Here's a delicious recipe for a low-carb creamed cabbage ground beef casserole with crispy bacon! The homemade cream sauce is seasoned with Cajun spices that enhance the flavor and give this casserole a southern flare.

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I don't think you can possibly have enough casserole recipes featuring ground beef and a low-carb vegetable. This ground meat is a staple in our home, and we often make bacon burgers where the meat is mixed in with bacon before grilling or frying!
There is something magical about adding bacon to ground beef that really enhances the flavor of the meat. That's why this creamed cabbage and ground beef casserole includes bacon just like my cheeseburger casserole recipe.
Plus, who doesn't love bacon?
Cooking the ground beef in the same skillet as the bacon makes sure you get all the bacon flavor goodness.
It's absolutely delicious!
Creamed Cabbage In A Crockpot
At first, I was thinking about making this creamed cabbage with bacon and ground beef in a crockpot. It would likely work out fine, and you probably wouldn't need to pre-cook the cabbage.
However, I was too impatient to plan this meal out and wanted it for dinner that same night. I suppose you could prep everything the night before in the crock and set it on low in the slow cooker to cook all day.
This is something I may try later as I would like to make more use of my crockpots. Yes, I have more than one slow cooker, so it's surprising that I don't cook in them more often.
Ingredients
There are two parts to this recipe - the cabbage and ground beef mixture and the creamy sauce.
Here's what you need:
Meat
I used both bacon and ground beef. Baking bacon in advance will have it ready to go. You'll also want to make sure you use the kind without any added sugar or maple so it's keto-friendly.
You could use Italian sausage instead of ground beef. If you want to use ground chicken or turkey instead of ground beef, I suggest adding a bit more Cajun seasoning since those types of meat don't have much flavor.
Cabbage And Onion
Shred the cabbage, so it is in really thin pieces. Add some sliced onions. Any type of onion will work in this recipe.
Butter
You'll need butter to sauté the veggies and to use in the creamy sauce.
Heavy Cream
For the best taste and texture, use heavy whipping cream. Half and half can work in a pinch but won't be as thick.
Xanthan Gum
This is a very important ingredient because it makes the sauce extra thick and creamy!
Spices
Save yourself time and use jarred Cajun seasoning and some salt and pepper.
Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low-carb recipe.

Quick tips
- Cover the creamed cabbage with foil when you bake it, to prevent it from burning in the oven.
- If you don't want to use the microwave, you can soften the cabbage by sautteing it in a skillet.
- The leftovers will make great healthy lunches for you!
Instructions
All the exact steps for this creamy cabbage casserole are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, here are some helpful step-by-step pictures, along with more notes about the recipe.
Soften And Pre-Cook The Cabbage
To start things out, I coarsely chopped a full head of cabbage, then put it in a large casserole dish with salt and butter. I covered the dish and microwaved it on high for ten minutes.
The cabbage was softened at that point but not fully cooked. It will soften up more while baking the casserole.

Layer Ingredients In A Casserole Dish
I used half of the cabbage as the first layer in the casserole. A 9x13-inch baking dish is a perfect size for this creamed cabbage and ground beef casserole.

Add Bacon
The next layer is the cooked ground beef, so I sprinkled the chopped bacon on top of that. I kept the bacon pieces somewhat large, but you can cut them up smaller if you'd like.

I topped the casserole off with the other half of the chopped cabbage.
Make The Cream Sauce
Then, I worked on the cream sauce. I wanted to give this casserole a southern flare, so I used a Cajun seasoning mix. To thicken up the sauce, I sprinkled in some xanthan gum.

Cover And Bake
Once the cream sauce was thickened, I poured it over the top layer of cabbage and allowed it to drizzle down through the layers.

To help the cabbage get fully cooked and not dry the dish out, I covered the casserole with aluminum foil and baked it for half an hour.
Here's how it looked after baking:

️ Serving suggestions
Since this creamed cabbage recipe has both ground beef and bacon, it is a pretty filling main course for dinner or lunch. I would serve your favorite low-carb side dish with it!
Sheepshead maitake mushrooms will taste delicious with this cabbage dish.
If you really enjoy cream and cheese, these stuffed portobello mushrooms only have 3g net carbs each.
Or, change up the taste and texture by eating some zucchini fritters with the creamed cabbage. They only have 1g net carb per fritter - so you have plenty of carbs left over!
FAQs
Before we get to the printable recipe card, here are a few questions people often ask about this recipe. If you have a question, please leave it in the comments.
What are some other types of thickeners I can use instead of xanthan gum?
You could use any low-carb thickener you have on hand. I always have xanthan gum, but guar gum or a mix of both also works well.
How many servings and net carbs are in this creamed cabbage casserole?
I got six good portions out of this low-carb casserole. The total carbs for each serving is only 7.1 grams, and if you subtract the fiber, the effective net carb count is 4.8 grams.
How do you make homemade Cajun seasoning?
Here's my favorite recipe for homemade Cajun seasoning:
- 2 ½ tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons of salt and garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper, onion powder, cayenne powder, dried leaf oregano, and dried thyme
You can also buy a premade mix at the store!

