Irresistible Keto Cheeseburger Casserole with Cauliflower Rice – Easy Low-Carb Delight!

This keto cheeseburger casserole with cauliflower rice recipe is a hearty, flavorful, and easy-to-make dish perfect for a comforting weeknight dinner. It's a delightful, non-gourmet option that both adults and children will enjoy, offering a satisfying alternative to traditional cheeseburgers without the bun. Casseroles are easy to make. You place a few ingredients in a baking dish, put it in the oven, and dinner is ready 30-60 minutes later!

Why Choose This Recipe?

Low-Carb and Keto-Friendly: The cauliflower rice offers a low-carb alternative to traditional grains, making it suitable for those following ketogenic diets.
Quick and Easy: This recipe is quick to put together, making it a perfect choice for busy weeknights.
Customizable: The recipe is flexible and forgiving, allowing for easy adaptation to your preferences and available ingredients.
Freezer-Friendly: Prepare individual servings and freeze them for up to three months for a convenient low-carb lunch option.
Family-Friendly: Combines familiar cheeseburger flavors into a comforting casserole format that appeals to a wide range of palates.

Ingredients You'll Need

Here's what you'll need to create this delectable casserole:

Ground Beef: Extra-lean ground beef (93% lean) is typically recommended, but 85% lean can also be used. You could also swap ground beef with ground turkey or chicken if you like.
Cauliflower Rice: Use fresh raw cauliflower florets that you chop or frozen cauliflower rice. Buying frozen cauliflower rice is the quickest method since it’s already cooked and you just need to heat it up about 5 minutes.
Onion and Garlic: Essential for adding savory depth to the beef mixture. Sometimes, when I'm lazy, I substitute onion and garlic powders - two teaspoons of each.
Cheese: A combination of cheeses enhances the flavor and texture. Use cream cheese and heavy whipping cream to make this really creamy and as a bit of a sauce. The sharp grated cheddar cheese is for the cheesiness and flavor. You can use white and yellow cheddar in this recipe, plus cream cheese. Stick to full-fat cheese and enjoy all your favorites. Shredded Italian blend cheese can also be used.
Mayonnaise: Adds moisture and richness to the casserole. Or sriracha mayo for some heat.
Mustard: Dijon mustard is often preferred.
Olive Oil: For sautéing the vegetables and browning the beef.
Seasonings: A blend of seasonings elevates the cheeseburger flavor. Italian Seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper. Steak SeasoningThis 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.
Optional Add-Ins: Bacon, spinach, or other vegetables can be added to customize the casserole.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these simple steps to create your keto cheeseburger casserole:

Prepare the Cauliflower Rice: Rice the cauliflower using a food processor or box grater. You can also use pre-riced cauliflower. 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. Place frozen cauliflower rice in a microwavable bowl and cook for 5 minutes. Add the coconut flour and salt and mix well. Set aside.
Cook the Beef: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the beef and the onions. Cook, stirring to break up the beef until the meat is browned and the onion is soft, for about 5 minutes. If there are liquids at the bottom of the skillet, carefully drain the mixture and return it to the skillet. Stir in the kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 more minute. Turn the heat off.
Combine Ingredients: In a 9×13-inch baking dish, combine cooked cauliflower rice, sour cream, butter, and dried basil; stir and mix until completely combined and creamy. If sour cream and butter aren’t melting completely, stir in some milk. The cauliflower rice should be warm enough to melt the butter.
Add the Beef Mixture: Add prepared beef mixture to the baking dish; stir until everything is completely incorporated.
Add Cheese and Bake: Add the mashed cauliflower in a layer on the bottom of a 9x9 (or similar) casserole dish. Add the ground beef mixture to the top and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. I used an 8x10" dish.Bake covered with foil at 375-F for about 15-20 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.
Broil (Optional): Alternatively, if your baking dish is broiler-safe, broil the casserole 6 inches below the heating element (not directly below) until the cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes.
Garnish and Serve: Top with diced pickle, tomatoes, and onions - all your favorite cheeseburger flavors. A bit of sour cream is perfect on the top, too! Serve immediately.

Tips and Variations

Add Vegetables: You can add 1-2 cups of uncooked riced cauliflower to the ground beef/onion mixture and cook everything together. Increase the olive oil by 1-2 tablespoons.You can also add two cups (about 2 ounces) of raw baby spinach leaves to the beef mixture when it's done cooking. Add the spinach right before adding the seasonings and mix it in until it wilts very slightly.
Spice it Up: Add your favorite spices, even if they're not classic cheeseburger seasonings. Smoked paprika and chili powder are excellent in this recipe. You can add a teaspoon of each.
Make it Vegetarian: This casserole can definitely be modified to be vegetarian. My favorite way to do that is by using mushrooms in place of ground beef. Mushrooms have a hearty meat-like flavor, and I bet you won’t even miss the meat! Another option is to make a lentil-based ground meat substitute. This is commonly done as a taco meat substitute and could work easily here.

Serving and Storage

Serving Suggestions: If you'd like to turn this casserole into a complete meal, add 1-2 cups of uncooked riced cauliflower to the ground beef/onion and cook everything together. Serve this with a nice green salad for a complete meal and that’s it!
Leftovers: You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power.

Nutritional Information

The carb count for this recipe will depend on how my servings you get out of it. There are just 6 net carbs in this meaty and cheesy keto Cheeseburger Casserole recipe.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

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