A delicious low-carb, keto-friendly homemade casserole with seasoned ground beef, colorful bell peppers, tomato sauce, and lots of bubbly melted cheese. No rice, potatoes, or flour.

🥘 Servings

4 servings

⏱️ Time

• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 25–30 minutes
• Total: 40–45 minutes

🛒 Ingredients

For the Beef Filling

• 500 g ground beef
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ medium onion, finely diced (optional for stricter keto)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 120 g no-sugar-added tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons water

For the Vegetables

• 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, sliced
• ½ medium yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the Cheese Topping

• 150 g shredded mozzarella cheese
• 50 g shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

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👩‍🍳 Step-by-Step Homemade Recipe

Step 1: Prepare the vegetables

Wash and slice the red, green, and yellow bell peppers into thin strips.

Keep the pieces fairly large so they don’t become too soft during baking.

Step 2: Cook the ground beef

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add 500 g ground beef and cook for about 6–8 minutes, breaking it apart with a spatula.

Cook until browned and no longer pink.

Step 3: Add onion and garlic

Add:

• ½ diced onion
• 3 minced garlic cloves

Cook for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.

Step 4: Season the beef

Add:

• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp chili flakes

Stir well and cook for another 1 minute.

Step 5: Add the tomato mixture

Add:

• 120 g no-sugar-added tomato sauce/crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp water

Mix everything together.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The mixture should become thick rather than watery.

Step 6: Cook the bell peppers

In a separate skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Add the sliced bell peppers with:

• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Cook for 4–5 minutes.

Don’t overcook them—they should still have a little bite.

Step 7: Assemble the casserole

Preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F.

Lightly grease a baking dish or use 4 individual oven-safe foil trays, similar to the ones shown in your picture.

Spread the cooked bell peppers across the bottom.

Add the seasoned ground beef mixture on top.

Step 8: Add the cheese

Sprinkle evenly with:

• 150 g mozzarella
• 50 g cheddar
• 2 tbsp Parmesan

Make sure the cheese covers most of the surface.

Step 9: Bake

Place the casserole in the preheated oven.

Bake at 200°C / 400°F for 10–15 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted and bubbling.

Step 10: Brown the top

For the beautiful golden-brown appearance in the picture, switch the oven to broil/grill for about 1–3 minutes.

Watch it closely because the cheese can brown very quickly.

Step 11: Garnish and serve

Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Serve hot and enjoy! 🧀🥩🫑

💡 Keto Tips

• Use no-sugar-added tomato sauce.
• Avoid ketchup or sweetened pasta sauce.
• For stricter keto, leave out the onion and use only a small amount of tomato paste.
• You can replace some of the bell pepper with zucchini or mushrooms to reduce carbs further.
• Check your cheese and tomato sauce labels for added sugar.

Approximate net carbs: about 7–9 g per serving, depending on the exact tomato sauce, onion, and size of the peppers.