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Keto Broccoli Au Gratin Casserole is a creamy broccoli casserole made with fresh broccoli, crispy bacon, melted cheese and served up in a delicious garlic herb sauce. Ready in just 30 minutes, this is the perfect low-carb, keto-friendly side dish to hit your dinner table.
Let me start off by saying that even if you don’t follow a low carb or keto lifestyle, you are going to want to eat this Keto Broccoli Au Gratin Casserole. Trust me!
Now, I am pretty picky when it comes to my vegetable side dishes and especially if we are talking about the days that REALLY matter, that being the holidays.
Holiday side dishes are nothing to joke about so when you start throwing around phrases like ‘Keto side dishes’ and ‘low carb side dishes’, this failed keto girl gets a little nervous. It’s all fun and games until you ruin a major holiday with craptastic broccoli side dishes.
WHY THIS KETO BROCCOLI CASSEROLE IS THE BEST!
- This low-carb Keto Broccoli Au Gratin Casserole is a must have easy broccoli casserole recipe regardless if you are following a low-carb lifestyle or not. This twist on classic broccoli and cheese casserole is the perfect vegetarian side dish when you are craving cheesy comfort food.
- What is not to like about bacon, cheese, garlic and broccoli? Seriously!! The recipe card pretty much reads cheese, more cheese, a bit of different cheese… bacon …. some broccoli … then add more cheese. See?
- Besides, the only way I love to eat cooked broccoli is to have it immersed in a rich cheese sauce so this is the perfect broccoli side dish, in my opinion 🙂
- Nothing weird, nothing you can’t pronounce, nothing you don’t already know where it lives in your grocery store. I lose interest on a lot of low-carb and Keto recipes when I can’t pronounce the ‘new’ ingredients I need to use or spend a lot of money on things I don’t know if I will ever use again.
- Case in point, the six dollar small bag of coconut flour that is currently living in my pantry, opened, unused and unsure of it’s future.
To make this Keto Broccoli Au Gratin Casserole, you will need:
- Broccoli florets
- Garlic and Herb cream cheese
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Crispy bacon
- Green onions
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Squeeze of lemon
- Salt and seasonings
HOW TO MAKE KETO BROCCOLI AU GRATIN CASSEROLE
To make this Keto Broccoli Au Gratin Casserole, start by preheating oven to 425 degrees and buttering a 9×9 casserole dish and setting aside.
To cook your bacon, spray a baking sheet with non stick spray and lay your bacon out flat on the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy before removing the bacon to a paper towel lined plate while you prepare the remainder of your recipe.
Next, add your broccoli florets to a large strainer over a pot filled with 1-2 inches of water, bring to a boil and then cover, steaming broccoli for 2-3 minutes. When done, remove from heat and set aside.
In a large skillet or pot, combine garlic and herb cream cheese and heavy cream over medium high heat. Add spices and Parmesan cheese then stir to combine. Toss in the broccoli florets, half of the shredded cheese and most of the crispy bacon pieces, most of the green onions and add a squeeze of lemon.
Transfer the broccoli to the buttered casserole dish and then cover with the remaining cheddar cheese and remaining bacon and green onions. Bake covered for 25 minutes and then uncovered for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
KETO GARLIC SAUCE
Considering most broccoli casserole dishes are put together using some flavor of condensed soup, this broccoli cheese casserole is different because the sauce is actually made using cream cheese.. garlic and herb flavored cream cheese, to be more specific.
This low-carb broccoli casserole recipe was inspired by the original recipe by Kraft (check it out HERE) but I thought a kick of garlic and herb would really take this broccoli cheese casserole recipe to the next level.
STEAMING YOUR AU GRATIN VEGETABLES
Some recipes will call for you to boil or blanch your veggies but I prefer to steam my vegetables whenever possible. I feel steaming vegetables holds in the nutrients better and I love how bright the colors of my veggies are when they are done steaming.
To steam your veggies, simply add 1 or 2 inches of water to a large pot and add your strainer to fit on top of your cooking pot. Make sure the water is not touching the bottom of your strainer.
