I was not the first person to think of turning pizza into a casserole, but my own spins genuinely take the flavor up a notch. Keto pizza casserole is beefy, saucy, and loaded with all your favorite toppings.
This post may contain affiliate link(s). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See Disclosure.
This is a genuinely easy dish that comes together fast, on the table any night of the week.
Ricotta adds a lovely flavor and extra creaminess here, genuinely putting this casserole over the top.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases. For more information, see my Privacy Policy.
Jump-start your keto success! Grab a copy of my 4-week Easy Keto Menu Plan or check out my other cookbooks to help you along.
Join our Facebook group for friendly keto support, and for videos on how to make these recipes, subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Chef Jenn’s Take on Pizza Casserole
Fold in the bell pepper off the heat, after the sauce and ricotta have already simmered together, that is what keeps the pepper from turning mushy.
Brown the beef and sausage together, drain, then add the onion and seasoning and cook until the onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Simmer the tomato sauce and ricotta together briefly, then turn off the heat and fold in the raw bell pepper, along with mushrooms and olives if you are using them. Pour into the casserole dish, top with mozzarella, Parmesan, and pepperoni, and bake until hot and bubbly. Whether to cover while baking depends on how deep your dish is, if it is quite deep, cover it to start and uncover for the last 10 minutes, otherwise baking uncovered the whole time works fine.
Low-fat cottage cheese works fine in place of ricotta if that is what you have. A reader avoiding tomato products was pointed toward a cheese soup as an alternative to the tomato sauce, though I have not tested it that way myself. An 8×8-inch dish with 1.5 pounds of meat serves 2, with leftovers to freeze.
What You’ll Love About Pizza Casserole
- Ricotta adds a lovely flavor and extra creaminess to the whole dish.
- Beefy, saucy, and loaded with all your favorite pizza toppings.
- Genuinely easy, on the table any night of the week.
Ingredients
- Ground beef – Or ground pork, chicken, or turkey.
- Italian sausage – Sweet or hot, casings removed. Check the label for hidden sugar or starch.
- Onion – Diced.
- Garlic powder and Italian seasoning – Standard pantry staples.
- Tomato sauce – (Make your own using this amazing keto tomato sauce recipe) – marinara sauce also works.
- Ricotta cheese – Full fat, extra creamy if you can find it. Low-fat cottage cheese works as a substitute.
- Green bell pepper – Diced, folded in off the heat.
- Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese – Shredded and grated.
- Pepperoni – Sliced.
- Mushrooms and sliced olives – Optional.
How to Make This Keto Pizza Casserole Recipe
Add the ground beef and ground Italian sausage to a large skillet and brown it. Add a bit of oil if necessary.
Drain the meat if necessary, then add the onion and Italian seasoning plus garlic powder. Cook until the onion is translucent.
Add the tomato sauce and ricotta cheese. Mix well and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and add the bell pepper. Fold in the mushrooms and olives if you’re using them.
Put the meat mixture into your casserole dish and top it with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add the pepperoni to the top and bake until the dish is hot and bubbly.
Serve and enjoy!
Make It A Meal
This is hearty and meaty enough that you don’t need much else, a simple salad with Green Goddess Dressing or Ranch Dressing does the trick, or stick with a simple vegetable.
For more casseroles, Keto Meatloaf Casserole is worth adding, and Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan makes a great pasta-style side.
Storage
This freezes like a dream. Chill it thoroughly in the fridge overnight or for a few hours, then wrap portions tightly in plastic wrap or a zipper-top freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or oven until hot and bubbly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Heck ya, and it’s tasty too! Loaded with meaty and cheesy flavor, there’s plenty to love in this low carb pizza casserole. And, with just 7 net carbs per hearty serving, you can feast guilt-free!
It takes about 15 minutes of prep time and it’ll need about 20 minutes in the oven. So, it’s a tasty pick for weeknight dinners.
