This Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole is made low carb secretly using cauliflower as the base and no one will know! It's low carb, keto, gluten free, nut free and grain free! My New & Improved Method makes this a much easier casserole to get on the table fast even on a busy weeknight! Just 4 grams of net carbs per serving, perfect for those on a low carb diet or keto diet!
WHAT IS A CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE?
A cheeseburger casserole is essentially a deconstructed cheeseburger! All the flavors of a cheeseburger made into a layered casserole dish with the secret vegetable ingredient as the base! This recipe was first published in March of 2015 and has been updated with a new & improved method and video.
I do love a cheeseburger every once in a while, but I always skip the hamburger bun. I'm gluten free and keto, buns at burger joints are not. But isn't the best thing about a cheeseburger is all the toppings? Now don't get me wrong, I like keto rolls and keto bread like everyone, but sometimes I don't have time to make them for a burger.
I highly doubt it's the bun that makes the burger. So I give you the inside out burger made into a layered dish! The perfect cheesy keto bacon cheeseburger casserole!
NEW & IMPROVED CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE
Impress your whole family or friends when you make this cheeseburger casserole recipe. This amazing recipe requires a little bit of work, but the results are well worth the effort.
Bring it to a pot luck and WOW everyone there when you tell them they just ate cauliflower! Cheese and bacon make everything right in my world. Even if you are watching your calories this dish will fill you up with one small serving so the calories will be completely worth it since this is a complete meal!!
The previous method for making this low carb cheeseburger casserole when I first published it in 2015, required steaming a fresh head of cauliflower. You see back in 2015 there were not many options as you see today for cauliflower already in rice form.
The other change I made to make this easier is to bake the bacon instead of watching it in a skillet. This way you don't have to babysit the bacon and can get on with the rest of the recipe.
HOW TO MAKE CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE
Ingredients- see exact amounts below
- Bacon
- Avocado oil or olive oil
- Ground Beef
- Seasonings
- Frozen Cauliflower Rice
- Coconut Flour
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Mustard
- Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Add your bacon in an even layer on a large baking sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes or until crisp. You could fry your bacon in a skillet but baking the bacon save time to make the rest of the recipe much faster.
Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium- high heat and add ground beef. You could use any oil you prefer. You could also swap ground beef with ground turkey or chicken if you like. Cook until browned. Stir in the onion powder, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl to keep warm and set aside.
Place frozen cauliflower rice in a microwavable bowl and cook for 5 minutes. Add the coconut flour and salt and mix well. Set aside. SEE NOTES BELOW IF USING FRESH CAULIFLOWER.
Once bacon is crisp, remove to a paper towel lined pan. Once cool chop into pieces.
Make the sauce: Add the butter to the skillet and stir in the coconut flour. Reduce to low heat and stir until the flour has absorbed the butter. Pour in the heavy cream and mustard and continue to stir until it thickens.
Assembly
- Place ½ cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13 baking dish.
- Spread the cauliflower mixture on top of the sauce as evenly as possible.
- Place 4 ounces of cheddar over the cauliflower rice.
- Spread the ground beef over the cheddar evenly.
- Pour half of the remaining sauce over the beef.
- Place the remaining cheddar over the sauce.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with chopped bacon.
- Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes.
- Allow to cool out of the oven for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Top with fresh, chopped scallions if desired. Enjoy with a nice crispy green salad and some dill pickles.
- Store any left overs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
CAN I USE FRESH CAULIFLOWER?
You can definitely use fresh cauliflower for this recipe, but you will have to cook it prior to using it in this keto casserole which takes a bit more time.
In 2015, I steamed 6 cups of cauliflower florets then used the food processor to turn it into rice, a lot more time involved as well as having to clean two kitchen appliances.
You could also use fresh cauliflower rice. I've don't that as well, BUT you still must cook the cauliflower rice or it won't get nice and soft in the base of this casserole.
