An easy Keto Cheeseburger Casserole recipe with spaghetti squash. This simple skillet casserole is the whole meal in one pan and it’s delicious and filling. Topped with bacon for extra flavour and family appeal!
Who doesn’t love a big juicy cheeseburger? Better yet, a big juicy bacon cheeseburger!
We love them in my house but we gave up the buns ages ago. Yes, there are keto buns out there but I’ve found that I really love finding more creative ways to serve up all those cheeseburger flavours.
And this Cheeseburger Spaghetti Squash Casserole may be my most creative version yet! Not to mention delicious and healthy. It’s a whole meal in a single pan and it appeals to kids and adults alike. And it got my kids to willingly eat spaghetti squash, which can’t be said about most recipes.
Spaghetti Squash Casserole Inspiration
This keto casserole recipe was inspired by the spaghetti squash sitting on my counter. My husband and I recently joined an organic vegetable delivery subscription called Full Circle. It’s great because we can customize our box each week and take out the things we don’t think we will use, replacing them with other favourites.
But I do try to have an open mind and sometimes have them send things I wouldn’t normally purchase myself. We can all easily get into a veggie rut, where we buy the same 5 vegetables over and over.
Spaghetti squash is something we do buy sometimes but the kids don’t love it unless it’s covered with copious amounts of tomato sauce. But one came in our subscription box and I wanted to find a new way to use it. Since many conventional cheeseburger casserole recipes include pasta, I thought it might make a great low carb sub.
One of the easiest ways to cook spaghetti squash is roasting it in your oven. I simply cut mine in half crosswise, which is easier than lengthwise. Then I scooped out the seeds and roasted at 400F until I could easily squeeze it. This takes about 40 to 50 minutes for a medium squash.
How To Make Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
Once the spaghetti squash is roasted, the rest of this cheeseburger casserole recipe comes together in a snap!
Since this is a keto recipe, I cooked my bacon first and then proceeded to use the bacon fat to cook the remaining ingredients. I did not drain any of the grease from the pan, even after I cooked my burger meat. This makes the casserole more filling and luscious. You can drain some if you like but I love all that healthy fat.
To make the ground beef taste more like a real burger, I added a bit of unsweetened ketchup from Primal Kitchen. That’s good stuff, y’all! I suggest checking it out. It has all the flavor of regular ketchup with NO added sweeteners.
I also added a touch or Worcestershire sauce. The Lea & Perrins brand is gluten-free and a few teaspoons helps amp up the meaty flavor in keto casseroles like this.
My original intention was to spread everything in a casserole dish and bake it. But then I realized I had already done all of the cooking in a skillet and it would be simpler and less messy to finish it off that way. Why dirty more dishes, right? So once the meat was cooked, I scooped out the flesh of the squash and stirred it right into the pan.
Then I simply topped it all with the cheese and put a lid on it, letting it cook through for a few more minutes. Once the cheese was melted, I sprinkled the chopped bacon over top and dinner was done.
How easy is that?
Winner winner cheeseburger dinner. I thought this was phenomenal and my kids liked it too. It was easy to make and very satisfying. A delicious keto comfort food recipe.
More Delicious Keto Casseroles
Cheeseburger Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp sugar free ketchup
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 6 ounces shredded Cheddar (about 1 1/2 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the squash in half crosswise and scoop out the seeds. Set the squash cut-side down and bake until the squash is soft enough to be squeezed, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. In the same skillet, cook the ground beef, breaking up any clumps with the back of a wooden spoon.
- When the beef is almost cooked through, about 7 minutes, add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until no longer pink, another 2 or 3 minutes.
- Stir in the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Scoop the flesh out of the squash and stir in until well mixed into the ground beef. Spread out evenly over the bottom of the skillet
- Sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese and cover the skillet. Reduce the heat to low and let the cheese melt, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the bacon overtop and serve.
