carb diet.
But there’s more good stuff here. One of the primary benefits of ghee is that it has a high smoke point. You know us low carbers, we’re always frying things and cooking them at high temperatures. Many other fats and oils simply aren’t up to the challenge and they begin to break down, releasing potential harmful free radicals. Ghee’s smoke point is 485F, which makes it ideal for high heat cooking and baking.
And because the milk solids are removed, ghee is actually free of lactose and casein, the most common causes of dairy intolerance. So yes, it is a dairy-derived product but most people can eat ghee without any issues at all. But it still has that wonderful buttery flavor so many of us love.
Unlike butter, ghee is also entirely shelf stable, so no refrigeration is necessary. You can’t leave a stick of butter out too long for fear of it going rancid, but a jar of ghee can stay at room temperature for long periods of time. How convenient! It means you can take it traveling or order it online easily. Try sticking some butter in your suitcase sometime…what a mess that would be.
I am not breaking up with butter, but…
Butter holds a very special place in my heart and always will. But Organic Valley Ghee and I are becoming pretty good friends these days and I’ve been having fun coming up with some new recipes for it. I love Organic Valley’s commitment to the animals, the land, and the farmers. I love that I know it’s always organic and never, ever GMO. And all that pasture-raised dairy goodness is in the ghee, just as it is in their pasture butter (which I can pretty much eat by the spoonful!).
So to show off a little of ghee’s versatility, I created an easy sheet pan meal the whole family will love. Ghee is often used in Asian and Indian cooking and I wanted to steer away from that and show you an American-style dinner. Nothing is more American than a steak dinner! Since broiling steak requires high heat, I knew ghee was an ideal cooking oil to use. Add some veggies, a little garlic, and some salt and pepper, and dinner is done!
- 8 ounces button or crimini mushrooms
- 8 ounces green beans
- 1/4 cup Organic Valley ghee melted
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs good quality steak such as rib eye or new york strip at least 1 inch thick each
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- If your mushrooms are on the large side, be sure to quarter them. If they are small, just use them as is. Trim the green beans and cut in half.
- Spread the veggies on a rimmed baking sheet. Mix the ghee with the minced garlic and drizzle about half over the veggies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Roast the veggies for about 12 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and preheat the broiler. Push the veggies to the side and nestle the steaks onto the pan. Drizzle with the remaining ghee and garlic. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Broil 4 to 6 inches from the heat for about 5 minutes per side or until the steaks are done to your liking (this will depend on how thick they are - 5 minutes per side is about right for medium rare steaks as long as they are 1 inch thick).
nicole says
February 20, 2018 at 11:46 amThat’s brilliant! Do you think it would work with pork chops? (Only because that’s what I have in the house right now..) Love your site and your books!
Carolyn says
February 20, 2018 at 12:58 pmYep, sure would. But pork takes a little longer to cook through so I would bake them with the veggies and then broil. And make sure they hit 140F before serving.
Marcelle Costanza says
February 25, 2018 at 6:50 pmThe veggies won’t burn while the steaks are broiling?
Carolyn says
February 25, 2018 at 9:31 pmNo, they are too low in the pan.
Debbie Cohea says
March 14, 2018 at 9:56 pmWell, you have impressed me to the point I’m going to go out and buy your cookbook!! My hubby and I are in our 50’s and it had come to a point that he needed to loss some weight. He went to see his doctor for a annual appointment and his doctor had lost a lot of weight, like 30 lb. So the doctor told him that he had done it doing the Keto Diet. My husband came home and told me about it and we went on line to learn more about it. Well, we’ve been doing the Keto for about 6 weeks and he has lost 20 lbs. I’ve just been eating the food with him just because and I’ve even lost 12 lbs. I did have a bit of a time of not feeling good, the Keto flu had hit me, but now I’m fine and feeling great!! Just this week I’ve found your blog and your cookbook…I’m so happy.
Carolyn says
March 14, 2018 at 11:08 pmSo very glad you both found this lifestyle, Debbie!