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This cauliflower lasagna is the perfect blend of comfort food and nutrition! It’s brimming with layers of crisp-tender cauliflower lasagna noodles, rich ground beef and marinara, and gooey melted cheese. I told you this ground beef and cauliflower is comfort food at its finest! In the middle of the cold winter months, keto lasagna with cauliflower is a staple meal at our house.
And of course, even though traditional lasagnas take a lot of time to put together, this ground beef cauliflower casserole is easy to throw together. You can easily eyeball the quantities or be off on the timing, and it doesn’t matter if you estimate this or that. It will still turn out amazing. The ingredients are very simple and versatile, and you probably have most of them on hand. Just how I like it. 🙂
Cauliflower noodle lasagna is pretty flexible as well and you can make substitutions if you need to. Ground chicken or turkey works just fine instead of the beef. And if you have some other veggies on hand, they can stand in for the cauliflower. (For the record, in my opinion the cauliflower is the best, but you can swap it out if you must.)
This cauliflower lasagna recipe was originally published in February 2016 and was updated in October 2019.
What Is Keto Lasagna?
My keto lasagna takes all of the hearty and comforting flavors of traditional lasagna, but… it’s lasagna with cauliflower instead of noodles! Smart, right?
How To Make Cauliflower Lasagna
- Roast cauliflower. In order for our cauliflower noodles to taste great, we roast them BEFORE we assemble the beef and cauliflower casserole.
TIP: If you’re picturing cauliflower lasagna noodles as actual sheets, you can make those using this cauliflower pizza crust recipe. However, I think it’s unnecessary and roasted cauliflower is just as delicious!
- Make sauce. Cook some onions in a skillet, then add ground beef, garlic, marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, and half of the fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper and to taste.
- Assemble the cauliflower lasagna keto layers. Layer the cauliflower lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking dish, top with tomato meat sauce and a layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the roasted cauliflower lasagna. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until cheese bubbles.
- Garnish and serve. Top with thinly sliced basil ribbons and dig into your cauliflower beef casserole.
Is Lasagna Keto Friendly?
Most traditional lasagnas would NOT be considered keto-friendly as they are made with pasta noodles!
This version is made with cauliflower lasagna noodles, which means it’s grain-free, gluten-free, low carb, and keto. It still has all of the hearty and comfort of a traditional lasagna, but without the carbs.
How Many Carbs In Keto Lasagna with Cauliflower?
This keto lasagna with cauliflower has just 10 grams of net carbs per serving. Not bad for an entire meal!
Can You Make Ground Beef And Cauliflower Lasagna Noodles Ahead?
Yes, this ground beef and cauliflower lasagna can be made ahead of time! You can assemble the entire cauliflower noodle lasagna and bake right before serving, or prep some of the components separately so that the day-of, you can assemble and bake!
Roast the cauliflower pasta noodles and set aside and make the meat sauce. Refrigerate the components until you’re ready to assemble and then bake. It’s the perfect meal to make ahead!
How To Freeze Ground Beef Cauliflower Casserole
If you’re looking for low carb recipes with ground beef and cauliflower, AND a comfort meal that’s freezer friendly, you’ll want to save this low carb cauliflower casserole recipe. I’ve done it a few times and it works perfectly!
If you line the pan with foil before cooking, you can just freeze it right in the pan. Then, once it’s hardened, take it out by grabbing the foil edges. Wrap the top in more foil, and finish with plastic wrap.
The wrapping will avoid freezer burn, and the foil means you can throw it in the oven straight from the freezer – so convenient! Bake until it’s hot.
More Keto Lasagna Recipes
If you like cauliflower lasagna, check out how I use other veggies to make keto lasagna:
- Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna – This uses thin strips of zucchini for the noodles and pesto sauce for the filling.
- Keto Eggplant Lasagna – Similar to the zucchini one, but using eggplant instead and classic marinara.
- Lasagna Stuffed Peppers – Stuff some lasagna layers inside bell peppers.
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats – All the flavors of lasagna, in the form of keto pasta!
More Low Carb Keto Cauliflower Recipes
Whether you are low carb, keto, or just love to eat lots of veggies, cauliflower is an important part of any diet!
- How To Make Cauliflower Rice – The must-have staple. So many ways to eat and enjoy this recipe!
- Keto Mashed Potato Cauliflower – The creamiest and best mashed cauliflower! Top it with sauteed chicken, steak, or serve it as a side.
- Cheesy Low Carb Cauliflower Tots – All of these cauliflower recipes are delicious, but this may be the most fun!
- Cauliflower Hummus – This will fool anyone, tastes just like real hummus without the carbs.
Tools To Make Ground Beef Cauliflower Casserole:
Click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Casserole Dish – These glass casserole dishes are a staple to have in your kitchen, but also this ground beef cauliflower casserole. 🙂
- Skillet – These are my favorite skillets, and they are perfect for this delicious cauliflower ground beef recipe. These are nonstick and gives you two sizes to choose from.
- Spatula – This silicone utensil set has the ideal spatula for this recipe. Plus, it won’t scratch your cookware.
Reader Fave Keto Recipes
The recipe card is below! Readers also made these similar recipes after making this one.
RECIPE CARD
Keto Ground Beef Cauliflower Lasagna Recipe
See how to make keto lasagna with cauliflower! This cauliflower lasagna recipe is made with cauliflower lasagna noodles, layers of ground beef marinara, and gooey cheese.
Recipe Video
Click or tap on the image below to play the video. It's the easiest way to learn how to make this recipe!
