Mouthwatering Keto Crustless Pizza Bake – Quick Low Carb Recipe for Cast Iron Skillet
Keto Crustless Pizza offers a delicious and creative twist on the beloved classic without compromising flavor. It’s an ideal choice for those seeking a low-carb, gluten-free option that satisfies cravings guilt-free. Indulge in the mouthwatering combination of saucy marinara/pizza sauce, melty mozzarella cheese, savory browned sausage/ground beef, and flavorful toppings like chopped green peppers, pepperonis, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.
What is Crustless Pizza?
It is like a regular pizza but without the crust. Instead of the doughy base, the yummy toppings are placed directly on a layer of cheese, veggies, or meat. It’s a great option if you’re watching your carbs or looking for an option.
Is Crustless Pizza Low-Carb?
If you are following a low-carb or gluten-free diet, it is a fantastic alternative to satisfy your pizza cravings. By removing the traditional dough crust, you significantly reduce the carbohydrate content, making it an excellent choice for a low-carb or keto diet. This delicious Cast iron skillet crustless pizza is easy to make and a fantastic substitute without all the carbs.
Ingredients:
- Marinara or pizza sauce: Adds a tangy tomato flavor for the pizza base.
- Mozzarella cheese: Melts and adds a gooey, cheesy texture.
- Browned sausage or ground beef: Adds a savory and meaty flavor.
- Green bell pepper: Gives crunchy, slightly sweet pieces for some freshness.
- Pepperonis: Adds a salty and savory taste.
- Italian seasoning: Enhances the overall flavor profile with a blend of herbs and spices.
What keto-friendly pizza sauce should I use?
For a keto-friendly pizza sauce, I recommend using a low-carb marinara sauce. If you’re unsure which sauce to choose at the grocery store, I’ve listed some of our favorite options below, along with their net carb counts. Be sure to select a sugar-free sauce, meaning no added sugar in the ingredients.
Low Carb Marinara Sauce Options that are sugar-free:
- 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
How to Make Crustless Pizza Bake in the Oven
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spread a thin, even layer of low-carb tomato sauce. If using a skillet, warm the sauce on the stove. For baking dishes, heat the sauce in the microwave or the oven.
Step 2: Layer mozzarella cheese on top of the pizza sauce.
Tip: I used a 10.25 cast iron skillet, but it isn’t necessary. Feel free to use any skillet or baking dish that is oven-safe.
**If you would rather skip preheating the sauce, add all the ingredients to the baking dish and bake for approx 20 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
Step 3: It’s time for your favorite toppings! I used pepperoni slices, green peppers, onions, and ground beef.
Step 4: Spread the remaining mozzarella cheese evenly on the toppings, then sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
Step 5: Pop it in the oven and let it bake for about 5-10 minutes, or until the toppings are perfectly cooked and the mozzarella cheese gets that irresistible golden brown color and starts bubbling.
Tips for The Best No-Crust Pizza
- Use a combination of cheeses like mozzarella, cheddar, or Parmesan to add richness to your pizza.
- Don’t overload the toppings to prevent the pizza from becoming too heavy and soggy.
- Experiment with different spices and herbs to customize the flavor to your liking.
Variations
- Customize with your favorite pizza toppings like onions, mushrooms, black olives, bacon, ham, bell peppers, Italian sausage, pepperoni, jalapenos, fresh basil, and more.
- Elevate the flavor by adding garlic powder and red pepper flakes.
- Not a fan of pizza sauce? No problem; substitute it with a deliciously creamy cheese sauce.
More Crustless Pizza Ideas
- Meat Lover’s – Load it up with cooked bacon, sausage, pepperoni, and any other meats of your choice for a protein-packed meal.
- Vegetable – Add your favorite fresh vegetables like sliced bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, and cherry tomatoes.
- BBQ Chicken Lover’s – Pile it high with my homemade sugar-free BBQ sauce, chicken, and mozzarella cheese for a tangy twist.
Can I make individual-sized crustless pizzas?
Yes, absolutely! You can use small baking dishes, ramekins, disposable baking pans, or muffin tins to create individual portions. Divide the toppings and cheese among the individual containers, and bake them until the cheese is melted and the toppings are cooked to your liking.
What do I serve with this recipe?
Keep it simple, serve it as is, or pair it with a refreshing leafy green garden salad. For more options, try serving it alongside steamed broccoli or indulge in some keto cheesy garlic bread chaffles.
How Many Carbs in Low Carb Pizza without Crust
There are 2g of net carbs per serving, based on dividing the recipe into three equal serving sizes. Please note that the nutritional information in the recipe card is specific to this pizza. Modifying the toppings or using a different pizza sauce may vary the net carb content.
How to Store and Reheat
Let it cool, then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. When reheating your crustless pizza, you have a couple of options. If using the oven, preheat to 350°F and bake for 10-15 minutes until heated through. You can use the microwave for a single serving, starting with 45 seconds and checking for doneness. If it needs more heating, continue in 30-second increments until warmed to your liking. Please note that microwave times may vary depending on the portion size.
