Low Carb Pizza Casserole
Low Carb Pizza Casserole is a gluten-free, keto pizza casserole packed with all of your favorite pizza flavors without the carbs!
This Low Carb Pizza Casserole has solved all of my pizza-craving problems! Packed with all of the flavors of pizza, sauce, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, and lots and lots of cheese this delicious pizza casserole skips the traditional pasta and substitutes it with cauliflower.
It’s a gluten-free, keto dinner casserole similar to our, Keto Chicken Alfredo Casserole, Keto Big Mac Casserole, Keto Taco Casserole, and Keto Buffalo Chicken Casserole. All are simple to make and so good that the whole family will love them, even if they aren’t cutting carbs.
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What is in Keto Pizza Casserole?
- Cauliflower
- Pepperoni
- Italian Sausage – You’ll want to use ground Italian sausage. If you have to buy Italian sausage that is in casings (sausage links) just remove the meat from the casings before cooking.
- Mushrooms
- Green Bell Pepper
- Mozzarella cheese
- Low Carb Pasta Sauce – We love Rao’s Homemade Marinara sauce. It has no added sugar and it’s only 4 grams of net carbs per 1/2 cup. Feel free to use whatever sauce you like. Just remember it may change the carb count of the finished meal.
- Parmesan cheese
- Italian Seasoning
As with any low carb recipe you’ll want to check the nutritional information on the products you use, especially the pasta sauce, and the Italian sausage.
As I mentioned we used Rao’s Homemade Marinara which is 4 net carbs per 1/2 cup. The Italian sausage we used was bought in the fresh meat section of the local grocery store and was approximately 1 carb per link (I removed the meat from the casings before cooking).
The great thing about pizza is that there are so many ways to make it. Feel free to customize this baked pizza casserole with any of your favorite pizza toppings (as long as they are low carb!).
Other Low Carb Pizza Toppings:
- Ham
- Bacon
- Chicken
- Ground Beef
- Genoa Salami
- Artichoke Hearts
- Spinach
- Jalapenos
- Pepperonicinis
- Black Olives
- Goat Cheese
- Blue cheese
How to Make Low Carb Pizza Casserole:
- Steam the cauliflower. I like to keep things quick and easy so I steam mine in the microwave. Place cut cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl with 1 cup of water. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave on high for approximately 3 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Don’t overcook it! You don’t want mushy cauliflower, you just want it to be slightly tender so it won’t have to cook so long in the oven.
- Drain the cauliflower pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat cook the Italian sausage, approximately 15 minutes. When the sausage has finished cooking drain the excess fat. Set aside.
- In the same skillet add olive oil and saute the sliced mushrooms for 10 minutes. This will help remove some of the excess water. Set aside when done.
- Prepare a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish by spraying it with non-stick spray then spread ½ cup of pasta sauce on the bottom.
- In a large bowl add the cauliflower, cooked Italian sausage, mushrooms, and green peppers. Toss together until well mixed.
- Spread ½ of the mixture in the casserole dish. Top with ½ cup of pasta sauce, followed by ½ of the pepperonis (kind of press them down in between the other toppings), and finally 6 ounces of mozzarella cheese.
- Next spread the remaining toppings mixture over the cheese followed by the pepperonis (save 10 slices for the top of the casserole), remaining ½ cup of pasta sauce, and 6 ounces of mozzarella cheese.
- In a small bowl mix together the Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan mixture over the casserole and top with 10 slices of pepperoni.
- Place in the oven and bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes, or until the casserole is warmed through and the cheese is fully melted.
Looking for More Low Carb and Keto Dinner Ideas?
- Keto Tacos
- Keto Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Casserole
- Big Mac Keto Meatloaf
- Low Carb Meatloaf
- Low Carb Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole
- Low Carb Jalapeno Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Low Carb Moo Shu Pork
- More Low Carb & Keto Recipes…
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Low Carb Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 14 ounces Cauliflower florets, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2.5 ounces Pepperoni
- 2 pounds Italian Sausage, if in casings remove from casing before cooking
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 8 ounces Mushrooms, sliced
- 1 Green Pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
- 12 ounces Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1.5 cups Low Carb Pasta Sauce, we use Rao’s Homemade Marinara
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, powdered
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
Instructions
- Steam the cauliflower. Place cut cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl with 1 cup of water. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave on high for approximately 3 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Don’t overcook!
