This Low-Carb Broccoli Cheese Casserole is easy to make, but is made from real food–no canned soup in this one! This casserole makes an excellent keto broccoli side dish for any occasion–including holidays. All that creamy cheese makes it kid-friendly. Add in some leftover meat and it becomes a whole meal. This broccoli recipe can be part of a low-carb, keto, diabetic, Atkins, gluten-free, or Banting diet.
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The Recipe for Low-Carb Broccoli Cheese Casserole
This recipe starts with steaming the broccoli until it’s crisp-tender. Next we put it in a baking dish and prepare a creamy cheddar sauce made with real cream and cheddar cheese.
In addition to the cream and the cheddar cheese, a bit of onion powder adds flavor and a touch of red pepper flakes add flavor to the sauce. There aren’t enough red pepper flakes to make it hot, just enough to make it sing.
After adding in a bit of freshly cracked black pepper and some good sea salt (optional) to the sauce, we pour it over the steamed broccoli and add a layer off shredded cheese on top. We then bake it until the casserole bubbles in the center and the cheese on top becomes melted cheesy goodness.
With all of that cheese, you won’t get the kids to stop eating their broccoli!
The Inspiration
This recipe was inspired by my recipe for cheese sauce. I created this recipe last year and love how versatile it is. I love serving it with broccoli, and decided it would be delicious poured over broccoli and baked into a casserole.
After all, doesn’t everyone love broccoli and cheese together?
How to make broccoli taste good
While I love broccoli doused in cheese, like in this casserole and my recipe for Low-Carb Broccoli Cheese Soup, this veggie doesn’t need cheese to taste good.
The secret to making broccoli that tastes good, is to not cook it to death. Mushy broccoli is never appealing!
One of my favorite ways to prepare broccoli is by simply steaming it. Salting it before steaming it helps it retain that gorgeous green color. While it is steaming, I check it frequently by inserting a fork to see how tender it is.
Once the broccoli is done steaming, I put it in a serving dish and stir in a good amount of real butter and top it with salt. Sometimes I use a bit of pepper, too. Such a simple treat!
Broccoli also tastes good roasted, like in my recipe for Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts. Roasting veggies brings out their natural sweetness and adds a bit of umami.
Of course, you don’t need to bother with cooking broccoli to make it taste good. You can enjoy it raw on salads. Broccoli florets make delicious “dippers”. Use them to scoop up your favorite low-carb dip.
What can I add to broccoli?
You can make this casserole your own by adding bacon bits, switching out some (or even all) of the broccoli for cauliflower, or by switching the kind of cheese you use.
Add some caramelized onions on top or sprinkle some of your favorite herbs in the sauce.
Make this casserole a whole meal by adding some cooked meat in the baking dish along with the broccoli. Chicken, turkey, or ham would all work well. What a great way to use up that leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
Final words
This recipe for Low-Carb Broccoli Cheese Casserole makes an easy, but delicious casserole the whole family will love. Let us know what you add to this recipe to make it your own! Enjoy!
-Annissa
This Keto-friendly Broccoli Cheese Casserole transforms broccoli into pure, comfort food goodness.
Low-Carb Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Our Low-Carb Broccoli Cheese Casserole recipe makes an easy kid-friendly side dish. Low-carb, keto, diabetic, Atkins, gluten-free and Banting diet-friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 pound broccoli florets
- coconut oil spray or oil of choice for preparing dish
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese shredded, (quantity divided)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (more or less to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (more or less to taste)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit. Spray an 8" X 8" glass baking dish (or size equivalent) with coconut oil.
Prepare steamer by heating water in the bottom section. Place broccoli florets in the top basket and sprinkle lightly with sea salt (optional). Cover and steam the broccoli florets until crisp tender, about 5-10 minutes. Do not over cook.
Transfer the florets to baking dish.
In a 1 1/2 quart saucepan, heat heavy whipping cream over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
When cream just begins to simmer, whisk in half of the cheese (4 ounces), onion powder, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Turn heat to low.
Bring mixture back to a simmer while whisking constantly. Simmer for a minute or two so thicken the sauce. Remove the sauce from heat. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper, if desired, using more or less to taste. Pour the sauce over the broccoli.
Sprinkle the remaining 4 ounces of cheese over the broccoli and sauce.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese has melted.
I just love this combo. So deliciouS. I will try your recipe soon.
I loved how easy this was to make and the broccoli was loaded with flavor!
I love this classic comfort food casserole but with a low carb twist. Perfect side dish for when your watching carbs.
Oh my, this broccoli dish is one of the simplest and tastiest I’ve tried. So easy to put together too!
I love the combination very much and cheese is my all time favorite. Broccoli sounds healthy too.
This was so good. Great side to my left over chicken. Family approved!
My husband are vegetarians doing keto so we LOVE recipes like this. Very delicious!!
I’m trying to add in more vegetarian recipes as my son is vegetarian.
-Annissa