The keto spinach broccoli cheese casserole is healthy comfort food. It makes a tasty low carb side dish. It’s a creamy and cheesy vegetable casserole that would be great for a holiday meal and has only 2.6g net carbs! Even if you are not on a keto diet, your family will love the flavor of this broccoli cheese casserole.
You might also like this 3 ingredient creamy spinach keto recipe.
Who doesn’t love a delicious casserole especially when it’s creamy and cheesy like this keto spinach broccoli cheese casserole. This is one of those low carb side dishes that you can serve with just about anything or you can add a little cooked chicken or ham and make it a complete meal!
This comforting dish is really easy to make and only has 2.6g net carbs per serving. It also is gluten free and doesn’t use milk, heavy cream or flour to thicken it. I used cream cheese instead.
This has become one of my popular recipes for a keto side dish recipe for the holidays. Plus it freezes well and sometimes I freeze a double serving for a quick keto lunch.
Recipe ingredients I used.
I originally wanted this to be just a keto cheesy broccoli casserole but in the end I added spinach to bulk it up a bit. The simple ingredients I used are broccoli, fresh baby spinach, mayonnaise, full fat cream cheese, onion powder, fresh garlic, sharp cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese. Add a few hot pepper flakes for a little heat.
A note about the broccoli and spinach. I used frozen broccoli and microwaved it to help melt the cheese and wilt the fresh spinach when mixed together. You could use fresh broccoli florets but you should precook it about 15 minutes in the microwave first.
I used fresh spinach because it wouldn’t shrink as much and I could use less. Did you know 1 ยฝ pounds of fresh spinach is equivalent to a 10 ounce package of frozen spinach? Learn more.
And as for the shredded cheese, I like the flavor of cheddar in the casserole with mozzarella as the melty cheese on top. You can also add a bit of grate parmesan cheese in or on the broccoli mixture before baking for extra flavor. Or use a different cheese on top if you want like Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack.
Let’s make some keto spinach
broccoli cheese casserole.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF. Then get out a baking dish or casserole dish and prepare it by spraying with nonstick cooking spray. I used a 7 ยฝ″x10″ baking dish for this recipe.
Step 2: First cook the broccoli florets in the microwave according to the package directions. Or if using fresh, chop into bite sized pieces and rinse with water. Place in a microwave safe bowl with a tablespoon of water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 4-5 minutes.
Step 3: Then place the steamed broccoli into a large mixing bowl along with the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic, cheddar shredded cheese and chopped fresh spinach. The heat from the cooked broccoli florets will melt the cream cheese and wilted the spinach. If you want to add salt and black pepper, do so now. The cheeses tend to be salty enough for me.
If you want to add salt and black pepper, do so now. The cheeses tend to be salty enough for me.
Step 4: Spoon the spinach and cream cheese mixture into the prepared baking dish. Then sprinkle the mozzarella shredded cheese evenly over the top. I like using mozzarella because it gets golden brown and bubbly on top.
Step 5: Then place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until the cheese topping is nice and golden brown like the photo below. Take it out of the oven and let cool a bit before serving. Note baking time may vary.
Store leftover casserole in an airtight container or a freezer safe container to freeze for another meal. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.
Serve this dish with one of these keto main dishes.
This is a very rich and rich and tasty casserole that would go great with a meaty main dish on your dinner table. Below are a few low carb main dishes that would go nicely with the keto broccoli cheese casserole.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- I used frozen broccoli florets that I cooked in the microwave first. When I mixed the cooked broccoli with the cheeses and spinach it melted them nicely. If you want to use fresh broccoli florets just microwave it first for 5 minutes so you get the same effect.
- If you want to use frozen spinach too, you want to cook and squeeze out as much excess water as possible. Because fresh spinach shrinks so much, you will use much less spinach – about ยฝ cup.
- If you want to make this keto broccoli casserole more of a main dish you can mix a cup or two of cooked chopped chicken, bacon, sausage or ham for a keto cheesy casserole main dish.
- And if you are looking for a cheesy rice type of keto casserole try adding cauliflower rice or even use cauliflower florets. Just make sure to precook them as you did the broccoli.
- Freeze double portions for easy keto lunches. If you are feeding a crowd you may want to double the recipe.
I really enjoyed the delicious flavors of this keto spinach broccoli cheese casserole because it’s such comfort food for me. I’m sure if you have a picky eater in the family that doesn’t like veggies, they will like the cheesy goodness of this casserole.
