Ditch the bread and go casserole style with this amazing and hearty keto Cuban Casserole. Loaded with all the flavors in a Cubano sandwich, this casserole is meaty, cheesy, and has a sauce so good that you’ll lick your plate clean. Hungry? Read on and I, Chef Jenn, will show you how to make this amazing keto casserole recipe perfectly every time!
This keto Cubano Casserole has everything but the bread! I’ve used keto pulled pork instead of roasted pork in this version, but you can easily swap in your favorite roasted pork. Swiss cheese, sweet and salty chunks of ham, tangy pickles, and a robust mustard sauce combine to create a flavor explosion!
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What You Need To Make Keto Cuban Casserole
You don’t need any fancy equipment or ingredients to make this leftover pulled pork casserole. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 8 x 8 (or similar) oven-safe casserole dish
- Leftover pulled pork – or thinly sliced and chopped roasted pork
- Heavy whipping cream
- Dijon mustard
- Swiss cheese
- Dill pickles
- Ham
- Sauce – the sauce is optional and the ingredients are below
Pickles in Casseroles? Isn’t that Weird?
Don’t be freaked out by the pickles! Cooked pickles, even the tangiest and strongest flavored ones, get a lovely mild and almost sweet flavor when cooked. They retain some of their crunch, adding texture to this dish. And, they add so much flavor. It just wouldn’t be a Cubano Casserole without pickles!
How To Make This Recipe
Recipes with leftover pulled pork have never been tastier! And, this casserole couldn’t be any easier. Here’s how to make it:
- Mix the leftover pulled pork with the cream and mustard in a large skillet. Heat it through until just staring to boil. Turn off the heat.
- Fold in half the Swiss cheese, half the ham, and about half the pickles.
- Check for seasoning and add a touch of salt and pepper if necessary.
- Put the pulled pork mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 8 (or similar sized) oven-safe casserole.
- Top the casserole with the remaining cheese, the ham, and the rest of the pickles.
- Bake at 400-F for about 15 minutes or until it is hot and bubbly.
- Top with the sauce and serve.
To Make the Sauce for the Leftover Pulled Pork Casserole
You’ll need:
- Mayonnaise
- Heavy whipping cream
- Dijon mustard
- Yellow mustard
- Combine the mayonnaise, heavy whipping cream, and mustards in a bowl. Mix well.
- Fill a sandwich size plastic zipper-top bag with the sauce mixture and zip it closed. Cut the tip off one of the bottom corners of the bag. Squeeze the bag lightly, using the bag to pipe out some of the sauce in a zig-zag pattern over the top of the casserole.
- Or, just add a dollop of the sauce to each serving.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Leftover roast pork is an easy substitute for the pulled pork, just chop it up into small chunks.
- Use a good-quality and not-too-salty ham. Sliced deli ham can be used in a pinch, or use leftover ham from a spiral ham or ham steak.
- Don’t like Swiss cheese? Try this recipe with a mild cheese like gouda or jack.
- Go for a strong dill pickle or make your own keto pickles for this recipe.
- Don’t use dill pickle relish in this recipe – you need bigger chunks of pickle to get the full flavor.
- I make big batches of smoked pork and pull it, freezing portions of it for use in recipes like this keto Cuban Casserole. You can also make smaller batches of keto Pulled Pork in your Instant Pot.
What To Serve With This Leftover Shredded Pork Recipe
This is a hearty and rich main dish. You want to keep your sides light. I’d suggest a simple but refreshing Tomato & Cucumber Salad or something like Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus.
Can I freeze This Leftover Pulled Pork Casserole REcipe?
You can, and it’ll be fine, but I prefer this dish fresh. When frozen and thawed, the ham and pickles give off more liquid and can make the dish kind of soupy. It’s fine to eat, and you can drain off some of the liquid if it bothers you.
To freeze it, thoroughly chill it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Then package the leftovers in an air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To eat, thaw it in the fridge or the microwave and heat it in a 300-F oven until heated through. Or, zap it in the microwave until it is hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they sure can be! Pulled pork, if rubbed with a sugar-free rub and with no sugary sauce on it is totally keto. So a casserole dish like this is an amazing leftover pulled pork recipe.
