This Italian keto beef casserole makes the perfect weeknight meal. It’s quick, easy, family-friendly, and flat-out delicious!
It’s a keto beef casserole that uses ground beef and combines it with cauliflower rice, Italian tomato sauce, and cheeses for the perfect combo!
Bring a casserole dish the entire family will love with very little prep time. It’s a complete meal that clocks in at only 6.6 net carbs per serving.
If you’re looking for an easy keto recipe that deserves to be added to your keto meal plan and also makes comfort food healthy, this low-carb ground beef casserole is it!
Italian Keto Beef & Cauliflower Rice Casserole
Who doesn’t love a good casserole for dinner? Especially a keto-friendly one!
Here at FITTOSERVEGROUP, we can’t seem to get enough keto casserole recipes.
Look, casseroles can get a bad rap for being full of processed canned food, lots of carbs, and being unhealthy overall. Thankfully, that doesn’t have to be the case.
I’m here to tell you that great-tasting, healthy casseroles like this low-carb Italian beef and cauliflower rice casserole are not only delicious but also meals your whole family will want.
What Is Italian Keto Beef Casserole?
This Italian beef casserole features ground beef, cauliflower rice, and Italian red sauce and is topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheese for a tasty casserole.
Swapping out the white rice that is traditional in this recipe for cauliflower rice keeps things on the lighter side.
It’s an easy dinner that even those not following a low-carb diet will embrace. After all, it’s a cheesy Italian beef bake that just happens to also be keto-friendly! Winning!
Ingredients Needed To Make This Italian Keto Beef Casserole
The following are the ingredients you’ll need to make this keto Italian beef casserole.
Note that the full printable recipe card and nutritional information are at the bottom of the page.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Keto Beef Casserole Ingredients
- Lean ground beef ( I always recommend grass-fed beef when possible)
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Onion powder
- Italian herb seasoning, salt-free
- Baking soda
- Frozen cauliflower rice (cooked cauliflower rice)
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
Italian Sauce
- Crushed tomato sauce
- Onion chopped
- Garlic cloves, minced
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Italian herb seasoning (salt-free)
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Red pepper flakes
How To Make A Keto Italian Beef Casserole
Making this ground beef keto casserole is pretty straightforward. You’ll start by cooking the frozen cauliflower. I like using bags that can be microwaved for added convenience.
If frozen cauliflower isn’t an available option for you, refer to keto cauliflower rice to make your own.
Then, you’ll proceed to cook the ground beef and set it aside. Next, you’ll make the homemade Italian sauce.
Once everything is cooked, it’s just a matter of assembling the casserole by adding the ground beef mixture as the first layer and then adding the cauliflower rice on top of the beef, spreading it evenly over the ground beef.
Then, you’ll add the tomato sauce to the cauliflower rice layer, covering the entire surface of the casserole.
Next, sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the tomato sauce layer and bake for 35–45 minutes until the cheese melts and the casserole is golden brown around the edges.
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Tips To Make A Low-Carb Italian Beef Casserole
Something to keep in mind when making this ground beef casserole is the use of lean ground beef. I opted for 85% lean ground beef because it prevents the casserole from being too greasy when served.
I promise you won’t miss the flavor of the fat since it’s loaded with other delicious flavors.
Another thing to keep in mind is that although I have shared a homemade Italian sauce, you could save time by using a keto-friendly sauce like Rao’s marinara sauce.
If you go with the prepared sauce option, you will need about a jar and a half.
How To Tenderize Ground Beef With Baking Soda?
When cooking ground beef, I like to sprinkle a little baking soda over the raw meat before cooking and letting it sit for 15 minutes. This helps tenderize the ground beef.
Adding baking soda helps break down the meat quickly so that there aren’t large clumps of beef. The general rule is to add 1/4 teaspoon per pound of meat, so I added 1/2 teaspoon to the recipe.
I love using this great hack anytime I make a low-carb ground beef recipe because it always speeds things up and allows the ground meat to cook more evenly.
This is totally optional; note that it will take a little longer to cook the ground beef if you omit it.
What To Serve With Italian Keto Beef Casserole?
What’s especially nice about a casserole like this is that it has it all—dinner time just got easier with this great meal.
It’s a hearty ground beef recipe that uses ground meat and cheese for protein and cauliflower rice and tomato sauce as veggies.
It’s a completely filling meal on its own; no sides are really needed.
