This is an easy Italian ground beef skillet meal you can throw together in 30 minutes or less. Just cook the beef in a creamy tomato sauce, mix in low-carb cauliflower rice and top the whole skillet with mozzarella cheese and parsley! All ingredients are naturally low-carb and keto.
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Easy Low-Carb Ground Beef Recipe
The popular Italian beef and rice skillet recipe now has a healthy low-carb option!
Using riced cauliflower drastically reduces the number of carbohydrates per serving. 1 cup of cooked white rice has 44 grams net carb. (1) Compare that to 1.6 grams net carb in the same amount of cauliflower rice. (2) For a keto diet, this is the choice to make!
Don’t despair about not enjoying your favorite Italian dishes while eating low-carb. Many keto pasta alternatives are just as delicious, if not more so, as their traditional counterparts.
Ground beef is great in one pan skillet meals because it’s just so easy, versatile, and affordable. I can’t think of a better protein option! The only thing that makes ordinary ground beef better is buying in bulk and saving money.
How to Make Italian Ground Beef Skillet Dinner
Gather 13 ingredients (including salt and pepper), and you’re one step closer to making a healthy Italian skillet in just 25 minutes!
Ingredients
Butter – You can also cook in olive oil, ghee, tallow, or other preferred cooking fat. I like butter because it tastes amazing. Plus, we’re adding other dairy foods to this recipe, so there’s no need to choose a dairy-free fat.
Cauliflower rice – This is the best choice anytime you want a low-carb option for traditional white rice.
Bone broth – Bone broth is exceptionally good for you and imparts such a great flavor to the dish! Make Homemade Beef Broth or buy a high-quality bone broth (chicken or beef are both suitable).
Onion and garlic – Because this is an Italian dish!
Ground beef – 80/20 ground beef is perfect for this; it has a higher fat content that keeps recipes moist and delicious.
Italian Seasoning – All the classic flavors of Italy are added in a pinch. Italian Seasoning contains basil, oregano, and rosemary.
Tomato paste – Check the label to confirm you are purchasing a product without hidden sugar. (3) Make Homemade Tomato Paste if you want to avoid the situation altogether.
Heavy cream – This brings the sauce to the next level! The creamy texture is truly luxurious.
Salt and pepper – A bit more seasoning to round out the dish.
Mozzarella cheese – Like all good Italian beef recipes, we cover this one with cheese!
Parsley – Finely mince the parsley and garnish the skillet once it’s done cooking for a beautiful splash of green and fresh taste. You can also substitute with dried parsley.
Directions
First, we make cauliflower rice from scratch. Warm 1 tablespoon of butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Sauté cauliflower rice for 2 minutes, until beginning to brown. Add broth, cover the skillet with a lid, and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
Cauliflower is completely cooked once you can easily pierce a piece with a fork. This is called “fork tender.” Remove from heat, drain any remaining liquid, and set aside.
Second, we start on the rest of the skillet meal. Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat. Add the second tablespoon of butter and sauté onion and garlic for 2 or so minutes until soft and fragrant.
Next, raise the heat to medium-high and add the ground meat. Break it apart with a spatula, as needed. Season with Italian seasoning. Cook until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.
Then, mix in the tomato paste, cream, ¼ cup of shredded cheese, salt, and pepper. Continue stirring until cheese melts and a sauce forms.
Now, add the cooked cauliflower rice back to the skillet. Mix well to combine. Remove from heat and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the skillet.
We’re almost to the end now! Next, it’s time to melt the cheese.
Place the skillet under the oven broiler for 1-3 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and bubbly.
Finally, garnish with parsley.
Serve warm as is or with a green salad and a low-carb alternative to mashed potatoes.
More One Pan Dinner Recipes
Use my printable Keto Meal Planner and start planing all your keto ground beef recipes!
- Cheesy Beef Taco Skillet
- Cheeseburger Skillet
- Philly Cheesesteak Skillet
- Vegetable and Ground Beef Skillet
Italian Beef and Cauliflower Rice Skillet (Keto)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 bag cauliflower rice 10-16 ounces
- 1 cup bone broth beef or chicken
- 1 small red onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste sugar-free
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
Instructions
- Warm 1 tablespoon of butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Sauté cauliflower rice for 2 minutes, until beginning to brown. Add broth, cover the skillet with a lid, and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Cauliflower is done once it's fork tender. Remove from heat, drain any remaining liquid, and set aside.2 tablespoons butter, 1 bag cauliflower rice, 1 cup bone broth
- Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat. Add the second tablespoon of butter and sauté onion and garlic for 2 minutes or so until soft and fragrant.1 small red onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Raise the heat to medium-high and add ground beef. Break it apart with a spatula, as needed. Season with Italian seasoning. Cook until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.1 pound ground beef, 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- Mix in the tomato paste, cream, ¼ cup of shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Continue stirring until cheese melts and sauce forms.2 tablespoons tomato paste, ¼ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Add the cooked cauliflower rice to the skillet. Mix well to combine.
- Place the skillet under the oven broiler for 1-3 minutes until cheese melts completely. Garnish with parsley and serve warm.2 tablespoons fresh parsley
Nutrition & Macros
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information.
This is just one of many family-friendly low-carb 30 minute meals for lunch or dinner.
Delicious and fast! Added some frozen green beans and sun dried tomatoes to the cauliflower rice since I was out of parsley to add flavor and color. Great recipe for meal prepping lunches for work as well as a dinner. I will definitely make again! Very filling!
Thanks for the comments, Sherrie. I like the different additions, color is always nice for the eyes as well as the palette.
The family LOVED this, it was gone that night (no leftovers)! We served ours with a fresh salad. Will definitely be putting this into our weekly dinner rotation.
Thank you for the review! I’m so glad your whole family likes this recipe, what a win!
We occasionally visit our grandparents to bond and have some fun. We made this Italian and cauliflower rice skillet, it was a hit. It turned out to be savory and fantastic!
Thank you for sharing your experience and leaving a review.
I was looking for a new way to eat cauli rice and I found your recipe. Love this! So easy, so flavorful. Will absolutely be making again
Thank you for leaving a review, Lindsey. Use frozen cauliflower rice for an even easier process.
I made this recipe yesterday, and it turned out absolutely delicious! It was super easy to follow, plus the combination of ground beef and tomato sauce was so flavorful and satisfying. This recipe is a great addition to my keto diet! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy this recipe is helpful in your meal prep. Thanks for trying it out and leaving a review.
This is a great recipe! It’s easy to make, quick, and delicious. I love the combination of beef and cauliflower rice—it makes me feel like I’m eating a real meal without having to spend hours slaving over it!
Yes, this is a winner! It’s quick and easy, with all the flavors of Italy. Thanks for the review.