Buying frozen cauliflower rice is the quickest method since it's already cooked and you just need to heat it up about 5 minutes. See my new video below.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE
I think this keto cheeseburger casserole needs no sides, but if you wanted to these Keto Air Fryer Rolls would be easy to add or a simple salad like my Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad or my Cucumber Dill Salad.
But to enjoy this inside out burger without a bun and be completely satisfied, there is not defeat in that. It's called winning!
MORE KETO RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
- Low Carb Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- Bacon Cheddar Cauliflower Bites
- Philly Cheese steak Stuffed Mushrooms
- Mini Bunless Cheeseburger Bites with Thousand Island Dip
- Chicken enchilada Cauliflower Casserole
- Beef Stroganoff Cauliflower Casserole
Low-Carb Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
This low carb bacon cheeseburger casserole has all the flavors of a bacon cheeseburger, but with only 7 total grams of carbs per serving. It's a great option for a meal prep on a weekend, as well as adding to your freezer meals. My entire family loves all of my low carb meals, but this is one of their favorites.
Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 ounces bacon
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1.5 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 20 ounces frozen cauliflower rice (see notes above for fresh cauliflower)
- ⅓ cup coconut flour 40 grams
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Add your bacon in an even layer on a large baking sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes or until crisp.
- Add avocado oil to a large skillet and add ground beef. Cook until browned. Stir in the onion powder, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl to keep warm and set aside.
- Place frozen cauliflower rice in a microwavable bowl and cook for 5 minutes. Add the coconut flour and salt and mix well. Set aside.
- Once bacon is crisp, remove to a paper towel lined pan. Once cool chop into pieces.
Make the Sauce
- Add the butter to the skillet and stir in the coconut flour. Reduce to low heat and stir until the flour has absorbed the butter. Pour in the heavy cream and mustard and continue to stir until it thickens.
Assembly
- Place ½ cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13 baking dish.
- Spread the cauliflower mixture on top of the sauce as evenly as possible.
- Place 4 ounces of cheddar over the cauliflower rice.
- Spread the ground beef over the cheddar evenly.
- Pour half of the remaining sauce over the beef.
- Place the remaining cheddar over the sauce.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with chopped bacon.
- Cover and bake 30 minutes.
- Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.
- Allow to cool out of the oven for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Brittany
This was so yummy! Im starting keto next week and needed a dinner option for the few days. So good ???
Michelle
Not a big fan of the food processor so I steamed then fork-mashed the cauliflower before adding the coconut flour and there was no mush and everyone loved it.
Kate
Thank you SO much for this recipe! I made it last and it was amazing! I subbed ground turkey for the beef (just because I already had it in the freezer) and I added an onion, but otherwise followed this to the T. Absolutely delicious and I can't wait to share it with my friends and family.
Katie
I’m assuming you didn’t use the grease from the meats in your sauce because you just end up with a nice layer of grease on top of your cream sauce if you do that. Then like me you have to try to scoop the grease off the top while trying not to lose your sauce! You may want to modify your instructions to mention draining the grease from the pan before making the sauce since you say to use the same pan directly after scooping the beef out. If you do use the grease you’ll need way more almond flour to absorb it all.
SO delicious, though! I added some extra mustard to my serving and ate dill pickle spears with it. Thanks for the recipe!
Katie
I suspected the grease would be an issue as I’ve made my fair share of sauces and gravies, but went against my better judgement and used it anyway. LOL
Amanda
Hi! I'm excited to try this recipe. 2 questions. 1. Can you use the frozen riced cauliflower? And 2. Can you make this ahead of time and bake the next day or freeze it? What would recommend for freezing? Thank you!
Brenda
You can use riced cauliflower and I have made it ahead, baked it and frozen it then thawed the night before having it for dinner.
Kristen
Way too much work! Felt like I was in the kitchen for hours. Sorry but not worth the time & effort.
