If you are looking for a low carb ground beef recipe, this keto cheesy ground beef cauliflower casserole is pure comfort food. Make a big pan and freeze individual servings for a quick low carb lunch. This low carb dinner idea has only 1.9 grams net carbs per serving and the entire family will love it.
For more ground beef recipes see this 27 keto ground beef recipes post.
This recipe is one of my most popular keto recipes. It’s also one that I make often to eat whenever I want some low carb comfort food. I realized I haven’t updated it in a long time and today I am. Please scroll down to read all the comments for more tips!
As you may have guess, I like cheeseburger flavors. I’ve made a cheeseburger flavored frittata, salad, waffle, portobello. And today I am sharing with you thisketo cheesy ground beef cauliflower casserolerecipe because I love casserole meals too!
The savory flavors of the hamburger along with the other ingredients create some delicious creamy, cheesy, comfort food at it’s best but without the carbs.
I usually make a big pan and freeze a few servings for a quick low carb lunch. It has been a life saver this week as I was very busy. It’s a great ground beef casserole even if you aren’t a low carb diet and one of my favorite low carb meals.
Recipe ingredients I used and substitutes.
All you need to make this tasty keto dinner is a few simple ingredients – ground beef, cauliflower, steak seasoning, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, cream cheese, butter, heavy cream and eggs.
Ground Beef
I like to use leaner ground beef in this recipe because it’s quite rich. I usually use about 90% fat hamburger. You can use fattier meat but you might want to drain it a bit after your brown it.
Steak Seasoning
This really give the meat more of a hamburger or steak flavor and it has flavorful ingredients like onion, garlic, paprika, etc. If you don’t have any you can liberally season with salt and ground black pepper. But use it if you can.
Fresh Cauliflower
I like to use fresh raw cauliflower florets that I chop into bite sized pieces. I don’t like to use frozen cauliflower but if you do please make sure to get out as much liquid as you can before adding to the casserole. You can also use cauliflower rice but I usually do not.
Cheeses
I use the cream cheese and heavy whipping cream to make this really creamy. The sharp cheddar is for the cheesiness and flavor. You can try other cheeses if you prefer like Monterey Jack, mozzarella cheese or Colby Jack cheese if you want but I would mix it with the cheddar.
Low carb cooking tips for this casserole.
I wanted to point out a couple of cooking tips that I used in this keto recipe that you can use to create other low carb weeknight casseroles. Just use different spices and sauces to change it up.
- When I browned the ground beef, I sprinkled some steak seasoning on top. This is what makes ground beef taste like a hamburger to me. If you don’t have any you can try to make your own steak seasoning with spices like salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, etc.Some people like to use unsweetened ketchup or yellow mustard but I feel like the seasoning is much better.
- I added bits of cauliflower in with the meat to make this casserole go further. It has a neutral taste and is some what like pasta or a potato and was a yummy addition. I chopped it up but you could use frozen or fresh cauliflower rice instead of bite sized pieces. If it’s frozen just drain the water first.
- You can also add extra veggies if you want like spinach, broccoli, bell pepper etc. Make sure to use low carb veggies though.
- You can also use ground turkey or ground chicken if you want though they might be a bit dry. You can also try Italian hot sausage for a different flavor and some heat.
How to make keto cheesy ground beef cauliflower casserole.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F and spray a baking or casserole dish with cooking spray.
Step 2: Chop cauliflower into bite size pieces. Steam cauliflower in the microwave by placing the raw cauliflower pieces in a microwave safe bowl with a little bit of water. Cook for 5 minutes then make sure to drain the water before adding to the casserole.
Step 3: Meanwhile get out a large skillet and heat to medium high heat. Add the ground meat and sprinkle some steak seasoning over it. Use a wooden spoon to breakup the hamburger.
\When the meat has browned a little, turn the heat down to medium heat. Then add in the cooked cauliflower pieces, cream cheese and part of the cheddar cheese to the browned ground beef.
Step 4: Mix it around for 1-2 minutes until the cream cheese melts and then spoon the ground beef mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Step 5: Next whisk eggs, heavy cream and butter and pour the egg mixture over casserole. Top with the remaining shredded cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown on top. You can also place it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown it more.
