Easy Keto Baked Italian Sausage

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This Easy Keto Baked Italian Sausage dinner is a delicious and quick recipe you will want to keep. Seared sausage smothered in a marinara sauce and topped with melted mozzarella cheese; everyone will love this low carb, flavor-packed meal!

italian sausage with melted mozzarella cheese and herbs in a casserole dish

How To Bake Italian Sausage

This oven-baked Italian sausage casserole is made without pasta! It reminds me of chicken Parmesan but without all the carbs and much simpler! Searing your sausages in a cast-iron skillet before baking them will ensure your sausages have lots of flavor! You could, of course, use spicy sausage if you prefer some heat! Either way, I bet your family will love this keto meal as much as mine does!

Simple Ingredients:

  • Italian Sausage – The mild version may also be called sweet Italian sausage that is flavored with fennel and garlic. This is the kind of sausage you’ll find in pasta dishes and pizza. The hot variety has the same spices along with chili pepper.
  • Low Carb Marinara Sauce – The sauce likely won’t be labeled low carb. Instead, you’ll look for no added sugars in the ingredient list and the lowest carb count. In this post, I list several low carb brands to look for at the grocery store.
  • Mozzarella & Parmesan Cheese – Italian dishes always taste better when smothered in cheese and baked until bubbly.
  • Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder, & Basil – Seasonings bring this dish to life. Don’t just rely on the seasoning in the marinara sauce, adding additional seasonings add a greater depth of flavor.

seared Italian sausage in a cast iron skillet

 

Step 1: Sear both sides of your sausages in a cast-iron skillet until golden brown. Add 1/2 cup water and simmer on low with the lid on for 12 minutes. If you don’t have a cast-iron, any other skillet will do.

Step 2: Lay your sausages in a greased 9″ x 13″ casserole dish.

tomato sauce over sausages in a baking dish

Step 3: Pour 24 oz. marinara sauce over top of your sausages. (see my favorite keto tomato sauces below!)

 

Sausage covered with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese

Step 4: Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese and grated Parmesan cheese over top of the sauce, then add seasonings. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 18 minutes then move to the top rack of the oven for the last 2 minutes. If you like the cheese extra bubbly and browned, you can turn the oven to broil for the last minute!

mozzarella cheese melted over top of marinara sauce

 

How Long To Bake Italian Sausage

Roasting sausage in the oven is easy to do. Depending upon the size of your sausage, the cooking time will vary. You can plan on keeping them in for about 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F. You’ll want to use an instant-read thermometer to ensure they are cooked through without drying them out or cutting into them. The internal temperature to aim for is 160 degrees F. If you bake them at 400 degrees F, the bake time will be reduced.

In this recipe, I seared my sausage in a skillet before baking them. Why? Because doing so adds a TON of flavor to your sausages! You do not need to do this; however, doing so does shorten the baking time a bit. Your sausages should be fully cooked through after searing and steaming them in your skillet, but this will depend on the size of the sausages and heat since every stove cooks differently. Make sure they reach 160 degrees F before removing from the oven.

Italian sausage smothered with melted mozzarella cheese

How To Make This Ahead of Time

This recipe can easily be made in advance! To do this, brown your sausages in a skillet, add them to your baking dish and then cover with marinara sauce and cheeses. Hold off on baking. Instead, store in the refrigerator covered until you are ready to bake! The bake time may be a little longer coming out of the cold refrigerator, so keep that in mind!

Other dinner variations:

This dinner is so simple. If you wish, you can change it up by substituting the pork sausages for turkey, beef, or chicken sausages. Just make sure you look for thicker sausages in their casing rather than the thin ones.

You could also use a few different kinds of cheese if you don’t have mozzarella on hand. Mozzarella is the best for melting; however, other cheeses that melt well and would be a good swap are Gruyere, Monterey, Cheddar, Fontina, or Gouda. You could also purchase a prepackaged mix bag of cheeses that would make this dinner even easier! Keep in mind that prepackaged cheese has additives to keep it from sticking together that add carbs, so many strict keto people avoid, but it might work if you are lazy keto or low carb.