Where to Buy Crustless Pizza?
- Papa Murphy
- Papa Johns
- Lou Malnati’s
- Marco’s Pizza Bowls
- Mazzios
- CiCi’s Pizza may not be an official menu item, but you can ask the cooks to make a bowl with your favorite toppings.
More Delicious Keto Pizza Recipes:
- Keto Chaffle Pizza
- Keto Pizza Casserole
- Easy Mini Keto Pizza Recipe with Crispy Crust
- Tasty Keto Pizza with Homemade Sauce
Quick & Easy Keto Crustless Pizza
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce or pizza sauce See low carb marinara sauce suggestions in the post.
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup browned sausage (or ground beef)
- 1 tbsp green pepper, chopped
- 16 pepperonis
- 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a 10.25-inch cast iron skillet on the stove, heat the 1⁄2 cup pizza sauce over medium heat until bubbling, about 2-3 minutes.
- Grab a cast-iron or regular skillet. Pour 1/2 cup of marinara or pizza sauce into the skillet and heat it on the stove until the sauce bubbles.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the bubbling sauce, reserving about 1/4 cup for later.
- It's time to add your favorite toppings. Whether you prefer browned sausage, ground beef, veggies, or a combination, layer them on the cheese.
- Once your toppings are in place, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese over the top. This will help hold everything together and create a delicious, cheesy finish.
- To add flavor, sprinkle some Italian seasoning evenly across the pizza.
- Place your skillet or baking dish on the top rack of the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 5 to 10 minutes, keeping an eye on it as it cooks. The mozzarella cheese should begin to bubble and turn golden brown. The exact baking time may vary depending on your oven.
- Once the top is golden and bubbly, carefully remove it from the oven using oven mitts or potholders. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- 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
- Use a combination of cheeses like mozzarella, cheddar, or parmesan to add richness to your pizza.
- Don't overload the toppings to prevent the pizza from becoming too heavy.
- Experiment with different spices and herbs to customize the flavor to your liking.
- Use your favorite pizza toppings like onions, mushrooms, black olives, bacon, ham, bell peppers, Italian sausage, pepperoni, jalapenos, fresh basil, and more.
- Elevate the flavor by adding garlic powder and red pepper flakes.
- Not a fan of pizza sauce? No problem, substitute it with a delicious creamy cheese sauce.
- Meat Lover's - Load it up with cooked bacon, sausage, pepperoni, and any other meats of your choice for a protein-packed meal.
- Vegetable - Add your favorite fresh vegetables like sliced bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, and cherry tomatoes.
- BBQ Chicken Lover's - Pile it high with my homemade sugar-free bbq sauce, chicken, and mozzarella cheese for a tangy twist.
Nutrition
I appreciate the step by step. I’ve been doing something similar in a silicon pan, but have started with baking a layer of cheese, then light sauce, cheese, toppings, and a light dusting of cheese and seasonings. It’s worked well. I’ll have to give this method a try, though.
Love your recipes Kasey. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awe, thank you so much!!! So glad you love them!
Can you tell me how much saturated fat and sugar grams are in this? Trying to figure out smartpoints.
I have included the nutritional information at the bottom of the recipe card.
Just made it and it was delicious
Awesome!
What is a serving size?
The number of servings is located at the top of the recipe card. I divide it evenly based on that number.
Cant wait to try this. Just got some mini iron pans from Pampered Chef which will be perfect since I like SUPREME and hubby likes all meat!
Those sound perfect! Hope you enjoy it.
Is the whole pizza 339 cals?
The number of servings is listed at the top of the recipe card. This recipe makes 3 servings and the nutritional info is per serving.
A guy who owned his own Italian restaurant taught me how to make pizza, years ago, and he always laid the sauce first, then sprinkled oregano, garlic powder, black pepper and grated parmesan on the sauce, followed by the toppings. That way, the seasonings flavor the sauce and toppings but don’t get scorched by being on top exposed to high heat.
Same principle applies to things like spinach, that I prefer not to scorch.
Hope that helps someone.
OMG! Better than I expected! Didnt have marinara so used Mezzata tomato and basil sauce (Mmmm, so good!). Did 1/2 cup because 1/4 didnt cover my iron pan at all. Topped with basil not Italian seasoning, because I love basil. Was able to cut it into slices and carefully transfer to a plate which surprised me but did use a spoon to eat it. Lol! Bottom line…I got my pizza fix! Thank you!
Yay!! So glad you loved it.
Really fun and easy to make! Followed the instructions exactly, even cooked a little longer because I wanted it super crispy. Edges were crispy, but inside was just a delicious mess lol. Might try baking the cheese first next time till it’s super crispy and then bake with cheese and toppings. Thanks for the recipe and for the nutrition card!
Sure! Glad you enjoyed it.
Love how easy and simply delicious this recipe is…definitely bookmarking and making it AGAIN!
Amazing taste. I add onions, red peppers, olives and mushrooms. Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! I’m so glad you added your favorite toppings!