Serve this with a nice green salad for a complete meal and that’s it! Store left overs in an airtight container. (Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.)
The first time I made this in a 13″ x 9″ casserole dish size and got 8 servings from this casserole but I ate two pieces. It was really good to me. But with only 1.2g net carbs per serving I don’t think it’s bad to have 2 pieces. 🙂
This time I made it in a 10 x 8 inch baking dish and got 6 servings. So one serving comes to 1.9g net carbs. Either size of pan that you use the carbs are pretty low for this comfort food dish!
More keto ground beef recipes to try.
I love using ground beef or hamburger in keto recipes because it adds so much flavor and it’s low carb. Subsequently I have quite a few ground beef keto recipes.
Some of my most popular posts are this cheesesteak ground beef skillets and this ground beef and broccoli post.They are also some of my personal favorite recipes.
TIP: My tip for using ground beef in low carb recipes is to aim for high fat content when making something like burgers or even meatballs but use lean ground beef when making casseroles or soups.
More recipe tips and notes.
- Since this is a rich and creamy casserole, you might want to use a leaner ground beef. If it’s too fatty it will shrink down and leave a lot of excess grease.
- I use fresh cauliflower and chop it up. If you want you could also use fresh cauliflower rice. But I prefer fresh cauliflower to frozen cauliflower rice or florets as that usually has a lot of excess water.
- Casseroles like this make a great meal prep recipe for a keto diet.I like to freeze portions of these types of casseroles in glass storage containers like this if possible. When you microwave dishes with a lots of cheese and fat, the plastic seems to get all funky so the glass is better.
- The carb count for this recipe will depend on how my servings you get out of it. I used this 8×10″ baking dish and got 6 servings at 1.9g net carbs.
Well I hope you like this keto cheesy ground beef cauliflower casserole as much as I did. I find that preparing low carb casseroles like this and then freezing individual servings can really help you stay on a low carb diet. Or freeze big portions for a keto dinner on busy weeknights.
It’s filling and savory and perfect when you don’t have the time to make lunch or dinner. This is also a very family friendly keto casserole recipe that even picky eaters will love.
And if you like this dish you might also like this similar ground beef casserole with Italian flavors that uses tomato sauce and Italian seasonings.
The nutrition for 1 serving of this delicious casserole is: 421 calories / 30.2g fat / 2.6g carbs / 0.7g fiber / 25.1g protein = 1.9g net carbs.
Keto Cheesy Ground Beef Cauliflower Casserole
Yield: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
This low carb cheesy ground beef and cauliflower casserole is a delicious and hearty casserole recipe that is pure keto comfort food. Freeze individual servings for a quick low carb lunch. Only 1.9g net carbs per serving.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups cauliflower, chopped (about ½ head cauliflower)
- 2 teaspoon steak seasoning
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. I used an 8x10" dish.
- Chop cauliflower into bite size pieces and then place the raw cauliflower pieces in a microwave safe bowl with a little bit of water. Cook for 5 minutes then make sure to drain the water before adding to the casserole.
- In the meantime get out a large nonstick skillet and heat to medium high heat. No need to add olive oil as the meat will have enough grease to brown it. Add the ground beef and sprinkle steak seasoning on top. Use a wooden spoon and breakup the hamburger while you brown it.
- Once the meat has browned a little turn down the heat to medium heat. Add in cauliflower, cream cheese and ¼ cup of cheddar cheese. Mix well to combine and then pour or spoon into the prepared baking dish.
- In a bowl, beat eggs then whisk in heavy cream and melted butter. Make sure the butter cools a bit before doing this.
- Pour over beef mixture and top with remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly on top. You can also place it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown it more.
Notes
The nutrition info for 1 serving is:
421 cals / 30.2g fat / 2.6g carbs / 0.7g fiber / 25.1g protein = 1.9g net carbs
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 421Net Carbohydrates: 1.9g
For another ground beef casserole try my friend Kasey’s keto taco casserole or my friend Alika’s keto shepherd’s pie.
