This Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Ziti Bolognese recipe is a low carb and keto friendly version of traditional baked ziti. Ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan make a delicious cheesy baked ziti with bolognese meat sauce.

This is part of a guest contributor series that showcases recipes from others making delicious food. This recipe comes from Katie Scrine of Katie and Keto.

I’ll admit it, the inspiration for this post comes from one of those “Tasty” style videos that are all the rage these days. You know the ones. Top-down, short videos that pop up on your social media feeds, usually featuring ridiculously indulgent meals. As a keto eater, I’m so used to these videos being a huge tease and an unwanted temptation. Ambushing me when I least expect it, loaded with carbs, reminding me of the types of meals I used to eat with reckless abandon. Then this one came up. “This looks pretty keto,” I thought. Or at least, it could be, with a few very minor tweaks, and keto innovations.

In our household, we adore Bolognese dishes. The lack of pasta hasn’t stopped us at all. From keto lasagnas with zucchini noodles, to plain old bowls of Bolognese topped with Parmesan cheese and eaten like chili, we haven’t let the lack of pasta noodles stop us from enjoying Bolognese on keto. It’s pretty keto-friendly at its core. You need to be careful when selecting your tinned tomatoes, or tomato sauce when making a Bolognese, but otherwise, it’s a delight. I will admit, though, we’d been beginning to run out of inspiration with our Bolognese dishes as of late, so this video found me at the right time.

Bolognese paired with cauliflower? Why, those are two of my favorite things! Let’s dive in and talk about how to make this recipe pop.

It all starts with the sauce. This recipe lives and dies by the quality of your Bolognese. And time is your friend. You want to be able to give your sauce long enough in the pot or pan to become ridiculously flavorful.

My other recommendations are to ensure you find a quality low-carb tin of tomatoes or jar of pasta sauce as your tomato base. I wish I could tell you exactly where to look here, but every region and every supermarket carries different brands with different macros.

I’m afraid the only true solution is to invest 10 minutes in your local grocery store picking up tins of tomatoes and jars of tomato sauce, and comparing their carb values. The absolute best we have been able to find is around 4 net carbs per ½ cup.

Have you been able to find anything better? Let me know!

The next secret? Well, it’s really three secrets:

red wine
lots of garlic
fresh herbs

I won’t make a sauce without this Holy Trinity. A splash of red wine in a pasta sauce is to die for, and over time brings out some amazing flavors. Herbs and garlic, well, I could sing their praises in most dishes I like to cook, but they shine here more than most others. A nice medium ground beef, your low sugar tomato base, plus these ingredients, and you’re in business.

We are using three cheeses in this ziti. Because if there’s one thing I love more than a good Bolognese, it’s a variety of cheeses. We use ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan here. But cheddar would be a good choice as well in replacing any of these, in a pinch. (Although, I must recommend sticking with the Holy Trinity).

Recipe Notes for Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Ziti Bolognese

When selecting your cauliflower, don’t be shy. Give the head a good check for any browning or general signs of age. This recipe calls for a really nice cauliflower texture, and thus you need to pick a good cauliflower to get the best results. Old and withering heads of cauli will always cut it for cauliflower rice and mash dishes, but for this one, be a little more critical.

Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Ziti Bolognese

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Description

Ingredients

Scale

Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup basil leaves (loosely shredded)
4 tablespoons dried Italian herb blend
4 cloves fresh garlic (finely chopped)
1 large white onion (finely chopped)
1 large tin or jar of low sugar chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce (choose chopped tomatoes if you want a chunkier sauce, tomato sauce if you prefer smooth)
½ cup cheap red wine
salt and pepper (to taste)
1–1.5 pounds medium ground beef

Ziti:

1 head of cauliflower (cut into florets)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup basil leaves (loosely shredded)

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan to around medium, and then add chopped onion, garlic, and Italian herbs. Cook until onions turn translucent.
Add ground beef and cook, stirring constantly, until beef is browned.
Add tomato sauce and red wine, turn heat down to a low simmer, and allow to cook down for more than 30 minutes (and as much as 2 hours).
Mixture should be nicely reduced and thick by this stage. Season well with salt and pepper and add your basil, then take the mixture off the heat and set the pan aside.
(This step can be done whilst sauce is reducing) Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, and blanch chopped cauliflower florets in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain in a colander and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine Bolognese sauce and cauliflower florets, tossing with a non-metal spoon, gently, to combine. All cauliflower should be coated in the delicious red sauce.
In a large baking dish, around 9×12 inches (but whatever size you prefer is fine!), add a thin layer of Bolognese sauce to the bottom.
Begin layering your saucy cauliflower into the dish. Add enough to very loosely cover the dish, then top with ½ of each of the three cheese mixtures and ½ of the basil.
Layer the remainder of the cauliflower/Bolognese mixture on top of the first layer of cheese and basil, then use the remainder of the cheese mixture and basil, scattering sporadically, until most of the Bolognese/cauliflower mixture is covered.
Place the dish in the oven, and give it around 20 minutes to cook, uncovered. The cheese should be melted and beginning to brown. The dish should somewhat resemble a lasagna at this stage. A lumpy, amazing lasagna.
Give the dish 15 minutes to cool on the counter or stove once you take it out. This will allow it to “set” and come together a little better. I find this rule works wonders with any baked ziti or lasagna type dish.
Cut the meal into portions and serve.