- Drain the cauliflower pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat cook the Italian sausage, approximately 15 minutes. When the sausage has finished cooking drain the excess fat. Set aside.
- In the same skillet at olive oil and saute mushrooms over medium high heat for 10 minutes to remove the excess water. Set aside when done.
- Prepare a 13×9 inch casserole dish by spraying it with non-stick spray then spread ½ cup of pasta sauce on the bottom.
- In a large bowl add the cauliflower, cooked Italian sausage, mushrooms, and green peppers. Toss together until well mixed.
- Spread ½ of the mixture in the casserole dish. Top with ½ cup of pasta sauce, followed by ½ of the pepperonis (kind of press them down in between the other toppings), and finally 6 ounces of mozzarella cheese.
- Next spread the remaining toppings mixture over the cheese followed by the pepperonis (save 10 slices for the top of the casserole), remaining ½ cup of pasta sauce, and 6 ounces of mozzarella cheese.
- In a small bowl mix together the Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan mixture over the casserole and top with 10 slices of pepperoni.
- Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the casserole is warmed through and the cheese is fully melted.
Hello!
What is the serving size for this recipe?
Thanks ?
Hi Kristen, this recipe makes 10 servings so you just portion it out into 10 pieces. Sorry I couldn’t get a weight on this one but it varies depending on cauliflower size etc.
Oven temp?
Place in the oven and bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes, or until the casserole is warmed through and the cheese is fully melted.
This turned out like soup. I should have followed my first thought and sautéed the watery vegetables
It has great flavor but it was extremely watery. I sautéed all of my veggies except the cauliflower that I patted dry. Any idea how to prevent the watery consistency?
I might try roasting the cauliflower first, instead of steaming.
I cooked my cauliflower in the microwave for about 9 minutes WITHOUT water. Just what moisture was on it from washing it. We loved it!
Great idea. Thank you for sharing!
Some sauces have lots of water. I usually dump my sauce in a sieve and let it drain. You will be surprised at the amount of water
This was so delicious and a huge hit with my entire family! I customized it in sections according to each of our tastes and added black olives and onions to my husband’s and my section. It was a little watery (which is the reason why I gave it only 4 stars), but I managed to leave most of the water behind in the baking dish when serving it so it didn’t really affect anything. Next time I may just cook the veggies a bit longer, but even my super-picky son says this is definitely a “do-again” dinner!
Delicious but very watery. I ended up pouring off some liquid and then cooking a little longer to dry out a bit. Love that it can have any toppings everyone likes. I broke it into 2- 8×8 pans so there was a kid version and an adult version!
So glad you liked it but I’m sorry you had the problem with it being watery. I haven’t had that issue but another reader suggested “steaming” the cauliflower in the microwave without adding any extra water.
It was just like the topping of a pizza. The only thing I need to know is mine was a little juicy. I drained the cauliflower like it said, but still not what the picture looked like. Still a go to, just not as soup🤭
This recipe looks yummy! Can’t wait to make it.
What type of pan are you using for the casserole? The one in the picture looks interesting.
A 9×13 casserole dish works for this recipe. Here’s a similar pan that we also use often https://amzn.to/2BwBXlo Great to have for the holiday!
I really dislike cauliflower I wonder if I could sub broccoli in this recipe without too much change?
Yes, go for it. It will be just as tasty!
Can you substitute rice cauliflower for the regular cauliflower?
It will taste the same but the texture of the whole dish will be different. Let me know how it turns out! Enjoy.
I made this tonight and it was amazing. After reading about how other people had issues with too much moisture I cooked the cauli in the microwave for 5 minutes no water. I then tossed it with some EVOO and laid it on a sheet pan and roasted it in a 425 oven for about 20 minutes. I sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms and added eggplant to give it a little body. I also added turkey Italian sausage. I would make this again!
My family loved this (so did I). I saw a few people said theirs was soupy, I used a good quality thick pasta sauce and mine was wreathes. I also drained the cauliflower in a colander and let it sit for about 15 min to drain before patting it with paper towels.
Can I substitute pizza sauce for the marinara sauce? Thank you!
