Keto Casseroles are Easier Than You Think

Whether you're on a low-carb diet or not, low-carb casseroles are super easy to make, once you know how to make a rich and creamy white sauce.

That sauce isn't hard to make, either.

I just started with a basic low-carb Alfredo Sauce that takes less than 5 minutes to make, and then I mixed it up a bit.

From there, you just vary the meats and vegetables you use, spike the sauce with a different cheese for each casserole, and each dish comes out unique.

The technique is basically the same:

Combine sauce, meat, vegetables, and bake, which means you don't need a large variety of recipes. You just need one or two Keto Casserole ideas to get you started.

So, in this post, I'm going to give you the basic recipe for my rich-and-creamy keto-vegetable casserole and also explain how you can make that recipe your own.

Let's Start with a Basic Keto Alfredo Sauce

The first thing you have to decide on is what kind of sauce you're going to use for your Keto Casserole. The sauce is really the only recipe you need.

Since this post is about a rich and creamy type of casserole, I always use my Alfredo recipe as the foundation sauce, and then sometimes, switch it up a bit.

Here's my original recipe for a good, tasty, basic Keto Alfredo Sauce. There are no Keto-specific ingredients, so you don't have to be low carb to enjoy this recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cut in chunks
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Once melted, add the cream cheese and smash them up a bit as they warm and begin to melt.

Stir in the cream.

The amount you need depends on how much sauce you like. We like our casseroles heavy on the sauce, so I always use a full cup of heavy cream, but if you like yours light on sauce, you could use a half a cup.

Once everything is good and melted in the skillet, I add the cheese and stir just enough for the cheese to melt.

Alfredo Sauce Variations:

To turn this into a simple yellow cheese sauce, you just switch out the Parmesan for some high-quality American Cheese. One cup of cheese is about 4 ounces. This will give you a nice and thick, super-smooth orange sauce.

You can also use some grated cheddar, Monterey jack, pepper-jack, mozzarella, or any other hard, aged cheese that you like.

In fact, for an additional variation, you can just leave out the additional cheese in the sauce altogether and just go with the cream cheese for a nice white sauce base.

If you're on a low-carb high-fat diet, you can use mayonnaise for part of the Alfredo Sauce. I know that sounds odd, but the casserole does not come out tasting like mayonnaise at all. I tried it once, 50/50, and there was no noticeable difference in the consistency of the casserole after baking it at all.

If you don't want to use that much fat in your sauce, or you have some sour cream that you need to use up, you can cut back on the heavy cream and substitute some sour cream instead.

I often do that as well.

In addition, butter can be cut back to 2 tablespoons, but the reduction will affect the flavor of the sauce.

I have not tried making this with light cream or half and half, so I don't know if it will thicken properly like heavy cream and cream cheese do, when heated, or not.

However, you could always use the lighter versions and thicken up the sauce by using a slurry:

Mix together a tablespoon of cornstarch (7 carbs) with a tablespoon of water and then slowly add it to the sauce, stirring constantly until it thickens as much as you like. However, this will add 7 carbs to your total recipe.

Basic Keto-Casserole Recipe

Keto casseroles are quite versatile because you can use your favorite meat and vegetable combination. You don't have to use the ones below. This is just a basic recipe that allows you to see the amounts of meat, vegetables, and sauce that I use.

For the basic recipe, I used 2 large fresh chicken breasts because leftover casserole heats up well. I cut the breasts into chunks and sauteed them in a skillet until they were partially cooked.

If you use breasts that have the bone in them, you'll probably want closer to 2 pounds instead of 1-1/2.

I didn't cook the chicken all the way through because I didn't want them to overcook in the oven.

I used broccoli and carrots, and then tossed in some sliced, sauteed mushrooms and chopped onions. Meats and vegetables are partially cooked ahead of time, so the casserole heats through nicely in the oven within 30 to 45 minutes without burning the cheese:

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pounds boneless, chicken, cut in bite-sized pieces and partially cooked
• 12 ounce bag broccoli, lightly cooked, drained, and cut in bite-sized pieces
• 1 pound baby carrots, cooked, and cut in half
• 1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 recipe of Basic Alfredo Cheese sauce (above)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese for topping (about 4 ounces)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a super-large bowl, combine meat, cooked vegetables, and sauce. Pile it into a 9x13 pan, which has been sprayed with non-stick spray. If you're gluten free, make sure that you don't use "baking" spray because that type of spray contains flour and isn't gluten free.

Top with grated cheese.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until pipping hot and cheese is melted and just beginning to brown.

Additional Keto Casseroles You Can Make

There is a wide variety of ways in which you can alter the above recipe to reflect your own taste and ingredients available by using your favorite meats, vegetables, and cheeses.

Additional Keto Casseroles we have made include:

• Smoked sausage, shrimp, cauliflower, onions
• Chicken, frozen spinach squeezed until dry, mushrooms, onions
• Chicken, bacon, cauliflower, onions
• Chicken, broccoli-cauliflower mix, onions
• Chicken, bacon, canned green beans, mushrooms, onions
• Ham, cauliflower, peas and carrots, onions
• Ham, broccoli-cauliflower mix, olives
• Pork sausage, chicken, cauliflower, onions
• Shrimp, frozen spinach squeezed until dry, mushrooms, onions

Each change alters the flavor of the casserole, so it doesn't feel like you're using the same recipe all the time, even though you are.

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If you give this a try, let us know below in the comments, and don't forget to share what you used for meats, vegetables, and cheeses. I'd love to hear what you come up with!

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