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!

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.

 

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.

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

 

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!

 

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.

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

• Serve as is with a simple leafy garden salad and Keto Cheesy Garlic Chaffle Bread.
• Roasted broccoli, asparagus, or keto air-fryer roasted green beans all make wonderful low carb side dishes.
• Serve over steamed riced cauliflower or zucchini zoodles for more of a pasta dish feel.

 

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: