This Keto Italian Casserole is like Pizza With a Twist!
Craving Italian food?
When winter rolls around I turn to keto comfort food on cold days, and there’s nothing better than a flavorful keto casserole for dinner to really warm you up. This keto Italian casserole brings the flavor your entire family will love, all while keeping it totally low carb!
Pizza night with a twist!
There’s nothing I love better than a delicious slice of pizza and this keto Italian casserole delivers the flavor by skipping the crust and keeping it low carb. While we have some really great keto-friendly pizza recipes for when you want to go the traditional route, this casserole is so easy to throw together and pop into the oven — you won’t even miss the crust. It’s always a hit with my family, plus the chicken packs in the protein and is so filling!
Tips for making the best keto Italian casserole:
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- I recommend cooking the cubed chicken beforehand. The first time I made this dish I tried to throw it all in the casserole and there was way too much liquid from the chicken.
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- In a hurry to throw dinner together? I sometimes use shredded chicken for this type of recipe and it works great! I love grabbing rotisserie chickens from Costco and Sam’s to really save on time. Or you can make a bunch with our boil and shred method we did for our infamous cheesy chicken and broccoli casserole.
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- Add all your favorite keto pizza toppings like olives, more veggies, various cheeses, and meats for an even heartier dinner.
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- Have you had a chance to grab yourself the best vegetable chopper out there? My favorite kitchen gadget, the Fullstar Chopper, saves me so much time chopping my vegetables.
Keto Italian Casserole
yield: 5 SERVINGS
prep time: 15 MINUTES
cook time: 45 MINUTES
total time: 60 MINUTES
A flavorful Italian pizza keto casserole filled with chicken, cheese, pepperoni, and low carb sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. chicken breast (about 4 chicken breasts), cut into 1" cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 24 oz. jar low sugar marinara (I used Rao's Italian)
- 20 slices small pepperoni
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 2-3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions
1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2
In a mixing bowl add cubed chicken, olive oil, oregano, black pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Mix until chicken is completely coated in seasoning.
3
In a large skillet over medium heat, add the seasoned chicken and cook until all sides are no longer pink. This will take about 15 minutes. Strain chicken to remove any excess liquid.
4
Add cooked chicken to a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour in marinara sauce and coat until chicken is covered. Add sliced pepperoni, red onions, and green peppers. This is also the time to add in any of your other favorite keto pizza toppings as well.
5
Top with mozzarella cheese until covered. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until cheese has completely melted.
6
Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Yield: 5, Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
611 Calories | 35.2g Fat | 9.0g Total Carbs | 1.8g Fiber | 69.6g Protein | 7.2g Net Carbs
Dinner is served!
This keto Italian casserole has quickly become one of my go-to dinners during the week. It’s the perfect dish to make ahead of time and throw in the oven when you are trying to figure out what to make for dinner. Plus, you can even make a batch to freeze and pop in the oven when you’re craving pizza.
To really go the extra mile, make keto breadsticks to serve with the casserole and throw together a simple salad for a complete Italian feast!
My team member, Jenna, gave this recipe a test for me, and here’s what she had to say:
“This casserole turned out beautifully! This smelled absolutely amazing while baking and is such a delicious casserole that my entire family devoured! It’s like all the best parts of a pizza combined with perfectly seasoned chicken. I love the seasoning of the chicken cubes before sautéing and adding to the dish. It really gave them a great Italian flavor and tasted like something from my favorite Italian restaurant.”
Sounds yummy going to make this
Glad to hear that, Jeanne! Enjoy!
Made this tonight with leftover hamburgers chopped up instead of chicken. It was a hit with a salad & garlic toast (for the littles) on the side. Definitely putting this in the rotation. So easy & yummy, thank you!
You are welcome! I love the swapping out of meat!
YUM! I love pizza! This recipe looks delicious! Definitely going to make it this weekend!
Could i use coconut oil instead of olive oil or is olive oil better? Im new to the keto, & was just wondering.
Yes! You absolutely can do that!
Tried this recipe, used precooked chicken, but still ended up with alot of liquid. I didn’t mind, but my family said they weren’t expecting soup🤷🏼♀️. Anyone have any suggestions on making it and not ending up with so much liquid?
Hmm, you could pat your veggies dry with a paper towel if by chance the added moisture was coming from the vegetables. You could even sauté them in a pan a bit first before adding them to the casserole. Hoping those options might be helpful for next time!
We really enjoyed this recipe. It was almost even better the next day. THere is so much that we had lots of leftovers.
Yay! Happy to hear that! Thanks for letting us know it was a hit!
Agreeing with Ashley that this is EVEN BETTER the next day…and the next! I have 4 teenagers (3 boys) so I almost always double/triple recipes for any hopes to have leftovers. 😉 This was so delicious and the house smelled amazing while it cooked! I added some sliced black olives, so this was as close to a supreme pizza as I can get without crust…next time will also add some chopped sausage to round it out. It wasn’t “soupy” but had enough liquid to pour over everything. Also, thanks for the food chopper recommendation! It’s been almost revolutionary in time-saving for me!
Thank you so much! We love hearing how the recipe turned out for you and your family!
Really good and easy
Glad you think so!
This was delicious. I made it just the way it was.
That’s great to hear! Thanks for letting us know!
Delicious, but disappointed in how watery it is. I browned the chicken as directed. I added Italian sausage which I cooked completely. I also added mushrooms which I sauteed with the onions before adding to the casserole. All ingredients were drained before assembling the casserole. Any suggestions?
Hmm, maybe pat dry your veggies before adding them. Hoping that might help!
Add low carb tortillas
Made this tonight with a few substitutions. Absolutely delicious. I used 12 oz jar of Walden Farms Tomato Basil sauce (0 calories 0 carbs), turkey pepperoni (1/2 the calories 4 carbs), and added mushrooms. I sauteed my veggies before I assembled and drained. Mine had no problem with too much liquid Even my husband who HATES chicken said you can make this again!
Woohoo! Glad your hubby loved it too, Debby! Thanks for letting us know how you made yours and that it turned out so delicious!
Have made this twice. Swapped out a pound of the chicken for a pound of hot Italian sausage and added sautéed baby portobello mushrooms. I used Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggi: Parmesan, Asiago, fontina and provolone. Lucini Tuscan marinara has no added sugar and fewer carbs than Rao’s. So yummy. Thanks for a great recipe!
Your modifications sound so yummy!