PrintIngredients
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- 1 head Cauliflower (cut into florets)
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 lb Ground beef
- 1/2 large Onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 cup Marinara sauce
- 1 (14.5 oz) can Diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup Fresh basil (chopped, divided)
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
RECIPE TIPS + VIDEO in the post above, nutrition info + recipe notes below!
Click on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Lightly grease a round 9 in (23 cm) or square 9x9 in (23x23 cm) casserole dish (line with foil if desired).
Toss the cauliflower with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until crisp-tender.
Meanwhile, cook the onion in a skillet for 8-10 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent and slightly browned.
Add the ground beef. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, breaking apart with a spatula, until browned.
Stir in the garlic, marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, and half of the fresh basil. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Cook for 2 minutes, until heated through.
Pour the tomato meat sauce over the cauliflower. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese bubbles. Top with the remaining fresh basil ribbons.
Readers Also Made These Keto Low Carb Recipes
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
Nutrition info will vary slightly depending on the brand of marinara sauce.
Video Showing How To Make Keto Cauliflower Lasagna:
Don't miss the VIDEO above - it's the easiest way to learn how to make Keto Cauliflower Lasagna!
Nutrition Information Per Serving
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. You can find individual ingredient carb counts we use in the Low Carb & Keto Food List. Carb count excludes sugar alcohols. Net carb count excludes both fiber and sugar alcohols, because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.
More Low Carb & Keto Support
If you want to know more about how to start a low carb diet, want to substitute sweeteners, need a food list, or need support, check these guides:
Low Carb & Keto Diet Plan
Starter Guide 
Sweetener Conversion Calculator 
Keto Low Carb Macro Calculator 
Low Carb Keto Food List + Printable PDF
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25 Comments
Lucy
I have multiple sclerosis and not able to do much anymore (such as cooking!), but my wonderful husband and I were both intrigued by this recipe. He happily worked in the kitchen as I read off the directions for him, though we had to halve the recipe as we didn’t have the full head of cauliflower, and it came out of the oven looking and smelling sooo good. I think next time we’ll add more Italian seasonings to the meat mixture (oregano, thyme, rosemary) and maybe even some cream cheese to that mix as well. But this recipe is definitely a keeper! 🙂
Patricia
I am going to make this using very small cut-up cauliflower as my husband is not fond of it. But this looks so good. He is a good sport to let me try new recipes.
Sandy Hammond
I’m going to try this today. The only change would be mashing the cauliflower and add some cream cheese to it. Then layer meat mixture and cheese on top! I’m making myself hungry!!
Lilly Hughes
Made it today. Good flavor. I realize you can eyeball so I bought a small cauliflower. It never got tender. Roasted for 10 minutes, then 5 more minutes. Decided to make it a layer between meat sauce layers, thinking it would cook more if surrounded by more heat. Still not cooked enough. I like the idea that you can freeze. Most of these recipes are difficult to half, and the two of us can’t eat it all even two nights in a row. Love that it is low carb and gluten free. No health reasons for gluten-free, but I feel better when I don’t eat it. Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Lilly,
I’m glad you like the flavor!
Regarding the cauliflower not getting tender, the culprit is likely crowding the pan too much. Cauliflower needs air flow to roast, so putting it between sauce layers will not really cook it very well inside. Next time, use a larger pan, spread it out more, and make sure the cauliflower is tender before making the casserole with it.
I’m the same way as you with gluten-free recipes – I just feel much better without it!
Danielle
Hi! Could you use riced cauliflower for this as well?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Danielle, Yes, you can. I would probably pan fry it to cook it first, in place of roasting the florets.
Holly
I just discovered your recipes, and I love them! This was delicious, but was pretty soupy when I cut into it. Is it supposed to be that way? Or did I do something wrong? Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Holly, I’m glad you liked the taste! Mine isn’t usually soupy, I would guess that it might be differences in marinara sauce? Try a thicker kind if possible.
Rachel
This was delicious! Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Rachel!
Loren
I never comment on posts but I made this last night and it was SO delicious. I didn’t have basil so I added some Italian seasoning and extra salt and pepper. I also used a whole jar of pasta sauce. It was so yummy! Everyone loved it.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Loren! I’m so glad you liked it. I add Italian seasoning too sometimes.
Brendan
Where’s the print button? I just printed this recipe and it cost me 12 pages of nothing to get the recipe. Put a print button on there!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Brendan, the print button is at the top right of the recipe card, you’ll see a printer icon. I just tested it and it only printed two pages for me. There may be something in your printer settings that needs to be changed. Sorry that happened!
Nancy
Do you drain the diced tomatoes?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Nancy, No, there’s no need to drain them. You can if you want to, but in this recipe it doesn’t make too much difference one way or the other.
Kayla
So the diced tomatoes are the marinara sauce?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Kayla, No, they are separate. The recipe ingredients list both – 1 cup marinara sauce (I used Kirkland Signature Organic Marinara Sauce) and 1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes (found in the canned vegetables aisle). Hope that clears it up!
Kathryn Smith
Could leftovers be frozen? Mainly the cauliflower without losing it’s flavor?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Yes! I’ve frozen this before and it worked great. Just reheat in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through.
Susan C Huth
I usually use frozen cauliflower in dishes like this. Would you say one 16 oz bag would do it?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Susan, That sounds like a good time saver! Yes, a 16 oz bag of frozen florets should be enough. (Note that a fresh head of cauliflower weighs about 2 pounds, but the weight is different for just florets that are frozen.) You’ll need to roast the florets for longer from frozen in step 2 – just until they are crisp-tender. Otherwise the recipe will be the same.
Lauren
How is the cauliflower prepared? Chopped, grated or whole?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Lauren, The cauliflower is cut into florets. (I noted this in parentheses next to the cauliflower on the ingredients list.) Hope you get to try the recipe!