A simple keto mac and cheese with pulled pork is sure to be a winning dinner. And, it’s a quick recipe that repurposes leftovers from a previous meal.
I was looking for a way to use up some leftover low carb pulled pork. So, I combined it with some cauliflower and my creamy cheese sauce to create a new dish.
Although I thought about creating a new low carb casserole recipe, I chose to keep the oven off. Instead, I heated everything in a skillet on the stove.
What I came up with is an easy keto mac and cheese that adds in pulled pork to make a filling meal. Of course, there really isn’t any macaroni in the mix.
I just haven’t had much luck with the low carb macaroni products. Many are high fiber so there’s a lot of total carbs.
The best macaroni like product I’ve tried is made by ThinSlim Foods. I use it in my low carb macaroni and cheese recipe.
My favorite keto friendly pasta is shiratake noodles. But, a lot of people don’t like the texture of them. However, I think they make a fantastic keto friendly macaroni and cheese.
If you can’t find any low carb noodles, the next best thing is to use cauliflower. And, I’ve got a low carb cauliflower and cheese that whips up in minutes.
However, this time I stepped it up a few notches by making a keto mac and cheese with pulled pork. The added meat really makes it a filling meal.
The pork really ups the flavor of the dish. A lot of people add bacon. Ham works well too.
To be honest, you can add any kind of meat you like. Here’s in Southern New England, lobster mac and cheese is very popular.
Feel free to change things up depending on the leftover meat that you have on hand. I just happened to have a ton of pulled pork.
And don’t shy away from this keto mac and cheese because you don’t care for cauliflower. The cheese and pork make it super yummy.
Plus, there are so many cauliflower health benefits. It’s anti-inflammatory and high in nutrients.
Not to mention that it’s one of the most popular low carb vegetables around. And, so versatile!
When I first started on a ketogenic diet, you had to make your own cauliflower rice and cauliflower pizza crust.
These days, you can find cauliflower rice fresh and frozen. And, I’ve started to see frozen cauliflower crust pizza!
I haven’t seen any pre-made cauliflower mac and cheese sold yet. But, I’m sure it will be coming soon if not in stores already.
Do you have a favorite low carb “macaroni” and cheese recipe? If so, which one do you prefer?
Keto Mac and Cheese with Pulled Pork Recipe
Keto Mac and Cheese with Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut in florets
- 1 ½ cups creamy cheese sauce
- 1 ½ cups low carb pulled pork reserve ¼ cup
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese freshly grated
- ⅓ cup pork rinds crushed
- freshly parsley chopped, for garnishing
- ground black pepper or white pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Blanch cauliflower. Slowly drop cauliflower florets in boiling water. Allow to boil for 1 to 2 minutes, covered. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water. Shake off excess water after 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- If Low Carb Pulled Pork was refrigerated, reheat in a skillet with olive oil over low heat.
- In a large skillet or saucepan over low heat, combine all ingredients of Creamy Cheese Sauce. Once the sauce is ready, add grated mozzarella cheese and cauliflower. Sprinkle ground black (or white) pepper. Combine ingredients.
- Once mozzarella has melted, add 1 and ¼ cups of Low Carb Pulled Pork. Mix well. Transfer to a serving platter. Top with pork rinds, add the remaining pulled pork and garnish with fresh parsley.
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Nutrition
Note 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.
About Lisa
Lisa has been creating low carb recipes for herself and sharing them with others since 2010. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and find new ways to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites! Her recipes have been featured on popular magazine sites including Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Women's Health, and Men's Health. Lisa lives in Southeastern Connecticut. Connect with her and Low Carb Yum at:
Christine Callaway says
Great recipe! Only thing I’d do different next time is cook the cauliflower longer so it is completely or almost completely done.
Lisa says
How long you cook the cauliflower depends on personal preference. So cooking a little longer is perfect for those who like it more tender.
Dana says
Great recipe!! For personal preference I cooked the cauliflower until fork tender. I sampled before and after adding the pork rinds, i will omit tjose next time as I was not able to taste a difference. I added a bit of salt at the end to give the whole dish a bit of a flavor lift. The cheese sauce is bery easy to make, I really enjoyed the flavor there and can see various modifications for different recipes being bery simple to achieve!! Overall, 4 stars!! Thank you!!!!!
Lisa says
Thanks for the feedback!
Christine Callaway says
Very good. I will make it again but cook the cauliflower longer so it is mostly done before adding the cheese, etc.
Lisa says
Thanks for the feedback! Good tip for the cauliflower if you like it more tender.
Stacey says
1.76 lbs???? lol Is that just a whole head or….?? This is weird. lol
Lisa says
I used a head that weighed that much. I’ve changed it to 1 head which is usually around 2 pounds.
Stacey says
I made this over the weekend. YUMMMMMMMMMMM!! thank you so much. The whole family loved it! Some in the house don’t eat pork, they used grilled chicken instead and loved it just the same.
Lisa says
Good idea using the chicken!