If you're eating low carb and missing pizza, This Low Carb Pizza Casserole is THE RECIPE for you! It's full of traditional pizza toppings and melty, gooey cheese, then baked in an easy casserole style. Welcome back Pizza Movie Nights!
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Pizza is a classic dish that everyone in the family loves. But if you’re watching your carbs, you might think it's out of the question.
GREAT NEWS! Instead of missing out on your favorite dinner, I have a better option for you! (Insert angels singing here). This is Keto-friendly, low carb, and a THM S.
With a simple cauliflower crust and tons of delicious toppings, this easy Low Carb Pizza Casserole is packed with flavor and only a fraction of the carbs.
If you just thought "oh no! Cauliflower crust!" Just hang with me. I was not initially a fan when this was all the rage. BUT, I promise, you can't taste the cauliflower in this, and with my shortcuts, it's easy to do.
How To Make Keto Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST
- Riced cauliflower- You can rice your own, use store-bought, or frozen**
- Eggs
- Seasonings- keep it easy with garlic powder, salt, and dried oregano. Fresh herbs work too.
- Mozzarella cheese- Using cheese will help bind your crust as it bakes and add flavor.
**A great shortcut is to buy fresh riced cauliflower. It's in the produce section of your grocer.
If you're starting with a head of cauliflower, put the florets in a food processor and process until it is broken down to a crumb-like texture.
If you choose to use frozen cauli-rice, I'd recommend thawing it first, and then draining and squeezing out the excess moisture to avoid a wet crust.
FOR THE FILLING
The sky's the limit when it comes to the combination of toppings you choose. Here's what we're using today, but I've added more ideas later in the post.
- Italian style sausage- mild, medium, or hot.
- Onions and green peppers
- Pepperoni
- Pizza sauce- I recommend sugar-free. Check the ingredient list to make sure there is no added sugar.
- Mozzarella cheese- yep, more cheese. No such thing as too much, do you agree?
3 easy steps
STEP ONE: MAKE THE CRUST
If making pizza dough is intimidating to you, you'll love this easy to make crust.
Looking for an easy more traditional pizza dough? Try my two-ingredient pizza dough in this white pizza recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 400°, spray a 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the cauliflower, eggs, salt, garlic, powder, oregano, and cheese in a large bowl. Spread the mixture in an even layer in your prepared pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
STEP TWO: MAKE THE FILLING
While the crust is baking, make the filling.
- Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and green peppers and saute' until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Drain any excess fat. Add pepperoni, sauce, and seasonings, mix all the ingredients together until they’re well combined.
STEP THREE: ASSEMBLE AND BAKE
- Spread the meat mixture over the top of the crust.
- Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and add some more pepperoni to the top.
- Place the casserole in the oven, under the broiler, until the cheese on top is melted and beginning to bubble. If you don't have a broiler, just place it back in the preheated 400° oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
Notes
- If you want an even tastier crust, you can roast the cauli rice in a 400° oven for 5-10 minutes. Adds a sweeter deeper flavor.
- You can use egg whites in place of whole eggs to lighten it up. Just make sure you use 100% egg whites if you're purchasing the carton. 3 tablespoons of egg whites are equivalent to 1 large egg.
- You can substitute 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning for the garlic powder and oregano.
- Turkey sausage and turkey pepperoni work great in this recipe.
- Personally, I love the crust, but, you can skip it altogether and eat yourself a "meatza".
More low carb topping ideas
These pizza toppings are all great low-carb options:
- Meat: chicken, beef, pepperoni, bacon, ham, salami, and sausage
- Cheese: mozzarella, parmesan, feta, Monterey jack, goat cheese, bleu cheese, and cheddar
- Vegetables: bell peppers, onions, banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, roasted butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant
- Herbs: basil, oregano, parsley, and red pepper flakes
Combination Ideas
Try these topping combinations for a twist on this pizza casserole:
- Meat lovers: Pack your pizza with protein by using only meat and cheese as your toppings. My son would give this a thumbs up.