Why you'll love it
This one-dish dinner is sure to satisfy and fill you up. Cabbage is a healthy vegetable that is not only inexpensive, but it's low in carbs too. It's a budget-stretching low-carb dinner recipe that is rich and filling!
Related recipes
If you enjoyed this creamed cabbage casserole, here are some more keto and low-carb casserole recipes you should try next. They are some of my favorites!
- Unstuffed Pepper Casserole looks like a cheesy plate of ground beef goodness and only has 4g net carbs in each serving.
- Keto Taco Pie has flavors that leap from the plate and is ready for dinner in less than an hour.
- Low-Carb Chicken Cordon Bleu is extremely filling, but each serving only has 2g net carbs.
- Hamburger Cabbage Casserole looks like a favorite tomato-based dish but has cabbage instead of pasta.
- Keto Philly Cheesesteak Casserole has all the flavors of the classic sandwich with tons of cheese and peppers.
- Corned Beef Casserole is a great way to use up your St. Patrick's Day leftovers!
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Recipe

Creamed Cabbage Ground Beef Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 6 slices no sugar bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 ¼ pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon dry minced onion
- 3 tablespoons cold butter cut into thin slices
- 1 head of cabbage cored and coarsely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Sauce:
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning I used Emeril's Brand (see note)
- dash fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook bacon in a skillet, drain, chop and set aside.
- In the same skillet, saute the beef with the onion until brown. Remove and set aside.
- Place the cabbage in a large microwavable casserole dish with cover, sprinkle in salt, tossing as needed.
- Top cabbage with the thin butter slices, cover and microwave on high for 10 minutes.
- Transfer half the cabbage to a 9x13 baking dish.
- Top with the beef mix, then the bacon.
- Place remaining cabbage on top.
- Prepare the sauce by melting the ¼ cup of butter in the skillet.
- Add the heavy cream and water, sprinkle and whisk in the xanthan gum.
- Cook on medium high heat until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat.
- Whisk in the Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper; taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Pour the white sauce over the top of the cabbage, beef, and bacon.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes or until casserole is hot and bubbly and cabbage is cooked through.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First published on March 4, 2015. Post updated on November 16, 2021, with new photos and additional recipe information.
Tanya
I posted a review previously and want to make others aware that the calorie count (double checked on MFP) on this is not correct and is about 150 calories more than what is stated on the blog. It clocks in at about 550 calories and 9 carbs vs. 7. Just an FYI.
Tanya L Riendeau
This was pretty tasty and easy to make, but a bit rich for my taste. I did like it but doubt I'd make it again unless it was for a potluck.
Jane Robinson
Yum!! The cajun seasoning definitely adds that Southern flair!! Very tasty, and I'll definitely cook this again!
Ginger
Made this tonight and everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing.
Kimberly Tolbert
Great and easy dinner!
Tina
Can you freeze leftovers?
Lisa MarcAurele
I find vegetables can release water after freezing so it may make the casserole a little watery when reheating.
Laura
Is this spicy, not a fan of spicy (as in hot on the tongue) recipes. Can I leave they cajun seasoning out or put less in?
Lisa MarcAurele
It's not spicy but you can leave the Cajun seasoning blend out or use less if you don't like it.
Sheri
You could always make your own cajun seasoning (directions in the notes of the recipe) and just leave out the cayenne pepper.
Sarah in CA
I was able to translate this recipe for my dairy free daughter. I came out great. I lined my sheet pan with foil for easier clean up. This is a very economical dinner for a large crowed of hungry kids. Thanks for making me look good at dinner time.
Angela
My non-keto husband loved this and wants it on regular rotation. As most cooks do we tweak to our own tastes but this screamed to add cheese which we did and put this over the top. Thank you for a great recipe!
Lisa MarcAurele
Great tip on the cheese!
Julie E.
This was amazing. The bacon really made this recipe flavorful. I don’t care for xanthan gum so used 3oz. cream cheese to thicken the sauce and used bone broth instead of water.
Sally
Oh, my! This was SOOO good! I ate way to much of it! Thanks for the amazing recipe! I didn't have xantham gum and just omitted it and my sauce was a little thin, but good. I didn't add water to the sauce. I'll be making this again and again!
Lisa MarcAurele
So glad you enjoyed the creamed cabbage and beef casserole!
lorene
Is this gluten free
Lisa MarcAurele
Yes, this is a gluten-free recipe.
Marcia
We loved this, but agreed we’d leave the bacon out next time.
Thank you so much. We have been making a lot of your dishes.
Kim
I made this tonight and it was AMAZING!! I used cornstarch instead of xanthan gum (I didn't have any) and Tony Chasheres for the seasoning (all I had). I also used 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in place of a tablespoon of butter while cooking the cabbage. It was so good. I would share a picture if I could, it was perfect. I'm excited, new recipes don't usually turn out right on the first try but this was great, I will make it over and over.
Mark
Just made this for tonight!
Followed recipe, very accurate and easy!
I just added a bit of bacon on the top!
Used a little Mrs. Dash Southwest for the sauce!
Wish I could post a pic!
Mark Cotter
Thanks for this!
Making this tonight
Appreciate all you do!
Great ideas!
Helen
My family has loved this recipe for years! We use beef bacon because we are pork free. This is our new shepherds pie!!!