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Ground Beef and Parsnip Poppers are delicious crispy savory treats, perfect on their own or for dipping. Lovely for dinner, an appetizer, lunch, leftovers or even for breakfast or brunch.
This recipe is Paleo, AIP, Whole30, VAD, GAPS and Gluten-free.
Ingredients in Ground Beef and Parsnip Poppers
Most poppers recipes feature chicken, turkey or pork. But, ground beef is healthier than any of these meats. And for best wellness, the more we eat “clean” beef, the more omega-3s we’re getting and fewer inflammatory fats.
Ground beef is one of the healthiest foods on the planet if it’s grass-finished on good clean grass (no pesticides). Our family enjoys ground beef daily, and I love providing more beef recipes on my blog so you all have lots of options! Plus, ground beef is affordable and convenient.
So, this recipe uses:
- ground beef — Find pasture-raised, grass-finished ground beef here. Or low histamine beef here.
- parsnips — If you aren’t familiar with parsnips yet, they’re one of my two favorite veggies, so you’ll likely love them. Parsnips are starchy and a little sweet, which means: They get caramelized and crispy edges. Parsnips look like big white carrots, with disproportionately big stem ends. They have their own subtle fennel flavor combined with the tastes of carrot and potato. Parsnips are very hard. So when you grate them, ask for help, or come strong. 😉
- avocado oil — Or other fats will work fine, too, if you prefer.
- spices — garlic powder, onion powder, dried ginger powder, optional grated fresh ginger and sea salt (For VAD, see notes in the recipe.)
- flour of choice — Choose between coconut flour, cassava flour (not for GAPS) and blanched almond flour (use this option for VAD), or it’s likely another flour will work fine here, too.
How to make Ground Beef and Parsnip Poppers
This recipe is very straightforward:
- In a large bowl, mix together well all of the ingredients. I like to use a handheld electric mixer, starting on low speed and then increasing speed, so everything is well mixed, 60 to 90 seconds total.
- Then, use a 1-ounce scoop or your hands to create poppers. I have 2 photos in the Instructions below to help show you what this looks like.
- Bake on prepared baking sheet, and serve!
You’ll love the crispy edges, which happen because of all the natural starches in parsnips!
Leftovers, storage and reheating
Ground Beef and Parsnip Poppers keep stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or freeze them for up to 3 months.
To reheat, preheat oven to 325 degrees, and cook upside down (crispier side face up this time, opposite of how they were first cooked), for about 15 minutes, until heated through.
Defrost frozen poppers before reheating.
Ground Beef and Parsnip Poppers (Paleo, AIP, Whole30)
Equipment
- cookie sheet/baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef uncooked
- 2 cups parsnips grated, from about 2 medium-size parsnips
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil plus a bit more for the pan, refined for VAD
- 2 Tablespoons coconut flour , cassava flour, or for non-AIP and VAD: blanched almond flour
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder omit for VAD (Add 1 teaspoon more dried ginger if you like as a sub.)
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder omit for VAD
- 2 teaspoons dried ginger
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or Potassium Lite Salt
- optional Add up to 2 Tablespoons freshly grated fresh ginger root if you love it and want extra pizzazz in your poppers.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. I like to use handheld electric beaters, but you can also use a fork or spoon, or your hands. Thoroughly combine.
- Use a 1-ounce scoop or a spoon to scoop out poppers, about 1-½" in diameter each. Roll each section into a ball, and then flatten slightly. The recipe makes 20 to 25 poppers. Place each one on the prepared baking sheet as you go.
- Bake 17 minutes, or until browned and getting crispy, and then move to top rack and Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until brownder and crispier. (Note: While baking, the delicious starches from parsnips run out of the poppers and combine with the avocado oil creating lacey burnings on the parchment paper. Any that are still attached to the poppers are super yummy and not too dark to enjoy.)
- These are lovely on their own and don't need a dipping condiment, but if you like, dip into your favorite, or see Notes below for easy delicious dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Easiest Yummy Dipping Sauce
This makes enough for 1 to 2 people, so double the recipe for more servings.- Whisk together thoroughly, until smooth and creamy: 1 Tablespoon coconut aminos + 1 Tablespoon nut or seed butter (for AIP, use tiger nut butter).
- Voila, that's it!
My recipe is adapted from this chicken popper recipe that uses sweet potatoes.Nutrition
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Laura Sherhan says
I made this with shredded beef tongue instead of ground beef, added a little parsley, and used coconut oil instead of avocado. It was FANTASTIC. Thank you so much for the inspiration!!
Megan says
Oh my gosh, YUM; thank you for that awesome variation. Sounds amazing! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, and thank you for sharing!!
Jana says
I can’t stop making these! Delicious!
I wonder how these would work with carrots or sweet potatoes for when parsnips are out of season, I may have to try.
Megan says
Great to hear, Jana!! Thanks for sharing. Yes, I think it will work. 🙂