Check out this delicious and nutritious beef and cauliflower rice casserole recipe. It’s a comforting classic that we’ve packed with even more goodness.
Beef is a classic keto staple and for a good reason. Beef is high in protein, and because it is classified as red meat, it contains good levels of iron in the heme form, meaning it is easily absorbed into the body. Iron is an essential mineral as it helps carry oxygen from the lungs to the whole body, including our muscles, to help them grow and remain strong.
This recipe calls for ground beef. To increase the health benefits, choose grass-fed beef, which is widely considered to contain more healthy nutrients.
Add in some creamy goodness with generous amounts of cream cheese, cheddar, and mozzarella. Apart from tasting delicious, cheese is low in carbs and contains good amounts of fat, protein, and calcium. Feel free to substitute in whatever cheese you want; however, note that this may alter the nutritional profile of the dish if you are strictly counting macros.
Cauliflower has a subtle flavor, making it an excellent carbohydrate substitute for this casserole. It’s also jam-packed with fiber and water, making it a good veggie option for healthy digestion. Increasing your intake of fiber-rich foods has also been linked with weight loss, lowered cholesterol levels, and can even help you live longer.
Don’t forget to top with fresh parsley before serving!
Yields 4 servings of Keto Creamy Beef & Rice Casserole
The Preparation
- 16 ounces ground beef
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 10 ounces cauliflower, riced
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
The Execution
1. Measure out and prepare all the ingredients. Rinse and put the cauliflower in a food processor to rice it.
2. Add butter and ground beef to a frying pan. Fry over medium to high heat until the beef starts to brown.
3. Add the minced onion to the frying pan with the beef and stir to combine.
4. Add the cream cheese to the pan with the beef broth, heavy whipping cream, garlic powder, and tomato paste.
5. In a microwave safe bowl, add the riced cauliflower with some water. Put in the microwave for 5 minutes, this steams the cauliflower. Watch and add more water as needed.
6. Add the cauliflower rice to the pan and stir to combine well.
7. Let this cook for 6 – 8 minutes on low to medium heat while all the juices get absorbed by the beef.
8. Add the cheddar and mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with a lid and let cook until the cheese has melted.
9. Serve immediately with parsley and crushed red pepper flakes.
This makes a total of 4 servings of Keto Creamy Beef & Rice Casserole . Each serving comes out to be 629 calories, 52.4g fats, 6.8g net carbs, and 31.1g protein.
| NUTRITION | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | FIBER | NET CARBS | PROTEIN |
| 16 ounce ground beef | 1152 | 90.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77.9 |
| 1 medium onion | 38 | 0.1 | 8.8 | 1.6 | 7.2 | 1.3 |
| 3 ounce cream cheese | 291 | 28.9 | 3.5 | 0 | 3.5 | 5.2 |
| 1/2 cup beef broth | 20 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 |
| 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream | 405 | 42.9 | 3.3 | 0 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
| 1 tablespoon butter | 102 | 11.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 1 teaspoon garlic powder | 10 | 0 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 2 | 0.5 |
| 1 tablespoon tomato paste | 13 | 0.1 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 0.7 |
| 10 ounce cauliflower | 65 | 1.4 | 11.6 | 6.5 | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| 1/2 cup cheddar cheese | 247 | 20.4 | 1.9 | 0 | 1.9 | 14 |
| 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese | 168 | 12.5 | 1.2 | 0 | 1.2 | 12.4 |
| 2 tablespoon fresh parsley | 3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes | 3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Totals | 2517 | 209.5 | 36.7 | 9.6 | 27.1 | 124.3 |
| Per Serving (/4) | 629 | 52.4 | 9.2 | 2.4 | 6.8 | 31.1 |
Keto Creamy Beef & Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 16 ounce ground beef
- 1 medium onion minced
- 3 ounce cream cheese
- ½ cup beef broth
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 10 ounce cauliflower riced
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Measure out and prepare all the ingredients. Rinse and put the cauliflower in a food processor to rice it.
- Add butter and ground beef to a frying pan. Fry over medium to high heat until the beef starts to brown.
- Add the minced onion to the frying pan with the beef and stir to combine.
- Add the cream cheese to the pan with the beef broth, heavy whipping cream, garlic powder, and tomato paste.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add the riced cauliflower with some water. Put in the microwave for 5 minutes, this steams the cauliflower. Watch and add more water as needed.
- Add the cauliflower rice to the pan and stir to combine well.
- Let this cook for 6 - 8 minutes on low to medium heat while all the juices get absorbed by the beef.
- Add the cheddar and mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with a lid and let cook until the cheese has melted.
- Serve immediately with parsley and crushed red pepper flakes.
Looks like a good recipe but there’s a few errors with the technique.
Onion should always go into the pan first, let it brown a little in the oil and get glassy – this improves the flavour significantly. Any spices should be then added right before or with the beef – the meat will better absorb them, and more importantly the seasoning will have a chance to develop the flavours properly in the high heat of the fat. Same goes for colour – for example if you’re making a recipe with paprika, the food will be much redder and fuller in flavour if paprika is fried a little in the cooking fat at the beginning before meat is added but after onion has browned as it will soak in a lot of the fat.
Thanks – you’re always welcome to adjust the cooking to make it how you prefer. You can also bloom the spices if you prefer, too.
Very good recipe, quick and easy to throw together. The flavors in this dish or so tasty. I like that it’s on the stovetop so I don’t need to heat up the oven to make this. It has a lot of flavor and I know this will be a frequent repeat recipe on our dinner table!
I’m really glad to hear you enjoyed it and that it’ll become a regular in your meal rotation. Thanks so much for leaving your feedback 😁