However, if you want to stretch the meal further, there are a few sides that work well with the flavorings of this Italian casserole.
I sure hope you will make this Italian keto beef and cauliflower rice casserole. Don’t forget to visit our entire collection of keto casseroles for more delicious options!
Please remember to tag us on Instagram and Facebook with your pictures if you decide to make it. I can’t tell you how encouraging it is to see how well you are all duplicating our little recipes.
More Keto Ground Beef Recipes
- Keto Beef Enchiladas
- Keto Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole
- Keto Ground Beef Empanadas
- Keto Mexican Picadillo
Be sure to visit our entire collection of low-carb ground beef recipes!
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Italian Keto Beef Casserole (Gluten-Free)
If you're wanting a keto-friendly ground beef recipe, this Italian keto beef and cauliflower rice casserole. Enjoy a cheesy hamburger casserole loaded with Italian flavors minus all the carbs!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 tablespoon of Italian herb seasoning, salt-free
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (optional refer to notes below)
- 24 ounces of frozen cauliflower rice cooked
- 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup of Parmesaen cheese
Italian Sauce
- 28 ounce can of crushed tomato sauce
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 2 tablespoons of Italian herb seasoning (salt-free)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Parsley Garnish
- 1/4 cup of fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Cook the 24 ounces of frozen cauliflower rice in the microwave according to the instructions on the bag and place it in a small bowl. Set it aside.
- Over medium-high heat in a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Break up the meat and sprinkle the baking soda and seasonings. If you opt to tenderize the ground beef with baking soda, it will need to sit for about 15 minutes before cooking the meat. Cook the beef until brown, being sure to break it into pieces with a spatula until cooked. Place the browned ground beef in a 13x9-inch baking dish.
- Proceed to make the Italian tomato sauce.
Italian Tomato Sauce
- In a small pot over medium-high heat, cook the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook until the onions and garlic are tender and translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Next, add the canned tomatoes and all the dry herbs and seasoning. Reduce the heat to medium and allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes. Then, set it aside.
Assembling The Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Start by adding the ground beef to the bottom of the baking dish.
- Next, add the cooked cauliflower rice on top of the ground beef, spreading it evenly.
- Add the tomato sauce over the cauliflower rice layer and spread it evenly over the surface.
- Next, sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the tomato sauce layer.
- Then, sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese over the entire surface of the casserole.
- Bake the casserole for 35-45 minutes until the cheese melts and has lightly browned around the edges.
- Lastly, sprinkle the top of the casserole with freshly chopped parsley and serve it hot.
- Refrigerate leftovers for 3 days or freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
You could substitute the homemade Italian sauce for 1 1/2 jars of Rao's keto-friendly sauce to save extra time.
How To Tenderize Ground Beef With Baking Soda?
When cooking ground beef I like sprinkling a little baking soda over the raw meat before cooking and letting it sit for 15 minutes Why? It helps tenderize the ground beef. Adding some baking soda helps break down the meat quickly so that you don't have large clumps of beef. The general rule is to add 1/4 teaspoon per pound of beef and it's why I added 1/2 teaspoon to the recipe. This is totally optional, just note that it will take a little longer to cook the ground beef if you omit it.
Note:
This recipe can be halved easily
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 287Total Fat: 12.1gSaturated Fat: 3.3gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 805mgCarbohydrates: 9.1gNet Carbohydrates: 6.6gFiber: 2.5gSugar: 4.6gProtein: 31.5g
Vee
Wednesday 24th of August 2022
What temperature??
Hilda Solares
Sunday 28th of August 2022
Hi Vee, 350 degrees.
Phyllis
Thursday 23rd of June 2022
The Keto Italian beef casserole looks delicious. I’d like to make it for a covered dish dinner. Since it’s just me I’m cooking for, 10 servings is a lot. I have a few questions. 1) can this recipe be halved? 2) can it be frozen? 3) could a batch of the sauce be made separately and frozen to use for other keto dishes such lasagna, etc? Thank you for the recipes.
Hilda Solares
Monday 27th of June 2022
Hi Phyllis,
I just added a note that it can be halved easily. You can also freeze it so you can portion it out for your needs. I recommend freezing for 3 weeks because it's my preference but you could freeze longer if this is what you are accustomed to. You can also freeze the sauce separately for other dishes. Enjoy in good health!