Keto Pizza Casserole Recipe (Keto & Low Carb)
This delicious Keto Pizza Casserole without cauliflower is one the entire family will love. It is easy to make, delicious, and super filling with only 2g of net carbs per serving making it perfect for the keto diet.
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Pizza Casserole Keto Friendly
I love pizza. I mean, I love it. Pizza for dinner last night? No problem, I’ll eat pizza for dinner again tonight. So, when we started following a keto lifestyle, I was a little concerned because completely giving up pizza made me feel sad. Yes, I love it that much. So, one of the very first recipes I started looking for was an easy pizza recipe.
I had already tried several different cauliflower crusts, and my family is just not sold on such an atrocity. Maybe there are better recipes for a fabulous cauliflower crust. However, I haven’t found it yet. I came up with the perfect Keto Pizza Casserole without cauliflower. It’s easy to make, satisfying and tastes like a smorgasbord of deliciousness.
More Keto Pizza Recipes
I have several other recipes for keto pizza that are equally delicious.
- Quick & Easy Keto Crustless Pizza
- Keto Pizza Chaffle
- Mini Keto Pizza Recipe with a Crispy Crust
- Easy Keto Chicken Pizza Bake
- Pizza Bowl with Cottage Cheese
- Low Carb Keto Chicken Crust Pizza Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make This Delicious Low-Carb Pizza Casserole
- Deli Ham – I prefer using either the smoked or black forest deli ham. You want to avoid honey ham due to the added carbs. It should be sliced thin but not too thin.
- Marinara Sauce – Make sure to choose the lower-carb version of marinara sauce. If you don’t have a favorite brand already, this low-carb Marinara sauce is a good choice at only 4g net carbs per serving.
- Ground Beef – Choose your favorite type of ground beef for this recipe.
- Mozzarella Cheese – Mozzarella cheese makes a pizza! I usually buy a block and grate it myself if I have time. But pre-grated is fine too if you need to save some time. (Those who eat keto avoid pre-grated cheese as it contains fillers to keep the cheese separated that contain added carbs.)
- Parmesan Cheese – Make sure to purchase freshly grated parmesan cheese, and not the canned variety. (You’ll want to buy a block to grate yourself see the note above.)
- Italian Seasoning and Oregano – Add an added dimension of flavor to this already delicious recipe.
- Pepperoni – You’ll want to get the regular-sized pepperoni for this recipe and not the minis, as they will be the pizza topper.
Directions for the Keto Pizza Casserole
For the full, printable recipe for Keto pizza casserole, scroll to the bottom of the page. I also include the visual process for those who might find it helpful. I am sure you will enjoy this as much as we do!
Step 1: The first three layers of the keto pizza casserole are deli ham, low-carb marinara sauce, and browned ground beef. Start by browning the ground beef. Once it is browned, add the sugar-free, low-carb marinara sauce and seasonings. Let this cook on medium-high for about five minutes.
Next, it’s time to start assembling the casserole. Spray a 9 x13 casserole dish with cooking spray, and then cover the bottom of the dish with ham. They will probably overlap a little bit, and that’s okay. Add just half of the marinara and beef mixture on top of the ham.
Tip: If you keep ground beef already browned in the freezer, you can put this casserole together in less than 10 minutes. If you don’t like ground beef, you can sub turkey or ground Italian sausage instead.
Step 2: It’s time to start adding the cheese. I love how the layers come together to make a delicious casserole that tastes amazing and curbs my craving for pizza.
Step 3: Add a second layer of ham. If you prefer, you could use turkey, salami, or large deli-sized pepperonis instead.
Step 4: Continue the second layer by adding ground beef with marinara sauce and the cheese on top. This time you will top it off with your pepperoni.
Step 5: Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Then move the casserole dish to the top rack and turn the oven on broil. It will only take 1 to 3 minutes for the cheese to lightly brown on top. Watch it closely, so it doesn’t burn.
I love to sprinkle fresh parsley on top. It makes it seem fancier than just a casserole.
Can this recipe be made ahead of time?
Sure, you can assemble this low-carb recipe and put it in the fridge to bake later. However, since it is coming out of the fridge, you will likely need to bake a little longer.
Why do I need to use sugar-free marinara sauce?
Sugar is often hidden in store-bought sauces like marinara. Make sure to look for a marinara sauce with no added sugar in the ingredient list. You will see carbs and sugar listed in the nutritional information, but it is minimal and comes from the natural sugars in tomatoes.
Here is a great list of low-carb marinara sauces and the net carb count for each:
- Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce – 6g carbs – 1g fiber = 5g net carbs per ½ cup
- Rao’s Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce – 6g carbs – 1g fiber = 5g net carbs per ½ cup
- Lucini Italia Organic Tuscan Tomato Sauce – 5g carbs – 1g fiber = 4g net carbs per ½ cup
- Lucini Italia Organic Rustic Tomato Basil – 5g carbs – 1g fiber = 4g net carbs per ½ cup
- Victoria Trading Company Marinara Sauce – 6g carbs – 1g fiber = 5g net carbs per 1/2 cup
- ALDI Selected Premium Marinara – 7g carbs – 2g fiber = 5g net carbs per ½ cup
- Mezzetta Family Recipes Marinara – 7g carbs – 1g fiber = 6g net carbs per ½ cup
- Classico Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce – 8g carbs – 2g fiber = 6g net carbs ½ cup
What Can I Serve with this Keto Casserole?