You can mix and match with ingredients and flavors to make each casserole unique. Usually they each have: protein, veggies, sauce, and cheese. Non-keto casseroles usually also have a starch in them like rice or noodles.
Add Preferred SourceKeto Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 4 ounces pepperoni slices or about 1/2 cup
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms optional
- 1/2 cup black olives optional
Instructions
- Brown the beef and sausage in a large skillet. Drain the fat.
- Add the onion, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the onion softens.
- Add the tomato sauce, ricotta, bell pepper, mushrooms (optional) and olives (optional). Mix well.
- Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and top with the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Dot the top with the pepperoni slices.
- Bake in a pre-heated 375-F oven for about 20 minutes or until it is hot and bubbly. Serve!
Video
Notes
Recipe Card Tips
- Fold the bell pepper in off the heat, after the sauce and ricotta simmer, to keep it from turning mushy.
- Cover the casserole while baking if your dish is quite deep, uncovering for the last 10 minutes.
- Try your own homemade tomato sauce here, it makes a noticeable difference over jarred.
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.
1
3
1
1
Oh wow! This looks amazing and so delicious! Looks so much better than actual pizza! I’m always looking for healthier recipes and I can’t wait to try this one today!
What a great idea and pizza anything is good in my book!
Perfect way to get all of my favorite flavors from pizza while staying on track. This will be going into our weekly dinner rotation. So good!
Trying to lighten up on my carbs as we head into warmer months. This will be on my dinner menu this week!
OMG it really looks like pizza and has all those amazing flavors in it. The toppings are the best thing anyway!
love the roasted tomato sauce, it will be a staple from now on.
I love it too – it’s got such a better flavor compared to the jarred stuff!
For the keto pizza casserole, do you cover it while baking, or leave it uncovered?
I haven’t rated it yet, as I haven’t baked the dish, yet.
It’s all going to depend on how deep your casserole dish is. If it’s very deep, cover it to start with then uncover for the last 10 minutes of baking. I usually just bake it uncovered. ~Jenn
Curious on what size pan you used? I’m cooking for 2 with a little left over, but don’t want a ton of leftovers.
I make this in an 8×8-inch dish. There is 1.5 pounds of meat in it, so for 2 diners you’d likely have some leftovers. Freeze the leftovers and enjoy later! ~Jenn
I cannot have any tomato products. Can you suggest a substitute for me? I use a can of cream of chicken on top of spaghetti. Would that work here? Thank you for your help.
Instead of cream of chicken – I’d be more inclined to try Cheese Soup. Good luck! ~Jenn
Chef Jenn,
I just signed on for your newsletter . I look forward to trying all your Keto recipes. There are as many Keto specialists out there you could shake a stick at, but because you are a professional chef, and taking time to develop these healthier recipes, I Trust You and Your publications. Thank you for taking time out to do this for us.
Sunny Field
Thank you! I personally create and test every recipe so I know they’re good! ~Jenn
Have not made this but yet, but definitely about to. Looks delicious and I absolutely need to cut carbs.
Is it possible to sub the ricotta with low fat cottage cheese (which I have on hand at the moment😉)?
For sure! ~Jenn
Oh yeah, this is what I’m talking about!!! I’m all about the pizza toppings, never really cared much about the crust, especially after I was diagnosed with celiac disease about 10 years ago. So this is just perfect to get that same flavor. SOOOO GOOOOD!!!!! I make my own marinara sauce that I use and fresh sweet Italian sausage from a little shop near me. This recipe is AMAZING!!! Love love LOVE it!!!
I’m so glad you liked it! It’s crazy how good this is, and with fresh sausage, I bet it’s even better! Thanks for coming by to comment! ~Jenn
This recipe is fantastic! We can’t believe it’s this good. We finished the leftovers last night. Guess what we are cooking tonight?Keto Pizza Casserole. Thank you Chef Jenn!
I personally think it’s even better the next night! Thanks for coming back to comment, and I’m so glad you loved it! ~Jenn