This keto ground beef casserole recipe is an easy and tasty one pan dinner the whole family will love. Savory ground beef, marinara and different cheeses make for a tasty low carb dinner with just 3.2g net carbs. Freeze leftovers of this hamburger casserole for a quick keto lunch!
You might also like the popular keto cheeseburger casserole recipe!
Today I was inspired by my friend who always makes something called Johhny Marzetti which is a dish with noodles, ground beef, tomato sauce and cheese.
This keto ground beef casserole is very similar and of course low carb so no noodles. It’s now my favorite dish being on a low carb diet. Seriously it is sooooo good!
Like all good casseroles it’s full of saavory ingredients like ground beef, cheeses, cream as well low carb vegetables, marinara sauce and topped with more cheese!
It is truly keto comfort food, family friendly and it’s so easy to make.
Other keto ground beef recipes to try.
Ground beef is definitely a keto food and is easy to use as well as economical. I use hamburger a lot in my keto dinners. Check these other low carb ground beef recipes for easy dinners:
- low carb ground beef and broccoli
- keto cheese steak skillet using ground beef
- keto zucchini ground beef casserole – keto Johnny Marzetti
- low carb Monogolian beef meatballs
- keto ground beef and cabbage (4 flavor combinations)
Ingredients I used.
Today I used the following simple ingredients to make this decadent low carb casserole: ground beef, fennel seed, Italian seasonings, paprika, low carb marinara sauce, riced cauliflower, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, eggs and heavy cream.
The fennel seed, Italian seasoning and paprika when used with ground beef give it that Italian sausage flavor. I used the eggs and heavy cream to make a low carb béchamel sauce like I use in moussaka.
Note you could use cauliflower rice if you want but you would not need to microwave it. Also you could add some other keto vegetables like bell peppers or mushrooms. Or add a little heat with hot pepper flakes or hot sauce.
My favorite low carb marinara sauce.
I really like this marinara sauce I get at Aldi. It’s called Specially Selected Premium Marinara sauce and has 4g net carbs per ½ cup of sauce. There are lower carb sauces that you can buy on Amazon. This Organico Bello has 2g net carbs and this Rao’s has 3g net carbs per half cup.
Update: I have tried Organico Bello but it’s a bit sour to me. I love Rao’s but the carb count was different on the bottle I bought at Costco from the one online. Regardless they have good reviews. Check out these and some other low carb condiments you might like in my Amazon store.
How to make this keto ground beef casserole!
This is not a very difficult casserole to make and I have pictures below to show you some of the steps but here it is in a nutshell:
- Chop and microwave the cauliflower for 5 minutes.
- Heat up a nonstick skillet to medium high heat. Add the ground beef and spices and brown it. You can add a little salt and black pepper if you wish but I didn’t think it needed it.
- When the ground beef is browned and the cauliflower is done, mix together and then spoon the ground beef mixture into a casserole dish to make the bottom layer. Make sure to spray the baking dish first with non-stick spray.
- Heat up the same skillet to a medium heat add the cream cheese, cream and Parmesan cheese.
- Whisk until the cheeses are melted. Let it cool a bit and then add in the beaten egg. Pour the egg mixture over meat and cauliflower mixture.
- Spoon the tomato sauce onto the casserole and then top with mozzarella shredded cheese.
- Place in a preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes until brown and bubbly. (Scroll down for the recipe card.)
Top Left: Brown the ground meat in a skillet along with the spices. In the meantime you can cook the cauliflower in the microwave and then add to the beef mixture. Next spoon into a casserole dish.
Top Right: To make the cream sauce, whisk the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and cream in a skillet until the cheeses are melted and well combined. Let it cool a bit and then add in the beaten egg and pour over the meat mixture.
Bottom Left and Right: Now spoon the sauce on top and sprinkle the cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is nice and brown.
There are plenty of leftovers so I froze some for a quick meal. Reheated it still tastes great. Sometimes I make this casserole just to have a few keto lunches in the freezer. It’s a great recipe for meal prep or meal planning.
Well I hope you like this keto ground beef recipe as much as I did.This is perfect weeknight keto dinner recipe so if you like casseroles and are on a keto diet give this one a try.
The nutritional information for â…› of this casserole is: 334 calories
25.2g fat / 4.6g carbs / 1.4g fiber / 22g protein = 3.2g net carbs
Other tasty keto casseroles you might like.
I love casseroles even though I didn’t grow up with them. The fact that they have everything in one bite appeals to me. So on this blog I have quite a few low carb casseroles you might like if you too enjoy comfort foods:
- chicken broccoli casserole
- cheesy cauliflower casserole
- low carb breakfast casserole
- slow cooker keto Mexican ground beef casserole
- keto green bean casserole
- loaded mashed cauliflower casserole
Low Carb Keto Ground Beef Casserole
This keto ground beef casserole is an easy and delicious one pan dinner the whole family will love. Savory ground beef, marinara and different cheeses make for a tasty low carb weeknight dinner with just 3.2g net carbs.
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- ½ teaspoon Italian spice seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ cup cream cheese (2 oz)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup marinara sauce (I used Specialty Selects)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add the beef to a skillet along with the fennel, Italian seasonings and paprika. Cook until browned.
- In the meantime place the cauliflower in the microwave and cook for 5 minutes.
- Once brown, add in cauliflower mix and then spoon into a baking dish. Note* I used a leaner ground beef. If you use a fattier ground beef and have a lot of grease, please drain it before adding the cauliflower.
- To make the cheese sauce, in the skillet add the cream cheese, cream and Parmesan cheese. Whisk until the cheeses are melted then take it off the stove and let cool a bit.