It’s got my own personal spin on it, Chef Jenn style, so no it’s not quite the same. And, I’ve included directions for using a regular casserole pan because not everyone has cast iron.
Pick a big dill pickle and cut it into 1/4-inch cubes.
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Step By Step Process
Cuban Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups pulled pork unsauced
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups Swiss cheese divided
- 1 cup diced ham divided
- 1 cup chopped dill pickle divided
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
For the sauce
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1` tbsp yellow mustard
Instructions
- Combine the pulled pork, cream and mustard in a skillet. Heat over medium heat until heated through and just starting to boil. Turn offtthe heat.
- Add about half the cheese, half the ham, and half the pickle. Stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
- Put the pulled pork mixture into a casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese, the rest of the ham, and the last of hte chopped pickle.
- Bake at 400-F for about 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
For the sauce:
- Combine the mayonnaise, cream and mustard in a small bowl and mix well.
- Add a dollop of the sauce to each serving. Or, put the sauce into a small zipper-top bag and seal it. Cut one of the bottom corners of the bag off, and squeeze the sauce out of the bag onto the casserole in a zig-zag pattern.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
More Easy Keto Recipes
Want even more keto deliciousness? I’m always in the kitchen creating new dishes, but these are some of my favorites:
- Pizza Casserole
- Crack Cauliflower
- Beefy soup
- Grilled veggies
- Southwestern Beef Casserole
- and if you need help counting carbs, check out this easy peasy net carb calculator.
This casserole sounds so flavourful and delicious and I love that it is keto too! A new favourite.
So many incredible flavors packed into this casserole! I love how easily it comes together in just 30 minutes. Yum!
What a great idea to make a casserole and ditch the bread! I know my family will love this. Thank you!
This was delcious and such a fantastic idea for busy working moms like me! thanks
This casserole looks amazing and so delicious! Sounds like such a yummy and flavorful dinner! Excited to make this!
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS & EASY recipe!!!
I didn’t have exactly as Jenn wrote so we used what we had – a jar of dill relish just was NOT the same as having the big chunks of dill pickels – casserole was excellent, but next time we will have the biiiig pickels!
We had leftovers (just two of us) so used egglife totilla looking things and made wraps the next 2 days – oh so yum even when cold!
Great recipe & we will be making this again & again!
Thank you Jenn!
Oh and the sauce — we used it as a spread day 2 & 3 for the wraps – YUMMY! Still had some left over so hubby speard it over burgers – yummy-yummy!
I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks for taking the time to come by to comment! ~Jenn
I love this casserole! It just came out of the oven. I love the tangy flavor married with the Swiss cheese and the pig. I added the sauce. I did add a layer of riced cauliflower from Costco to the bottom of the casserole (after drying it in the oven for an hour or two, but you can also do this in the fridge overnight) and I extended the baking time by 40 minutes to get rid of the liquid from the pickles (reduced heat to 170 F).
Because I made the pulled pork from scratch, this doesn’t come together in only 30 minutes as one commenter said. It took me 3.5 hours to do the pulled pork, and then maybe 20 minutes to assemble the casserole, plus 1 hour baking time. But most of that time, you don’t need to be in the kitchen. If you buy plain pulled pork from the store, that would make this so quick to get ready.
This casserole is SUCH a refreshing change from the hamburger casseroles always dominating the search results when you search for new keto casserole recipes. Thank you for posting this!!! I am adding this to my rotation.
Wow, with homemade pulled pork, I BET this tasty casserole is even better! Thanks for stopping by to share your comments and I’m so glad you loved the recipe! ~Jenn
Outstanding and easy to fix.
I’m glad you loved it! Thanks for coming by to comment 🙂 ~Jenn
This looks fabulous and I plan to serve it as a dish for Easter with quality bread on the side for those who aren’t Keto so they can make it into a sandwich. Can I make this ahead of time and bake on the day or should it all be put together in the same go-around?
It can totally be made ahead of time. Assemble, pop it into the fridge, then bake and eat! ~Jenn
Had leftover pulled port, and I love cuban sandwiches. Cant wait , low carb deliciousness is in the oven.
What a great use of leftover pulled pork! ~Jenn