Katie
I always feel this way when I make a recipe with bacon. It takes so long to cook! I prefer to put the bacon in the oven while I work on the rest of the recipe. It really cuts down on the cooking time! Or at least it feels like it does since I’m not standing there waiting for the bacon to be done before I can move on to the next step.
Robin
Just made this tonight. I was a bit skeptical since it's cauliflower, lol...but I am trying to do less carbs and more veggies. My kids (4 years old and 3 years old) devoured their plate, and my husband did as well! I made as recipe stated-- except to the meat I added Worcestershire Sauce, red pepper flakes, half a chopped onion, doubled the Oregano per another reviewers suggestion and I'm very glad I did that. I also used shredded cheese as that is what I had on hand. Great meal and will definitely be making this again!
Robin
Oh, and I used almond flour to make it Gluten Free for my youngest.
Sherri
Would you know the weight Watchers points for this? I see some of your recipes show them so was hoping you could tell me them for this recipe
Thanks
Mandy
I accidentally cooked the cauliflower too long. It's mushy. Can I still use it?
Brenda
Yep you can, it's like a mashed potato spread on the bottom of the casserole anyway.
Chris Crenshaw
You have the nutrition facts on there, I was wondering if you calculated it in to ounces or grams?
Brenda
For the serving size? Neither, the casserole gets divided into 10 pieces.
Elizabeth
This recipe is amazing! I made mashed cauliflower the night before so I used that instead. I didn't have bacon, so I skipped that. It was still amazing. Even the non-low carb family members loved it. Definitely a keeper!
LaShonda K Jones
This is a keeper! I'm not a fan of coconut flour but I used it because I had some left over. I thought it was ok, but my daughter don't like the flavor. So next time I will just stick with almond flour. Also I was in the middle of cooking when I realized I was suppose to use cheddar slices. Well since I didn't have any I used shredded cheese instead and it came out fine. I plan to use slices the next time as well. Last I placed my cauliflower in a covered dish with a little water until tender. Since I don't have a food processor I just chopped it well.
LaShonda K Jones
I noticed a few people didn't drain the beef or turkey. I did. Wasn't that what I was supposed to do? The instructions doesn't say so but I knew I didn't want all that grease in my body.
Jessie
I am so happy you shared this. MN has a cold winter and I like to call it "Casserole Season." LOL - but it's really screams for warmth and this is the time I am dying for a casserole and low carb ones are so hard to find. So glad I found your site!
Deana
This is good but it needs a little zip. I used Webers horseradish mustard. I think next time I'm may add chillies or Frank's not sauce. The directions are not very clear. It was confusing. I put it together wrong, luckily it still turned out. I also had to pour most of the bacon/hamburger grease. I had at least a cup of grease!
Jillian
I'm very new to Keto. How can this be made Keto frienly, or is it already? I just saw on top that it is gluten free and low carb. Is it due to the flour options? Thanks!
Brenda
Yes it's keto friendly using either almond or coconut flour in the base.
Nicki
I'm excited to try this recipe today. BUT I wanted to share these tried & true tricks for the pinewood derby-- my buddy used to work for NASA and started this science YouTube channel (my kids love it) but he scientifically shows you how to make a winning car. We used all his tips and my son won the derby last year. 🙂 Here's a link to the video: https://youtu.be/-RjJtO51ykY Good luck!!
Shirley
Ok...this
Oops oh so yummy! I will be making this tonight for dinner, however, my noisy family will be searching for the cauliflower, so... I am going to make 2 different pans of this and serve at first, only the one with the cauliflower. If, (and they will) they detect the cauliflowers will have another prepared pan made with rice for their benefit.
I do have a question. Can this be prepped ahead of time and set in the refrigerator until ready to cook? I think if I can make it before anyone sees what goes in it, they may change their minds, even though I doubt it...but there’s always hope!
Brenda
Yes I've made it one day, refrigerated it and baked it the next day, works great.
