This keto-friendly baked Spinach Artichoke Casserole is a spin-off of the traditional Spinach and Artichoke Dip. This cheesy crowd-pleasing casserole is made with marinated artichokes, spinach, and cauliflower. This recipe is suitable for those following a low-carb, Keto, Atkins, Banting, Vegetarian, or Gluten-free Diet.
Table of Contents
The recipe
This spinach and artichoke baked casserole is the ultimate keto comfort food. Filled with flavorful, cheesy filling, this spinach and artichoke casserole is a favorite among kids and adults alike.
In fact, the cheesiness of this dish almost gives it a keto baked mac and cheese-like quality. It combines all the flavors of a traditional spinach and artichoke dip into a cheesy cauliflower casserole. This recipe is also vegetarian-friendly and uses cauliflower florets to create a filling and satisfying dish.
The inspiration
I’ve always had a soft spot for a good spinach and artichoke dip. Spinach and artichoke are two unassuming foods. Spinach, in particular is a notorious health food. So much so that many people might even avoid it. But, somehow, combined with cheesy goodness, spinach and artichoke is transformed into a heavenly mixture.
My brother is vegetarian, so I’ve been working on developing a few recipes that are vegetarian, low-carb, and still extremely satisfying. Since I love the combination of flavors of the spinach and artichoke dip, I thought I would translate these flavors to a casserole. My ultimate goal was to transform the dip from a tasty appetizer into a full main meal that even non-vegetarians would enjoy.
This low-carb vegetarian recipe is directly based off of spinach and artichoke dip. I used this Spinach and Artichoke Dip recipe from Cooking Classy as a sample of traditional dip recipe. Then I began transforming this recipe from a cheesy dip into a full-blown casserole. To turn it into a casserole, I added cauliflower florets as the base. I also lightened up the cheesy filling by adding heavy cream.
The other handy thing about this casserole is that, unlike the dip, you don’t need chips to eat this casserole. Instead you can dig right in! That takes away the work (or expense) of having to make a low-carb vessel for dipping.
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How do you make a casserole low-carb?
It’s so easy to make a low-carb or keto-friendly casserole! The key to making a casserole low-carb is to choose a keto-friendly base. In this recipe, we use cauliflower florets as the base. Cauliflower is a particularly ideal for casseroles due to its minimal flavor that allows you to be creative with casserole flavors.
If cauliflower isn’t your cup of tea, there’s still plenty of other options for making a low-carb casserole. For example, you could use low-carb veggies such as broccoli, low-carb noodles, zucchini noodles, steamed zucchini, spaghetti squash, or green beans.
Can I make this keto spinach artichoke casserole ahead?
Yes! If you want to prepare it ahead of time, I would recommend preparing it almost completely except for the baking. Next, simply cover it and store it in the fridge.
Before serving, bake it for the suggested time as written in the recipe. Although you can bake it beforehand, I find that it tastes fresher if baked directly before serving.
How to prevent a soggy casserole
Thankfully, a soggy or watery casserole is completely preventable! Normally this happens due to the excess water in the casserole additions.
In this recipe, we use spinach, marinated artichokes, and cauliflower. All of these, naturally have excess liquid. To prevent the cauliflower from releasing liquid while baking, we steam the cauliflower beforehand. Then we transfer the steamed cauliflower to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any additional water. Steaming vegetable beforehand also helps speed up the baking process.
For the artichokes, I like to transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to allow any excess marinade to soak into paper towels. Then, I’ll lightly pat them down with paper towels to make sure they are as dry as possible.
Lastly, since we use frozen spinach, we first need to defrost the spinach. If you have enough time, this can simply be done by allowing the spinach to defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
To speed up this process, you can simply run the spinach under tepid water until defrosted. After the spinach is defrosted, I like to literally squeeze out the excess water with clean hands. Frozen spinach tends to hold a lot of water! Then I’ll similarly transfer it to a plate with paper towels and pat it dry.
Other Easy Keto-friendly Casseroles
Want to try more Keto comfort foods? We have tons of options! Here are some delicious low-carb casseroles that might fit the bill. If you’re looking for another keto-friendly vegetarian casserole, be sure to give our easy low carb broccoli cheese casserole or our low-carb green bean and mushroom casserole a try. If you want a spicier, meaty dish, try out our low-carb Mexican-inspired taco casserole. If you’d rather have seafood, try out our low-carb baked seafood casserole recipe.
Keto Spinach and Artichoke Casserole
- 4 cups fresh cauliflower florets (cut into smaller florets, about 13 oz)
- 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2/3 cup parmesan cheese (powdered)
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (+ 3 tbsp. for the top of the casserole (optional))
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups marinated artichoke (patted dry to remove any excess water )
- 6 oz frozen spinach (thawed and patted dry to remove any excess water)
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish or similarly sized casserole dish with oil of choice.
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Place 1 1/2-2 inches of water in the lower part of a steamer. Bring water to a simmer. Place cauliflower in the upper part of the steamer, season with a pinch of salt (optional), cover, and fit the upper part of the steamer over the simmering water. Steam cauliflower over medium heat until slightly tender–about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large plate with paper towels to soak up any excess water.
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In a medium bowl, using a spoon or hand mixer, combine cream cheese, sour cream. Next, add the garlic, red pepper, salt and pepper, parmesan, and mozzarella. Stir well until throughouly combined. Next, gradually add in the heavy whipping cream, stirring in between each addition.
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Next, add in the artichoke, spinach and stir to combine. Finally, add the cauliflower and stir until everything is evenly coated in the cream cheese mixture.
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Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and top with the additional 3 tbsp. mozzerella cheese, if desired. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the cheese on the top reaches a light golden brown.
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