Low Carb Chili Dog Casserole
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Have you ditched the carbs and sugar in your diet? If so, don’t worry! You can stay on your low carb/ Keto plan and still enjoy a delicious Chili Dog with this Low Carb Chili Dog Casserole.
This Chili Dog Casserole is a mix of your favorite hot dogs, beefy chili, and cheese. It’s hearty, comforting and best of all, low carb. You’ll never miss the bun!
Chili Dogs are the Ultimate Summer food!
Hot dogs (and burgers, of course) really are the ultimate summer cook-out food. My kids request them for dinner all the time.
We’ve been grilling outside a lot lately. With Labor Day around the corner, I figured it was time for me to come up with a way the entire family could enjoy chili dogs again. (Hubby and I are eating low carb right now, so a traditional chili dog in a bun is off the table.)
In the past, I would buy canned chili for our chili dogs, but even the canned bean-less chili’s have quite a few carbs in them, so it’s better to make my own version of a low carb chili.
Low Carb Chili Dog Casserole
My Low Carb Hot Dog Chili recipe turned out sooo good, you would never know it was low carb!
I combined the low-carb chili with hot dogs, cheese, and onions and made the most amazing chili dog casserole ever!
After baking the hot dogs with all the chili, cheese, and onions, I was definitely in chili dog heaven. (and yes, there is such a thing!)
How good does Low Carb Chili Dog Casserole look? You definitely won’t miss the bun.
Nutrition Information for Keto Chili Dog Casserole:
Ok, so the big question I get is: How many carbs are in this low-carb chili dog casserole?
The Answer?
Well, unfortunately, I can’t give you hard numbers as it will vary a tiny bit based on the ingredients you choose to use.
But… If you make it exactly as the recipe below it comes to 498 calories, 8 net carbs, 37 grams of fat, 33 grams of protein, and 5 grams of sugar. (Per serving – 6 servings in the dish)
- Want to lower the fat count? Use less cheese.
- Want to lower the carbs? Look for the lowest carb hot dogs and use fewer onions.
Ingredients:
Want to give this chili dog casserole a try? Just copy and paste the ingredients listed below to your grocery list. (ingredients at a glance grab the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Beef Hot Dogs | Different brands have different carb amounts, just check the packaging.
- Cheddar cheese | save carbs by shredding your own. Monterey /Colby Jack blend also works great.
- Ground beef | Leaner the better for this recipe.
- Tomato sauce and tomato paste
- Garlic Cloves | Minced garlic from the jar works too. 1/2 tsp of minced garlic equals one fresh clove.
- Bell pepper | Whatever color you prefer- green has the lowest amount of carbs
- Onion | Yellow onion would be the first choice for this recipe, but white will work too.
- Chili powder, ground cumin and celery salt
- Worcestershire sauce
- Sugar substitute | Many readers have opted to leave this out, but I think it adds an authentic flavor to the chilidog sauce. Sugar is often used to cut the acidity of the tomatoes and using a small amount helps balance the flavors to create a richer overall chili.
How to Make this Low Carb Chili Dog Casserole
The reason this recipe is so yummy and low carb too is partly because of the homemade chili dog sauce.
You could make this chili dog bake with commercially prepared chili dog sauce. It would taste great too, but that sauce from the can has quite a few more carbs than my recipe does. Making your own chili is slightly more work, but oh, so rewarding!
(Scroll to the bottom for a printable recipe card.)
- To make this Keto Chili Dog Casserole, start by browning the meat with the peppers, onions, and garlic. Add the spices, tomato sauce, paste, and water. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Once the chili is done, an optional step, but something I recommend, is to use an immersion blender or food processor to chop the chili into small pieces, as authentic chili sauce would be.
- Assemble the casserole by spreading prewarmed/room temp hot dogs flat on the bottom of a 7 x 9 casserole dish. (if your hot dogs come straight from the fridge, you may need to increase the baking time.)
- Cover the dogs with chili. (You should have enough chili to reserve a bit if you have anyone eating regular hot dogs and wants chili on top. Otherwise, use it all.) Spread 1 cup of cheese over chili and top with remaining onion.
- Bake at 400 F for about 15 to 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly!
Can you make this Low Carb Chili Dog Casserole in the Slow Cooker?