- Veggie pizza: Skip the meat altogether and use a variety of veggies instead.
- Bacon cheeseburger: Combine ground beef, onions, pickles, and bacon to create a bacon cheeseburger flavored pizza.
- Chicken bacon ranch: Add cooked chicken, chopped bacon, and ranch dressing.
- Margherita pizza: Top the crust with sauce, tomato, and slices of fresh mozzarella. Before serving, drizzle with olive oil and top with fresh basil.
- BBQ chicken pizza: Instead of using tomato sauce, add sugar-free BBQ sauce (I like Rufus Teague), shredded chicken, red onions, and mozzarella cheese.
Storing/Make ahead option
This recipe will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, and up to six months in the freezer. Make sure you cover it well to prevent freezer burn.
To make this ahead of time:
- Simply follow the instructions up to through the assembly.
- Instead of baking it then, cover well and place it in the refrigerator or freezer (depending on how soon you need it).
- To heat: If it's frozen, thaw in your refrigerator first. Then preheat the oven to 350°, bake loosely tented with foil for 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and return it to the oven until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling.
Traditional Pizza Recipes
More Low Carb Recipes
- Low Carb Sausage & Kale Soup
- Low Carb Cottage Pie
- Low Carb Pancakes
- Low Carb Mexican Meatloaf
- Taco Soup
- Stuffed Flank Steak
- Egg Roll In A Bowl
- Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Loaded Spaghetti Squash Boats
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This recipe was inspired by a recipe in the Trim Healthy Table Cookbook. I've adapted it to make it my own.
Low Carb Keto Pizza Casserole
Equipment
- 9 x 13 casserole dish
- large skillet
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
For the Crust:
- Olive oil spray for coating the pan
- 2 cups riced cauliflower fresh or frozen
- 3 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
For the filling
- 1 pound Italian style sausage mild, medium, or hot.
- ½ cup onion diced
- ½ cup green peppers diced
- 2 ounces pepperoni roughly chopped. Plus extra for topping left whole
- 8 ounce jar pizza sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Instructions:
Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly coat a 9 x 13 inch dish with olive oil spray
- Mix the cauliflower rice, eggs, garlic, salt, oregano, and one cup of the mozzarella cheese in a bowl.
- Place the mixture in the 9 x 13 inch pan and spread evenly on the bottom.
- Place in the oven, uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
Filling:
- While that’s baking, make the topping. Place a skillet over medium high heat, add the sausage and brown, breaking up with a spoon, until cooked through. Add the onions, peppers, and pepperoni and saute until the onions are translucent. Drain the excess fat, and return the mixture to the pan.
- Add the pizza sauce and stir to combine.
- When the crust is finished cooking, remove from the oven.
- Spread the sausage mixture over the top of the crust.
- Add the remaining cheese and pepperoni.
- Place under the broiler for 2-4 minutes to melt and brown the cheese.
Notes
- You can 'rice' your own cauliflower, use fresh store bought, or frozen. If using frozen, thaw and squeeze out excess moisture.
- If you want an even tastier crust, you can roast the cauli rice in a 400° oven for 5-10 minutes. Adds a sweeter deeper flavor.
- You can use egg whites in place of whole eggs to lighten it up. Just make sure you use 100% egg whites if you're purchasing the carton. 3 tablespoons of egg whites are equivalent to 1 large egg.
- You can substitute 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning for the garlic powder and oregano.
- Turkey sausage and turkey pepperoni work great in this recipe.
- Personally, I love the crust, but, you can skip it altogether and eat yourself a "meatza".
- To make this ahead of time:
- Simply follow the instructions up to through the assembly.
- Instead of baking it then, cover well and place it in the refrigerator or freezer (depending on how soon you need it).
- To heat: If it's frozen, thaw in your refrigerator first. Then preheat the oven to 350°, bake loosely tented with foil for 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and return it to the oven until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling.
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