Next time I’m adding cooked rotisserie chicken or ham to make it a complete dinner. Enjoy!
The nutritional information for 1 serving is:
167 cals / 12.9g fat / 4.2g carbs / 1.6g fiber / 7g protein = 2.6g net carbs
Check out my friend Sara’s jalapeno spinach artichoke dip.
Keto Cheesy Spinach Broccoli Casserole Recipe
This low carb broccoli casserole is an easy and delicious low carb side dish. Pure keto comfort food with cheesy flavors that goes great with a meaty main dish. If you are feeding a crowd you may want to double the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 12 ounce package of frozen broccoli florets (approx 4 cups)
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- ยฝ cup sharp cheddar cheese
- ยพ cup mozzarella cheese
- ยฝ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook the broccoli according to the package instructions. If using fresh broccoli, chop and microwave for about 5 minutes.
- Once the broccoli is done, drain and put into a large mixing bowl. Add cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, onion powder and spinach. Then mix well do incorporate everything.
Because the broccoli is hot, it will melt the cheeses and wilt the fresh spinach. If you want to add salt and black pepper, do so now. The cheeses tend to be salty enough for me. - Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread the spinach and cream cheese mixture evenly.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top and then place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until browned and bubbly.
Notes
The nutritional information for 1 serving is:
167 cals / 12.9g fat / 4.2g carbs / 1.6g fiber / 7g protein = 2.6g net carbs
Recipe Notes and Tips
- I used frozen broccoli that I cooked in the microwave first. When I mixed the cooked broccoli with the cheeses and spinach it melted them nicely. If you want to use fresh broccoli just microwave it first for 5 minutes so you get the same effect.
- If you want to use frozen spinach too, you want to cook and squeeze out as much water as possible. Because fresh spinach shrinks so much, you will use much less spinach - about ยฝ cup.
- You can also try other cheeses like Monterey Jack cheese or even Parmesan Cheese. I like the mozzarella on top because it's gets brown and bubbly and the cheddar in the casserole because of the flavor.ย
- If you want to make this more of a main dish one option is to mix a cup or two of cooked chopped chicken and for a broccoli and chicken cheese casserole.
- For more of a cheesy rice casserole, you can add riced cauliflower.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 167
Cherie Beckman
Can you prepare this a day early?
Can you add mushrooms and/or artichoke hearts?
Denise
Hi Cherie,
Yes I think you can prepare it early and I think the mushrooms and/or artichoke hearts would be delicious! I will have to try that next time.
Hope you like it!
Denise
Susan
This casserole is amazing. We celebrated Thanksgiving in Spain so I needed a recipe that didnโt need a cream of soup or sour cream. Not only did this work perfectly but it was our favorite part of the meal. I have sent it to at least 20 people. I used fresh broccoli, used a good helping of Parmesan and no salt. This is a new staple. Thanks for sharing!
Denise
Hi Susan, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for coming back and sharing your experience. I really appreciate it.
Suzy Q
Made this today and loved it. Going to make it again later this week and adding chicken to it. Perfect, easy, low carb meal.
Denise
Hi Suzy, so glad you liked it!
Karen L
What will adding a beaten egg do to this recipe?
Denise
Hi Karen, I’m not sure but I don’t think it will hurt it in anyway and will add a bit of protein to it. If you add a few eggs it will more of a big omelet type casserole which would taste good to me. Hope that helps!
Alexis
Love this recipe! I made it by adding both the riced cauliflower and shredded chicken from your tips. I doubled up on all other Ingredients to compensate for the extras, plus wanted a bigger meal to feed us for a couple days, and it came out perfect. Slices up nice when cooled down, perfect for popping in the fridge for easy to grab and reheat leftovers!
Denise
Hi Alexis. So glad you liked it. Thanks for coming back and sharing your tips!
Anne Carruthers
This was delicious! I was looking for a different vegetable dish for Christmas and this fit the bill. I did add parmesan to the topping and also the mix for a little flavor but didn’t use the red pepper flakes. Thanks for a great recipe!
Denise
Hi Anne, So glad you liked it!
Judy G
Can this be put together in the casserole dish and cooked later?
Denise
Hi Judy, I have never done it but I cannot think of any reason why. It should be fine. I hope you like it!
Christina
This was delicious but it didn’t make much. Thinking of making it into a breakfast casserole next time with adding eggs!
Denise
Hi Christina, the eggs should definitely work. Let me know how it goes!
Amber
I loved it
Denise
Hi Amber, so glad you liked it!