This Keto Cheeseburger Casserole Skillet is a delicious and easy comfort food style low-carb dinner the entire family will love! Ready in under 30 minutes!
So many times on a Keto, Paleo, or even gluten-free diet burgers, in their traditional form, don’t live up to expectations. Gluten-free buns are predominantly dry and the texture is off, and lettuce wrapped burgers always end up disintegrating. That’s where this delicious Keto Cheeseburger Casserole Skillet comes in. All the flavors of your favorite burger in one convenient dish. So instead of dealing with a crumbly carb-filled bun, or a puddle left behind from lettuce-wrapped burgers, pull up a seat and grab a forkful of this tasty entree.
At first, I was afraid this recipe was going to turn out too similar to my childhood favorite, hamburger helper. I say favorite, but it wasn’t really all that special, just frequent. Mention hamburger helper to Lauren though and she just about dies. She really, really hates loose ground beef, she’s coming around lately though and even took a few bites of this and enjoyed it. It’s one of those texture things, weirdo.
Hamburger helper It made it’s way onto the menu once a week at home growing up and was packed along for every camping trip. Fortunately, the taste of this Keto Cheeseburger Casserole is so far superior to any boxed meal, the only real resemblance was the presence of ground beef. Next time I’m thinking about using ground bison, because as much as I love a good grass-fed hamburger, a bison burger might just take it to the next level.
What’s in Keto Cheeseburger Casserole?
- avocado oil (olive oil will turn rancid at high-temperature cooking, use a high heat oil)
- ground beef
- onion
- garlic + onion powder
- salt + pepper
- cheddar cheese
- tomato paste
Toppings:
- dill pickles
- diced red onion
- diced tomato
- shredded lettuce
- yellow mustard
Such a super easy ingredient list!
Want to make this a BACON Keto Cheeseburger Casserole??
Add in cooked chopped bacon to the toppings or cook chopped bacon first then add in the beef and brown then beef in the bacon fat. YUM!
How to make Keto Cheeseburger Casserole
- Heat the oil in a 10” or larger cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, onion, and spices. Brown the meat while stirring occasionally, about 6-7 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and half of the cheese until well combined and the cheese is melty.
- Top with pickles, red onion, tomatoes, as well as the remaining cheese. Drizzle yellow mustard over the casserole and serve over a bed of shredded lettuce.
How to store cheeseburger casserole
Making this easy Keto Cheeseburger Casserole as a meal-prep option? That’s a great idea! To store we like to portion out individual portions into these glass meal-prep containers. It makes it an easy grab and go option during the week!
This casserole will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
To reheat you can microwave it or dump it into a skillet to reheat.
Can you use a different meat option?
You can! Ground chicken or ground turkey can replace the ground beef here if you wish.
Why Use Grass-Fed Beef?
I’ve talked about this in other posts, but it’s very important to me to choose grass-fed pasture-raised beef over their conventionally raised counterparts.
Grass-fed beef is higher in omega 3’s, has a better fat profile than standard beef, and a higher concentration of nutrients and antioxidants. Plus, grass-fed beef typically has a much more humane lifestyle than factory-farmed beef.
- Is grass-fed beef really better for you, the animal and the planet? – Washington Post
- Grass-fed vs. Conventional Meat: It’s Not Black or White – Chris Kresser
- Eatwild’s Directory of Farms and Ranches
Looking for more Keto Casserole recipes? Check these out!
- Keto Chicken Pizza Casserole
- Cheesy Keto Broccoli Casserole with Bacon (Low Carb + EASY)
- Keto Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Keto Cheeseburger Casserole Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ medium red onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 5 oz cheddar cheese divided
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Toppings:
- 1/2 cup sliced dill pickles
- 1/4 medium red onion chopped
- 1 Roma tomato diced
- 4 cups shredded lettuce
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a 10” or larger cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, onion, and spices. Brown the meat while stirring occasionally, about 6-7 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and half of the cheese until well combined and the cheese is melty.
- Top with pickles, red onion, tomatoes, as well as the remaining cheese. Drizzle yellow mustard over the casserole and serve over a bed of shredded lettuce.
It would be good to tell people what size skillet to use. Seems minor. A pound of cooked down ground beef or turkey would not be as hearty looking nor fill a space in a 12" skillet as it would in a 10" skillet.
Also, you should drain any fat before adding spices and tomato paste. If you cook spices too long, they lose their power. I would drain any fat first, add spice & tomato paste, then proceed – all in 10" skillet.
Might also be fun and interesting to lightly caramelize some onions beforehand, then cook the meat in the same skillet, and top it with both raw and caramelized onions. A little ground celery seed in the meat, and a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired, add a great subtle layer of flavor to the meat.
Made this tonight, it is basically like a cheeseburger flavored taco salad. Tasty and perfectly keto. I did add low sugar ketchup to mine to top off the flavor profile.
6/18/19
What is the serving size for the Hamburger Casserole. Are the fat, protein, net carbs, calorie, counts for the whole batch or for each serving?
Thank you
The nutritional info is for one serving, the serving sizes for each recipe can be found at the top of each recipe card. Hope this helps!