- Add in the beaten egg to the cooled cheese sauce, whisk and then pour over meat and cauliflower mixture.
- Spoon the red sauce onto the casserole and then top with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake 30 minutes until brown and bubbly.
Notes
334 cals / 25.2g fat / 4.6g carbs /. 1.4g fiber / 22g protein = 3.2g net carbs
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 ServingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 334Net Carbohydrates: 3.2g
Ellen Torres
Hi! Could you add creamed cottage cheese to this?
Denise
Hi Ellen, I think you could, however I have not cooked with cottage cheese before and I am not sure how it would turn out. I’m sorry I’m not much help. Let me know if you do and how it turns out.
Julie Daniels
Hi…
Do you think I could swap out the cauliflower for broccoli?
Denise
Hi Julie,
Yes you can use broccoli but the cauliflower has more of a neutral taste. But the broccoli should be fine. Hope you like it.
Denise
Mary A.
Hi there! Could I make this recipe without the heavy cream? I have everything else. We also have whole milk and coconut milk if either of those could sub?
Denise
Hi Mary, whole milk will have quite a few carbs but if you don’t care about that, it would work. If you do care about carbs I would suggest using a bit more cream cheese and some water to thin it out as it melts in the pan. The coconut milk would have an odd taste I think with this dish. Hope that helps!
Jackie Peebles
Absolutely love this, my husband isn’t a fan of Keto or cauliflower…but shhh he’s in there getting a second helping 😀
Denise
I’m so glad he likes it! Thanks for coming back to comment!
Nancy Akerly
When do you add the red sauce?
Denise
Hi Nancy, I’m sorry that wasn’t clear. If you look at the photo collage above in the post you can see I put it on over the white sauce. I’ve fixed to the recipe and added the word “red” to the step you should add it. Hope that helps and you like it! Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
Patti
Very quick and easy. My family loved it.
Denise
Hi Patti, so glad you liked it. This is one of my favorites …. real comfort food to me.
Veena Azmanov
Awesome presentation. Looks delicious and healthy.
Mary
Hi,
Can you brown the meat and get it ready a few hours before putting in the oven?
Denise
Hi Mary,
Yes that shouldn’t be a problem. I hope you enjoy it!
Pat good
Will you please let me know what size casserole pan
Denise
Hi Pat, I think it was a 9×13 pan? I’m sorry but I don’t quite remember. Hope that helps!
Theresa
Great recipe although I was confused in the typed recipe where to put the cream cheese mixture. I didn’t see it there, but the pictures gave me an idea of where it should go. Happy to find this recipe.
Denise
Hi Theresa, I so glad you liked it. I’m sorry if the instructions were not clear but I’ve fixed them for everyone else. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!
Emily
Do you drain the cooked ground beef? It doesn’t say.
Denise
Hi Emily,
I did not because I used a leaner ground beef. But if it seems to greasy to you, yes drain the grease. I’ll add that to the recipe. Thanks for pointing that out and good luck!
Michelle
This is my new go to favorite casserole, 3rd time making it. I’ve Aldo shared it with a couple friends and they love it also. I one thing I added was sautéed mushrooms and some roasted garlic. Just delicious
Denise
Thanks Michelle, I’ll have to try that next time!
Kelsey Rickert
With a busy work schedule we have to have a casserole on hand at least once a week! I have been in a casserole funk so this will help get me out of that! Love that it is low carb and keto friendly too!
Chef and Steward
Totally saving this because it is keto, easy and looks amazingly delicious! It’s the kind of meal you want to tuck in with a spoon and served in a bowl!
Markus Mueller
I don’t eat keto, but I would still love making this! Its almost like Sheppards pie minus the potatoes!
Deseree
Delicious, healthy, and keto friendly! You can bet that I am adding this to my menu next week.
Jacque
I made this and my family had no idea how healthy it actually was. Perfect for the whole family!
Denise
Hi Jacque, so glad they liked it!
Julie
I love how quick and easy this recipe is! Do you think the leftovers would freeze well?
Denise
Hi Julie, Yes I have frozen it before and it comes out fine. Just a few minutes in the microwave to heat it up.
Loreto Nardelli
This casserole screams comfort and yum. Love the combination of cauliflower beef and the sauce and cheese. Sounds just scrumptious!
Cheers!
Michelle
I love casseroles in winter. This looks so comforting and tasty and I love all the flavours in this, especially the fennel seeds, so good!
Denise
Thanks Michelle! The fennel seeds give the meat that Italian sausage taste.
Jo
I’m a huge fan of casserole recipes. Your beef casserole dish looks perfect and comforting. Would be perfect for chilly winter nights.
Jennifer
This casserole is delicious! My family loved it!
Denise
Hi Jennifer,
So glad you liked it! It’s my new favorite now.
Heather
Ooh this looks good. And I’ve been trying to watch the carbs lately so can’t wait to try this. I have a head of cauliflower too that has been sitting in the fridge. Can’t wait to use it in this recipe!
Denise
Hi Heather! I hope you like it. I have SOOOO many cauliflower recipes so if you want to use cauliflower come back and check them out!
N L Hoffman
I felt like the recipe needed some salt.
Denise
Hi N, sometimes I’m light with the salt because some people don’t like too much and I feel that is something people can easily add themselves. Thanks for coming back and sharing your thoughts and tips!
Beth Neels
I just love casseroles in the winter, as well! They are so comforting! This sounds so flavorful, I don’t think you could even miss the noodles! Yummy!
Paulette Carter
You did not list the cauliflower in the ingredient list in the recipe.
Denise
Hi Paulette, thanks for catching that! I fixed the recipe and I hope you like it!