Keto Casserole With Ground Beef & Broccoli
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb 90-95% extra lean ground beef
- 14 oz wt.
canned tomato sauce - 12 oz wt. small broccoli florets
- 1 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (6 oz wt.)
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (1 oz wt.)
- 1 large stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon
garlic powder - 1/4 teaspoon
ground cayenne
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Prepare an 8x8 inch baking dish. - Cut any broccoli florets larger than 2 inches into smaller pieces, and add all broccoli to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave until tender, about 5 minutes. Let them drain and steam out on paper towels.
- Pat the ground beef dry with paper towels, if wet. On a large pan over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned, about 5 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks.
- Add tomato sauce, celery, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne to the pan with the beef, stirring together. Simmer for at least 10 minutes until it thickens to a sauce-like consistency, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let the moisture steam out.
- Directly in the baking dish: add broccoli, beef-tomato mixture, and half of the cheddar cheese. Carefully stir until well-mixed.
- Evenly top with remaining cheddar cheese. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake at 375 F until the casserole begins bubbling up the sides and starts to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before cutting into it.
NUTRITION
| Nutrition Facts Per Serving (Serves 4) |
| Calories 370 | |
| Total Fat 19g | 29% |
| Saturated Fat 11g | 53% |
| Cholesterol 111mg | 37% |
| Sodium 1290mg | 54% |
| Net Carb 5.5g | |
| Total Carb 9.5g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 4g | 15% |
| Sugars 5.5g | |
| Protein 37g |
Recipe Overview
This casserole is soft and tender, with a rich and cheesy tomato meat sauce and juicy bites of broccoli. There are occasional crisp bites of diced celery. Seasonings are kept simple — just salt, garlic powder, and a pinch of cayenne.
Its recipe development is inspired by my other baked dishes, like tuna casserole and chicken bacon ranch casserole. This is basically a medley of some of my favorite casserole ingredients.
Moisture Control
To avoid ending up with a watery casserole, cook the broccoli and let it steam out before adding it to the casserole dish. The same goes for the ground beef and tomato sauce; the meat sauce should be simmered until it’s nice and thick, and then cooled a bit to let the steam escape. These steps will ensure a thick and flavorful casserole that holds together well.
Serving And Leftovers
This recipe yields one 8×8 inch casserole, which is divided into four servings. Each serving is a dinner-sized portion.
Serve this keto casserole with side dishes like garlic roasted mushrooms and creamed spinach. For something creamy, try cauliflower mac and cheese.
Got leftovers? Cover and store them in the refrigerator. They reheat well in the microwave or in the oven.
I made this tonight for a family that never agrees on anything for dinner. It was thumbs up from everyone and it was super easy.
Loved this recipe but next time will cut back on the salt. Even my picky eater liked it and said he would eat it again.
Tried this tonight, one of best keto recipies i have tried so far.
This was very yummy!!!!
What can I use instead of tomatoes? My kid is allergic.
The tomatoes form the sauce in this casserole. You could replace it with a different sauce that is suitable for your family, maybe some kind of creamy sauce? The flavors will be very different without tomatoes, just FYI.
This was absolutely delicious. A quick dinner after a long day at work!! Just awesome!
Delicious!
Delicious I used turkey instead of beef just as good thank my wife and I love it will make again
I just made this tonight and it came out wonderfully. I used a bit more broccoli because I used a larger dish and broiled it at the end to brown it a bit more. It was perfect, thank you!
Can you freeze this recipe?
I do plan on making this over the weekend, but I’m trying to figure out how you got your nutritional info. I can see a slight difference but I am coming out at almost 560 calories. That’s almost 200 more than you got. That’s a pretty big difference. Also got twice the grams of fat. What calculator are you using? I know keto is all about the low carbs and high fat, but I do watch calories as well.
I also watch calories as well. I calculate my nutrition by using the information on the labels of the actual products that I use, supplemented by information on national databases. I suspect that our discrepancy has to do with the ground beef. Perhaps you’re using a fattier cut in your calculation? Note that this recipe states 90-95% which is quite lean, meaning that the calories from fat are substantially reduced compared to, say, 80% lean. Makes a big difference in the calories.
Can you use frozen broccoli?
That should be fine. Follow the same instructions regarding cutting them into small florets and microwaving until tender (you might have to microwave longer since it’s frozen).
Simmer the tomato sauce until it is a sauce-like consistency?
Right, the beef-tomato mixture. You want it to have a thicker consistency, which helps the casserole hold together better.
Can you make this without the tomato sauce?
The sauce adds flavor and helps hold the ingredients together. If you don’t want to use tomato sauce, I suggest using some other kind of sauce to serve the same purposes. Maybe a creamy sauce like alfredo.
Do you drain the oil from the ground beef after cooking?
No, I don’t. Since I use lean ground beef, there’s not much oil to begin with.
So good! Didn’t have cayenne so subbed with red pepper flakes. Broccoli added a nice bit of subtle crunch. An absolute make again!
Great dish my family loved it.
Just made this and it is definitely a keeper! It was easy and tasty… which is a winning combination. I reduced the amount of salt, added smoked paprika, and used fire roasted tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. Yum! I now know how to steam broccoli in the microwave! It didn’t get soggy at all
The Keto casserole looks delicious and it is on my list for next weekend. I’m trying to find the keto cornbread that I read about last night but I can’t get back to it, nor do I see a general recipe list on this website – maybe there isn’t one? If not, can someone please send me a link to the cornbread?
Hi Martha, here’s the cornbread recipe: https://www.savorytooth.com/cornbread/. For future reference, to find a recipe you can type its name in the search box (located inside the menu on mobile and tablet, and above the menu on desktop). I also have this general recipe page: https://www.savorytooth.com/recipes/ which allows you to find recipes by course, ingredient, cooking method, etc.
Love this recipe! Great low carb alternative to traditional casserole.
It was a HIT! One of the first Keto recipes I’ve made for all of us to enjoy and it worked out! No cayenne or celery seasoned with garlic and black pepper only Yum!
Loved it! Super easy and with lots of flavor
Yum! Love this, easy to make up and tasty. I left out the salt and it was perfect. I bet the leftovers will be good tomorrow for lunch. Thanks for the recipe.
Dee
I made this tonight. Didn’t really like the combination of beef and broccoli flavor.
Excellent casserole. A definite keeper.
Awesome.
This was very easy to make, very tasty, and very filling. Though I am not typically sensitive to salt, I think the salt in the recipe should be reduced to no more than 1 tsp unless you are using low sodium or no salt tomato sauce.
PS – I am so thrilled to find Julia’s website and recipes!
My family loved this but all said it was a little to salty for them!