Think about adding fresh basil and/or thyme to the sauce or even over the top as a garnish. Fresh herbs always taste better than dried.

Low Carb Pizza Sauce Options without any added sugars:

  • Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce – 4g net carbs per ½ cup
  • Rao’s Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce – 3g net carbs per ½ cup
  • Lucini Italia Organic Tuscan Marinara Sauce – 3g net carbs per ½ cup
  • Lucini Italia Organic Rustic Tomato Basil – 3g net carbs per ½ cup
  • Mezzetta Napa Valley Homemade Sauce Marinara – 6g net carbs per ½ cup
  • ALDI Simply Selected Premium Marinara – 5g net carbs per ½ cup

What do I serve with it?

This is such a simple and easy meal in itself and

 

Other cheesy keto dinners you’ll love:

Cheesy Keto Philly Cheesesteak Casserole

Cheesy Keto Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Cheesy Ground Beef & Cauliflower Bake

Keto Cauliflower Macaroni & Cheese

Keto Sausage, Peppers and Mushrooms

37 Keto & Low Carb Casserole Recipes You Must Try!

 

Easy Keto Baked Italian Sausage Recipe:

Italian sausage smothered with melted mozzarella cheese
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Easy Keto Baked Italian Sausage

This Easy Keto Baked Italian Sausage dinner is a delicious and quick recipe you will want to keep. Seared sausage smothered in a marinara sauce and topped with melted mozzarella cheese: everyone will love this low carb, flavor-packed meal!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time36 minutes
Total Time41 minutes
Course: Dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Baked Italian Sausage
Servings: 7 people
Calories: 480kcal
Author: Kasey Trenum

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Brown Italian sausage links in a skillet set over medium heat on both sides.
  • Add ½ cup water and simmer on low with the lid on for 8 min.
  • Put sausages in a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish.
  • Pour 24 oz marinara sauce over the top.
  • Sprinkle 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese over top of your sausages.
  • Sprinkle seasoning on top of cheeses.
  • Bake in a 375°F oven and for 18 minutes, then move to the top rack of the oven for the last 2 minutes. If you like the cheese extra bubbly and browned, you can turn the oven to broil for the last minute but watch closely!
  • Allow to slightly cool before serving.

Notes

The nutritional information provided for this recipe is based on 7 servings divided equally. I used the nutritional information from a 25.5 ounce jar of Lucini Italia Organic Tuscan Marinara Sauce for the calculation. 
Low Carb Pizza Sauce Options without any added sugar:
  • Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce – 4g net carbs per ½ cup
  • Rao’s Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce – 3g net carbs per ½ cup
  • Lucini Italia Organic Tuscan Marinara Sauce – 3g net carbs per ½ cup
  • Lucini Italia Organic Rustic Tomato Basil – 3g net carbs per ½ cup
  • Mezzetta Napa Valley Homemade Sauce Marinara – 6g net carbs per ½ cup
  • ALDI Simply Selected Premium Marinara - 5g net carbs per ½ cup

Nutrition

Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 1290mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Calcium: 194mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @kaseytrenumblogger or tag #kaseytrenumblogger!

Baked Italian Sausage Parm Casserole in a baking dish

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42 Comments

    1. In the post, I listed instructions on how to make this recipe ahead. Look for the heading “How to Make This Ahead of Time.”

    1. Hey Jo, I just cut the sausages up into equal size chunks and divide them into 7 equal servings. Hope this helps.

  1. I see this can be made ahead of time, refrigerated. Can it also be froze ? Excited to try this tonight! Thanks so
    Much for sharing!

    1. I would think you could freeze it. Just keep an eye on it as you cook it. Cook times are going to be different. Let me know how it turns out.

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