This low-carb recipe pairs wonderfully with a green leafy salad and a 10-minute Keto Garlic Bread Chaffle.
Variations to this recipe:
I made this keto pizza casserole with ham as the base layer, much like a pizza lasagna. If you don’t like ham, you could use turkey instead or omit it.
Feel free to change up this Low Carb Pizza Casserole with your favorite pizza toppings. I’ve listed a couple of ideas below:
- Green Bell Peppers
- Onions
- Mushrooms
- Sausage
- Bacon
- Spinach
- Olives
- Chicken
- Jalapenos
Keto Pizza Casserole Recipe (Keto & Low Carb)
Ingredients
- 8 pieces of deli ham (I use smoked or black forest)
- 1/2 jar of marinara sauce (lower carb version)
- 1 lb ground beef browned
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated not the canned version)
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- pepperoni (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Brown ground beef then add sugar-free marinara sauce and seasoning. Cook on med/high for about 5 minutes.
- Spray the casserole dish with cooking spray. (I use a 9 X 13 pan).
- Cover bottom of dish with 4 pieces of ham. It's okay if they overlap.
- Add 1/2 of the ground beef/marinara mixture on top of the ham.
- Next, sprinkle half of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Layer again with ham, ground beef/marinara mixture, and cheeses then top with pepperoni.
- Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.
- Move pan to the top rack and broil 1-3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned on top.
Video
Notes
Variations to this recipe:
Feel free to change up this Low Carb Pizza Casserole with your favorite pizza toppings. I’ve listed a couple of ideas below:- Green Peppers
- Onions
- Mushrooms
- Sausage
- Bacon
- Spinach
- Olives
- Chicken
- Jalapenos
Nutrition
Making this tonight! I had A question though. In the pictures is shows the sauce and ground meat separate, but in the recipe you said you mixed those together. Does it matter what way to do it?
I brown the ground beef and then add the sauce, like it says in the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Another super tasty recipe. Thank you!
I’ve been craving these flavors and now I’ve go them.
Easy and quick to make.
Adding some bacon or mushrooms would be tasty too.
You’re so welcome, Judy! Glad you enjoyed it.
Sooo good!!! Tastes just like pizza!
Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it!
Made this tonight and it was fabulous! My husband loved it too. It was both easy to make and yummy! Thank you so much! Will def make again!
Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it.
Good recipe but I found that 1lb of ground beef wasn’t nearly enough for a 9×13 pan. I will double that next time. Otherwise very good as always.
Of course, you can always customize to your personal preference and add extra ground beef. This is the first time I’ve heard this feedback. I’m so glad you shared it.
If I use a 9×13 glass Pyrex baking dish, can I still do the last step of placing it under Broil for 1-3 minutes or will the dish break?
Thank you.
Pyrex is not safe to broil. It could shatter. Now I will say my husband pushes the limit on all of my cookware but the manufacturer states it is not safe.
EASY PEASY, FILLING and tasted like PIZZA without the crust! Will make this again! I loaded it with sautéed peppers and mushrooms in addition to the ham and pepperoni and used ground turkey. Will make this again!
Great! Glad you enjoyed it.
This has to be the 6th recipe I try on this side and, like the others, it did not disappoint, despite my trepidation of using ham in a pizza. We’ve done it twice, the first time exactly has the recipe goes and the second time we started changing things up by using three quarters of a pound of beef and three quarters per pound of Italian sausage. Added mushrooms this time as well. Next time we’re going to add sauteed green peppers and onions as well as some drained diced tomatoes.
The recipe as is was really good as is. If one is on a low carb diet and this is pizza, this really really helps matters. Thanks again, Kasey, for another winner.
Awesome! Those variations sound great. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed some of my recipes.
Carb manager says 1g net carbs. Is this correct?
The recipe card on my recipe shows 3 carbs. I can’t speak to what carb manager says. Hope you enjoy it!
could you use low carb tortillas for “crust” instead of bottom layer of ham??
I’ve only made it as is, but it’s worth a try.
Your recipes never disappoint! This was absolutely fantastic. My family really enjoyed.
Thank you !
How can four slices of ham cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish? Wouldn’t all 8 slices be used? Should I use 16 for two layers? Confused…. any help would be appreciated, thanks so much
It would depend on the size of your ham slices. 8 covered mine perfectly but if you need more then add them.
This is on repeat in our house!
Fantastic. I’m so glad you loved it.
What size jar of marinara?
A standard jar of marinara is 24 ounces.
This tasted great. I put sliced mushrooms and onions on the top before baking. The only drawback is that it was pretty greasy. How can I make this without all the grease? I used very lean ham and drained the ground beef after frying.
Am I the only one bothered by this?
The grease comes from the pepperoni. With regular pepperoni pizza with a bread crust, there is usually grease on top of the pepperoni. With a pizza casserole, there is no bread to soak any grease. The pepperoni is your culprit if you’ve drained the ground beef well. Perhaps try leaving it off.