Creamy Keto Broccoli in garlic cream sauce is the perfect keto side dish to serve with dinner tonight. In this easy recipe, fresh broccoli simmers with garlic, bacon, and a blend of Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese to make a dish that’s truly amazing — all in less than 30 minutes.
Creamy Garlic Keto Broccoli with Bacon and Parmesan
If you’re getting bored with your usual broccoli recipes, you’ve got to try this Keto Broccoli with Creamy Garlic Sauce. It’s a delicious keto veggie side dish that you can serve with chicken or steak.
Creamy Garlic Broccoli is so easy to make, too. It’s definitely a family favorite at my house. With the creamy Parmesan cheese sauce, it’s sort of like grown-up mac and cheese — just with broccoli instead of noodles! Plus, it’s done from start to finish in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights!
Ingredients in Creamy Keto Broccoli
The main ingredient in this recipe, of course, is fresh green broccoli. Broccoli is a powerhouse of nutrition — it’s packed with fiber, nutrients, and vitamins C and K. Plus, broccoli is one of the lower-carb vegetables. 1 cup of chopped broccoli has about 3.5 net carbs.
To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- Fresh broccoli. You can buy pre-cut florets or about 2 whole heads for this recipe. You could also use frozen broccoli in a pinch.
- Crisp bacon. Look for sugar-free bacon for the fewest carbs.
- Heavy Cream. Sometimes called whipping cream.
- A blend of cheeses. I like a mixture of Parmesan and Mozzarella in this recipe. But you can use your favorite melting cheese instead. Some good choices include Cheddar, Gruyere, or Provolone.
- Garlic. I definitely prefer to use fresh garlic cloves in the recipes. 2-3 cloves are good, depending on size. In this case, think it’s better than garlic powder — and it only takes a little bit more work.
How to Make Keto Broccoli with Creamy Garlic Sauce
This keto broccoli side dish is actually pretty easy to put together. It’s a one-pan dish that you can make in a large skillet on the stovetop. It will quickly become a favorite in your dinner rotation.
The first thing to do is to cook the bacon. Place the bacon strips in a large skillet and cook on medium heat until crispy. Remove the cooked bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Once it’s cool, you can chop it, and set it aside for later.
Then, in about 2 tablespoons of reserved bacon fat, start to saute the chopped broccoli. Cook the broccoli for about 3-5 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add the minced garlic, give it a stir, and saute for a minute longer. Be careful not to let the garlic burn!
Next, add the heavy cream, and bring the mixture up to a simmer. Now, depending on how “done” you like your broccoli, you have two choices. If you like “tender-crisp” broccoli that still has a bit of a bite to it, you’ll only want to simmer it in the cream sauce for about 2-3 minutes. However, if you like softer broccoli, you can simmer it in the cream sauce for at least 6-7 minutes until it’s fork-tender. You should also cover the pan with a lid so the cream doesn’t reduce too much as you simmer the broccoli. Remember, the longer you cook it, the softer it gets.
The great thing about this creamy garlic sauce is that it doesn’t need any flour, cornstarch, or xanthan gum to thicken it up. So, once the broccoli is as soft as you like it, add the cheeses and stir to melt. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add back the bacon, and serve.
As a note: Frozen broccoli would work well in this recipe too.
How to Store Keto Broccoli
If you have leftovers, store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Other Keto Side Dishes
For more keto vegetable sides dishes, try:
Keto Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Cheese
Keto Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
Creamy Keto Mashed Cauliflower
Creamy Garlic Keto Broccoli with Bacon
Delicious keto broccoli simmered in a creamy, cheesy garlic sauce and topped with crispy bacon.
Ingredients
- 6 strips of bacon
- 5 cups broccoli florets (about 2 heads)
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon for about 5 minutes until crispy. Drain, chop and set aside.
- To the same pan, in about 2 tbsp of reserved bacon fat, saute broccoli for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for 1 minute more until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the heavy cream, and simmer for about 3 minutes for crisper broccoli, or about 6 minutes for softer broccoli. (In the second case, cover with the lid to keep the cream from reducing too much.)
- Add the cheeses and stir to melt. And salt and pepper to taste. Add back the broccoli, and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 238Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 579mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 8g
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Carb count will vary with different ingredients and brands. It should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Save this Recipe
Pin this recipe to your Keto Recipes board on Pinterest so that you can come back and make it again and again!