Yes! You can make the chili dog casserole in the crockpot, however, the instruction will be a bit different.
- Start by browning the ground beef with the garlic, onion, and peppers in a skillet on the stovetop.
- Once browned, add the ground beef to the slow cooker. Add the rest of the spices, plus tomato sauce, paste, and water. Use an immersion blender to chop the sauce into fine pieces.
- Top with hot dogs and cheese and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4.
- Stir before serving and top with additional cheese and onions if desired.
How Long Will this Chili Dog Casserole Last in the Fridge?
Once cooked, this casserole will last 3 to 4 days in the fridge
Can I Freeze this Chili Dog Casserole
Yes, you can definitely freeze this keto Chili Dog Casserole. There are 3 ways to freeze it.
- Let chili cool significantly, package it up in 1 to 2 servings into a freezer bag, taking care to remove all the air from the bag. Then when ready to eat, just microwave it on medium power until defrosted. Transfer to a bowl and continue to heat until warmed through.
- Create the casserole as directed. Sto before baking. Wrap tightly with foil and freeze. When ready to eat, remove from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge for 24 hours. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until everything is hot and bubbly.
- The 3rd way, (recommended) is to prepare the recipe up to assembling the casserole. (So just cook the chili.) Let chili cool significantly, package it up into a freezer bag, taking care to remove all the air and freeze.
- When ready to make the casserole, put the frozen bag in the fridge in the morning to defrost. Then when ready to cook, place chili in the microwave to finish warming. Assemble the casserole and bake as directed in the recipe
Can you make Chili Dog Casserole ahead?
Yes, parts of this casserole can definitely be made ahead of time. The chili is what takes the most amount of time to make and can be made a few days ahead and stored in the fridge. Then just put the casserole together before you are ready to bake.
Chili Dog Casserole Variations
This is a great casserole for the family as everyone loves chili dogs and won’t miss the buns. However, you can serve it so many ways to satisfy everyone in the family.
- Hungry teenage boys, that eat you out of the house? Serve it over hot dog buns and add chili beans!
- If you’re gluten-free instead of low carb, this would be awesome with corn chips. Just cut the hot dogs into smaller slices and scoop the chili, franks, and cheese up with the chips.
- Or spoon the chili dog bake right into a snack-size bag of chips! Like these walking frito pies.)
If you just want a low-carb chili recipe, be sure to check out this Keto Chili Recipe.
Other Low Carb Recipes You Will Love:
- Low Carb Green Chile Enchilada Soup
- The Best Spinach Salad! (low carb)
- Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps
- Spicy Cajun Baked Shrimp
- Avocado and Bacon Chicken Salad
Low Carb Chili Dog Casserole
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: low carb
- Method: stovetop/oven
Description
Low Carb Chili Dog Casserole: Ditch the carbs with this Low Carb Chili Dog Bake! It’s the best hot dog chili ever and bonus: It’s low carb! (8 carbs or less per serving if you use beef franks.)
Ingredients
For the chili:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large bell pepper
- about 3/4 of a large onion, diced (use more if you like sauteed onion)
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt (You could cheat and just use 2 tbs of a chili spice mix in place of the 4 spices above.)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire
- 1 tbs of sugar or sugar substitute (12 carbs in a tbs of sugar, fyi)
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1 cup of tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbs tomato paste
For the casserole:
- 8 Beef Hot Dogs sliced longways down the middle and cut in half
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or cheddar blend cheese (or more if you like a lot of cheese)
- extra diced onions for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the ground beef, 2/3 of the chopped onions, peppers and garlic in large frying pan and saute until ground beef is browned. Drain fat.
- Add spices, Worcestershire, sugar, tomato sauce, tomato paste and water to the pan. stir to combine and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Optional step, but totally makes it just like real hot dog chili: Using a food processor or immersion blender, process the chili until the beef is in very small pieces.
- Lay hot dogs flat on the bottom of a 7 x 9 casserole dish. Cover with chili. (you should have enough to reserve a bit for those that are eating regular hot dogs and want chili.) Spread 1 cup of cheese over chili and top with remaining onion.
- Bake at 400 F for about 15 to 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly!
Serve and Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 498
- Sugar: 5
- Fat: 37
- Carbohydrates: 8
- Protein: 33
The kids definitely thought these were the best chili dogs ever!
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