This tasty and cheesy ground beef casserole is keto and low-carb. One of my easiest ground beef recipes and ready in just 30 minutes, it's perfect for a weeknight dinner.
This casserole makes excellent leftovers that taste even better the next day and can be quickly reheated in the microwave.
Whenever I'm not sure what to make for dinner, I make this tasty casserole. Making it couldn't be easier! Brown some ground beef, add cream cheese and spices, sprinkle with shredded cheddar, and bake.
This ground beef casserole is keto and low-carb, low calorie too if that's a concern to you. But most importantly, it's delicious! Leftovers are great too, so you can double the recipe if you wish.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients when making this tasty casserole. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Ground beef: I use extra-lean ground beef in this recipe. Normally I prefer lean, not extra lean. But here, I drain the fat anyway, plus I add other creamy ingredients.
Salt and pepper: I use fine sea salt. If you use coarse kosher salt, you can increase the amount you use.
Spices: Garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Make sure they are fresh! A stale spice can easily ruin a dish.
Cream cheese: I use reduced-fat, but full-fat is fine if that's what you prefer.
Shredded cheddar: I love using extra-sharp cheddar. It's so flavorful!
Parsley: Used mostly for garnish, but it also adds a nice layer of flavor.
Instructions
Making this ground beef casserole is truly easy. I included detailed instructions in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
Your first step is to quickly brown the ground beef with a few spices.
Now, mix in some cream cheese and shredded cheddar.
Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and sprinkle it with a little more cheese, then bake until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Easy!
Frequently asked questions
I used to always buy lean ground beef (85% lean). But recently I've started experimenting with using extra lean ground beef (93% lean).
In many ground beef recipes, including this casserole, I end up draining the fat anyway. So it actually makes sense to use leaner ground beef.
I also find that reduced-fat cream cheese gives me excellent results in recipes, so I sometimes opt for using it.
So you'll see that in this recipe, I use extra lean ground beef, reduced-fat cream cheese, and a relatively small amount of shredded cheddar, with excellent, tasty, and creamy results. However, if you wish, by all means, use full-fat ingredients!
Yes. Traditional casserole recipes include a starchy component. However, I've been making low-carb casseroles for many years now.
I have found that they are excellent without any starch and with just a protein ingredient, a creamy ingredient (sour cream, mayonnaise, heavy cream), spices, and sometimes a vegetable.
Fatty ground beef is tastier than lean ground beef. But you can greatly improve the flavor of even extra-lean ground beef by salting and seasoning it liberally and by adding creamy and/or dairy ingredients such as sour cream or cheese.
Expert tip
When initially browning the ground beef, it's OK if it remains a bit pink. After all, it will finish cooking in the oven. And leaving it a bit pink in the first stage of cooking will help it remain nice and juicy.
Variations
I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you'd like to vary the basic recipe, here are a few ideas for you:
- I intentionally don't include chopped onions in this recipe, because it's very tasty with the onion powder and it's so much easier not to deal with chopping an onion. But you can add a medium chopped onion when browning the beef! Maybe you're not as lazy as I am. 😉
- Another nice variation is to mix some hot sauce into the beef mixture.
- You can also add more spices, including smoked paprika and chili powder.
- Provolone works well as a substitute for the cheddar in this recipe.
Serving suggestions
Any side dish goes with this casserole. It's so very versatile. I most often serve it with an easy salad of tossed greens (this arugula salad is very good), or with a simple vegetable dish such as steamed broccoli or roasted asparagus.
Storing leftovers
This casserole makes excellent leftovers that taste even better the next day and can keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
I reheat the leftovers in the microwave, covered, on 50% power. Sometimes I freeze individual servings. They can be frozen for up to three months and reheated in the microwave.
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Recipe Card
Keto Ground Beef Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray - for pan
- 2 pounds extra lean ground beef - 93% lean
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese - cubed
- 1 cup cheddar - shredded, divided
- 2 tablespoons parsley - chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lightly spray a 2-quart casserole dish with olive oil and set it aside.
- Heat a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly spray it with olive oil.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer raw, about 5 minutes. Drain the beef and return it to the skillet.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne into the beef, then slowly and patiently mix in the cream cheese until fully melted and incorporated.
- Turn the heat off, and mix ½ cup of the shredded cheddar into the beef mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheddar on top.
- Bake the casserole until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes
- When initially browning the ground beef, it's OK if it remains a bit pink. It will finish cooking in the oven. Leaving it a bit pink in the first stage of cooking will help it remain nice and juicy.
- I use extra lean ground beef, reduced-fat cream cheese, and a relatively small amount of shredded cheddar, with excellent, tasty, and creamy results. However, if you wish, by all means, use full-fat ingredients! The casserole will be even better with those.
- This casserole makes excellent leftovers that taste even better the next day. They can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I reheat the leftovers in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. Sometimes, I freeze individual servings. They can be frozen for up to three months and reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Hudson says
Easy and delicious. You can customize by adding any veggies and seasoning you like such as broccoli and garlic. I used it as filling for enchiladas. So good!
Vered DeLeeuw says
A filling for enchiladas! Yum! Love the idea, Hudson.
Diane Delafosse says
Excellent!
Ruthi says
I tried this last night and it was pretty good. I'm not sure if I under-spiced it because the seasonings were a little bland or maybe my cauli-rice I added to the side had something to do with it. Anyway, I have quite a bit left, so thought I'd try and give it a Mexican-vibe today by adding chili powder, etc to it. Thanks for a good basic recipe! (I used full fat everything, that's what I had)
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Ruthi,
I'm glad you liked it! Many people use it as a base recipe an add veggies and seasonings.
Susy says
So delicious. Experimented with low fat cream cheese vs full fat and I like the low fat cream cheese. Its weird because I'm definitely a full fat dairy type when it comes to cooking
Vered DeLeeuw says
Very interesting, Susy! Thank you for the review and feedback.
Jennifer V says
Good recipe, added what I had in the frig. Sautéed onions, mushrooms and fresh garlic, also added some powder onion and garlic. Chopped up spinach and added at the end before baking. Hit the spot, comfort food. Good flavor, nice variety for ground beef. Thank you for the recipe idea!
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're welcome, Jennifer! I love what you did with it! Yum.
Sam says
I did not have too much of an expectation, but i was pleasantly surprised. I was just looking for something different to do with ground meat, that was keto friendly, and found this site. I will make it again. Its a good basic main dish.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked it, Sam! Thank you very much for the review.
R. Soll says
Not for me. Too much garlic, not enough depth
DF says
I chopped onion and garlic instead of using the seasonings. I used a little mozzarella and all the cheddar called for (probably more). It was yummy, and teenage boys like it. My 15-year-old grandson is type 1 diabetic so carbs have to be watched.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad the boys enjoyed this casserole! Adding fresh onion and garlic is a great idea.
Mama G says
Don't let having all the ingredients or the right quantities stop you from trying this. I was already making dinner with a pound of ground beef but I had one pound extra, so what I did was I chopped up some bacon about six pieces into small pieces and fried it then I added some fresh onion sauteed a little while I put it in a bowl on top of a whole chunk of cream cheese, this way it was melting without me trying and while that was sitting I was cooking 1 lb of ground beef and then I added a couple squirts of already minced garlic in a jar, you know the kind. Then I added Cayenne smoked paprika salt pepper onion powder garlic powder. Put what you like in it but this is what I did then I baked it 400 for 10 minutes in a smaller baking vessel and this is what it looked like and it was delicious!!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Sounds great! Thank you for sharing your tweaks.