Keto Casserole With Ground Beef & Broccoli
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb 90-95% extra lean ground beef
- 1 (14-ounce)
can tomato sauce - 6 cups small broccoli florets (12 ounces weight)
- 1.75 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 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
| Makes 4 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 370 (45% from fat) | |
| 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.
I made using canned green beans instead of broccoli. Added sour cream and avocado when serving.
This is so delicious and very easy! I used ground turkey. I measured my cheese before weighing and ended up with 4.5 oz cheddar (which was well over two cups) and .75 oz parm. I was happy because it was way less calories that way! This is my second recipe I’ve made of yours. My first was the IP Balsamic Chicken Thighs and that is literally the best thing I cook at home. This second recipe did not disappoint!
This was very yummy!!!!
Maybe too much broccoli? I used a whole bag of organic frozen. I cut the salt to 1 teaspoon and it still felt a little heavy. That being said, I will make this again and next time cut the salt back further and might try smoked paprika.
Family really liked casserole! Will definitely make again! I used pepper flakes instead of cayenne pepper!
This was a great recipe for “using what you have on hand” and was easy. I used frozen broccoli and followed the recommendation of letting it steam out which worked well. Next time I might add mushrooms.
Could I use marinara sauce instead of the canned tomato sauce do you think? Thanks so much!
Yes, I think that could work. When you’re simmering the marinara sauce with the ground beef and spices, take extra care to ensure the sauce becomes nice and thick (to avoid a watery casserole). Since marinara sauces vary a lot in their water content, you may need to simmer longer than the 10-minute cooking time mentioned in the recipe. Hope that helps!
That is a pretty high number for sodium. Is there any way to lower that?
Most of the sodium in this recipe comes from the added salt and tomato sauce; the latter varies a lot from brand to brand in terms of its sodium content. To reduce sodium, use less added salt and look at the various tomato sauce brands available at your supermarket to select one with lowest sodium according to nutrition labels.
Oh my goodness, just made this and it was fantastic, will definitely make again. Thank you so much for sharing.
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.
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!
Hi there
I live in New Zealand. I am not familiar with tinned tomato sauce. Will tinned diced tomatoes be the same? Many thanks
🙂
Tinned diced tomatoes aren’t the same. Tinned tomato sauce is essentially tomato puree which is much thicker, and it’s possible they are not sold in cans in your country.
Try using a basic store bought marinara sauce or a tomato based pasta sauce.