Bring you water to a boil, add your veggies to your strainer and cover with a cooking lid tight enough to hold in the steam. It doesn’t need to be perfect, my lid usually sits right on top of my vegetables and not the top of my pot 🙂
PRO TIPS FOR PERFECT BROCCOLI AU GRATIN CASSEROLE
- Want to switch this broccoli au gratin from a low-carb side dish to a main course super star? Add in a couple cups of cooked chicken chunks or leftover ham.
- Garlic not your thing? No worries, instead of using the garlic and herb cream cheese, substitute it with regular cream cheese or any other flavor of your liking.
- Using pre-cooked bacon pieces found in the salad topping section of your grocery store work perfectly and help this dish shine as a 30 minute meal.
- Don’t have fresh broccoli? No worries .. grab a bag of frozen florets and steam as instructed.
- Missing the crunchy topping? Add some crunch by crushing up some pork rinds and sprinkling them on top of your cheesy broccoli. MMMMMM…..
- Want to make this broccoli and cheese casserole ahead of time? Simply assemble the day before but don’t bake it, cover it and park it in the fridge. When ready, remove from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature, give it a good stir, sprinkle on the cheese and toppings and bake until mixture is hot and bubbly.
- Want to substitute the broccoli? Try making this recipe using green beans, cauliflower or Brussels sprouts.
MORE LOW-CARB KETO RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
Disclaimer: If you are on a KETO or Low Carb diet, always make sure to double check your own information with the Carb Manager app or My Fitness Pal based on the brands and weights you use. I am not responsible for the calculations but do try to provide as much information as possible for readers to make informed decisions.
Enjoy!
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Keto Broccoli Au Gratin Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh broccoli florets approximately two heads of broccoli
- 8 ounces garlic and herb cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2-3 green onions diced
- 6 slices crispy cooked bacon slices chopped
- 2 cups block sharp cheddar cheese (white or yellow) shredded
- squeeze of lemon
Instructions
- To make this Keto Broccoli Au Gratin Casserole, start by preheating oven to 425 degrees and buttering a 9x9 casserole dish and setting aside.
- To cook your bacon, spray a baking sheet with non stick spray and lay your bacon out flat on the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy before removing the bacon to a paper towel lined plate while you prepare the remainder of your recipe.
- Add your broccoli florets to a large strainer over a pot filled with 1-2 inches of water, bring to a boil and then cover, steaming broccoli for 2-3 minutes. When done, remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large skillet or pot, combine garlic and herb cream cheese and heavy cream over medium high heat. Add spices and parmesan cheese then stir to combine. Toss in the broccoli florets, half of the shredded cheese and most of the crispy bacon pieces, most of the green onions and add a squeeze of lemon.
- Transfer the broccoli to the buttered casserole dish and then cover with the remaining cheddar cheese and remaining bacon and green onions. Bake covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
PRO TIPS FOR PERFECT BROCCOLI AU GRATIN CASSEROLE
- Want to switch this broccoli au gratin from a low-carb side dish to a main course super star? Add in a couple cups of cooked chicken chunks or leftover ham.
- Garlic not your thing? No worries, instead of using the garlic and herb cream cheese, substitute it with regular cream cheese or any other flavor of your liking.
- Using pre-cooked bacon pieces found in the salad topping section of your grocery store work perfectly and help this dish shine as a 30 minute meal.
- Don't have fresh broccoli? No worries .. grab a bag of frozen florets and steam as instructed.
- Missing the crunchy topping? Add some crunch by crushing up some pork rinds and sprinkling them on top of your cheesy broccoli. MMMMMM.....
- Want to make this broccoli and cheese casserole ahead of time? Simply assemble the day before but don't bake it, cover it and park it in the fridge. When ready, remove from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature, give it a good stir, sprinkle on the cheese and toppings and bake until mixture is hot and bubbly.
- Want to substitute the broccoli? Try making this recipe using green beans, cauliflower or Brussels sprouts.
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Update Notes: This post was originally published in May of 2019 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in October of 2019.
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