You can substitute any low carb sauce. Just try to make sure it is a thicker sauce so it doesn’t make the casserole watery.
I loved this. Made a couple modifications though. I made this using the entire jar of sauce and next time I’ll cut back to 1.5 cups. I also added about a cup of cubed chicken breast because I had one I needed to use. Also used just a pound of sausage. It was great. The Parmesan and Italian seasoning on top was perfect for this dish. A bit watery next time I’ll try cooking the veggies a little more before adding.
It was just like the topping of a pizza. The only thing I need to know is mine was a little juicy. I drained the cauliflower like it said, but still not what the picture looked like. Still a go to, just not as soup🤭
Can I use frozen cauliflower?
I would not recommend that. If you add it frozen it will be too watery. If you cook it ahead and bake again, the cauliflower will be all mush.
Thrilled to find this yummy Pizza Casarole!
Harder to stay true to low carb during the Holidays.(I’ve lost 50lbs) Great dinners when eating at home
Make it easier to stay the course! Thanks mucho! Happy Holidays!
We have a local restaurant that has a menu item called “Cheesy Veggie Medley.” That dish is basically like their pizza without a crust. I order it whenever I go out with friends who want pizza. Your Low Carb Pizza Casserole is a pretty good copycat recipe for that Cheesy Veggie Medley. I added broccoli to mimic the Cheesy Veggie Medley. THANK YOU!
The end product was a little watery. I will take the advice of others and oven roast my cauliflower, broccoli and mushrooms first.
Hi, The way that I get rid of the extra liquid, is to leave out the pasta sauce. In place of pasta sauce use thin sliced vine ripe tomatoes, without the seeds. Also, use thin sliced red onions. If you like could still add 1/2 the amount of pasta sauce.
Great recipe! Easy to make, low carb, delishious! Loved it, shared itmwith several people💕
Thanks so much for sharing it!!
What if you don’t like cauliflower? Is there something low carb to sub for that?
Zucchini, broccoli or cabbage?
Thank you! I’ll try cabbage!
Made this last night and it is fantastic! I read the comments about it being too watery, so instead of sautéing the veggies, i put them in the air fryer. 5 minutes for the cauliflower and then the mushrooms and bell peppers about 5 minutes and it turned out great!
I made this and it was excellent!!! Great recipe! Made me feel like O was being so bad 😂
Fantastic!! I minimally steamed my cauliflower, still had crunch, then tossed them with Italian seasoning and a bit of salt. Everyone LOVED it. Thanks!
I thought it was good next time I will make a couple changes. After reading the other reviews.I microwaved the cauliflower in a Tupperware steamer. I also sauted onions and garlic with the mushrooms drained them well. Next time I will saute all the vegetables together. I used Muir Glen pizza sauce From fred Meyers instead of pasta sauce. I thought it was the perfect consistency.
I tried this without the cauliflower and it was amazing. The kids loved it.
This was really good!!
What’s the point of the cauliflower? Can it be left out? Didn’t know if it’s supposed to act like the “crust”.
Hi Melissa,
The cauliflower is just to bulk the casserole up and make it more filling. You could increase the other vegetables and leave the cauliflower out of you like.
Ok, awesome! Thank you for replying so quickly!
This is delicious and I will be using it as a go too often! I am experimenting with Cauliflower rice and I used it in this recipe. It was perfect. I used a small jar of sauce and worried it would be dry. It was perfect because the cauliflower added moisture. I sautéed onions peppers and mushrooms until golden and used hot Italian sausage and pepperoni; piling the cheese up. Delicious, a dinner a momma can be proud to throw together.
Made this tonight and it was really yummy! It was not watery at all! I did modify the recipe and use riced cauliflower instead and I also omitted green peppers as they are not well liked by the hubs. Would definitely make again and maybe try different meats and veggies.
This was wonderful. I did something different after reading all the comments about being too watery. I used 3 low carb tortillas … I put sauce down first, then tortillas. Then toppings after sautéed first. Wonderful. Thanks so much!
I made this casserole, it is so delicious, even better the next day.
Can this be prepared ahead of time and then frozen?
I haven’t tried it myself but it should work. I suggest precooking your cauliflower to a slightly firmer texture so when it is reheated it doesn’t get mushy.