Tomieka
Oh my goodness!!!! I didn’t follow the recipe exactly (I used American cheese in the inside, cheddar jack for the topping and I had no bacon) but whoa baby! The flavor was amazing, the texture was great and I’m super impressed with you for creating this recipe and me for making it. Thank you so much! You are helping me to slim down and regain my health with these low carb recipes.
Ann Hunter
Good flavor, but a bit too greasy prepared the way the recipe directs. I'll make it again, but will take care to drain after each meat step and just use butter to make the roux for the sauce. Also added onion to the ground beef, and some diced red onion and diced dill pickles to the top before serving.
Lori
Thanks for saying this!! I too wasn’t about to make a roux with bacon grease from 6-7 slices and fat from 80/20 hamburger meat! I did cook the meat in the bacon grease but it all had to go before the roux!
Michael E Barido
What is the serving size?
Brenda
I divided my casserole into 10 pieces, sliced down the middle then five sections on each side.
Kristin
This is really good!
Denise
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Definitely not the "lightest" meal but everyone enjoyed it. My kids loved it until I admitted it was cauliflower but they still ate it! Next time I will eliminate the sliced cheese and probably make a little more sauce. But it was yum!
Stephanie
I made this casserole tonight. I loved it. I added some dill relish and reduced sugar ketchup to the top and it was amazing.
My husband, however, wasn't a fan. He said the flavor was really good, but he didn't like the grittiness of the cauliflower base. I don't know if it's something that I did wrong, or if he just isn't a fan of coconut flour. I was hoping that you might be able to help me out so that we can eat this in the future.
1. The cauliflower did turn into mush rather than rice, but I assumed that wasn't a problem.
2. I'm not sure if I added enough cheese. All told I had like 8 slices of cheese on it. I suspect that it needed to be cheesier. I did add a little extra shredded cheese to the top though.
3. I forgot to cover the casserole when it baked, so it was just open to the hot oven the whole time.
Do you have any special insights as to what may have gone wrong? Is there something I could do instead of using the coconut flower the next time I make this?
Thanks!
Brenda
I do think not covering the pan can tend to make anything dry out especially when using coconut flour. You could also sub out the cconut flour for almond flour if there aren't allergies in the family to nuts. If you don't want the base to be as mushy, don't pulse the cauliflower as much, allow it to be more chunky, maybe he would prefer it better that way.
Stephanie
Thank you!
Laurie
I dry steam my cauliflower in the microwave after I rice it it the food processor, that way there is no extra liquid. I use a microwave steamer bowl, I believe it's from pampered chef. 6 minutes for a head of cauliflower. I do this when I make mashed cauliflower also, and they actually have the consistency of potatoes. (For mashed i process it a little longer so it is not riced)
Renee glenn
My husband is a diabetic and we are looking into different cooking and eating habits. We tried this recipe and just fell in love soo good
Brenda
Thank you!
Roxie
Two observations: why not eliminate the first two steps in the recipe and use Trader Joe's Cauliflower Rice?
Secondly, as a grandma and mother to two boys who also never came in first in certain events, sure you want them to win, but when they get into the world, no one is going to give them a Participation Medal in the workforce. The lessons to be learned from not finishing first, is that (a) you try harder next time in whatever event, (b) you had fun with your dad which is way more important, and (c) it sucks, but get 'em next time. My oldest always wanted to win, but my youngest always finished the race, but took time to stop, go into the infield and pick up a flower to smell, and then continued the track meet. It all works out in the end.
Amy L.
This was a HUGE hit with my family. My 4 year old loved it and husband went for seconds. And my favorite part about this dish, my 4 year old ate vegetables and didn't even know it!
Only variation, we added pickles and some ketchup (after baking). It tasted just like a bacon cheeseburger.
This dish will definitely go into my meal rotation.
Brenda
That is the best part! Love when that happens!
Carol
Can this be made and assembled one day and bake the next? Sounds yummy going on camping trip and don’t want to waste time preparing food..
Brenda
Yes that will work.