Dinners Using Common Low-Carb Ingredients

This collection of Dinners Using Common Low-Carb Ingredients lists ingredients you might keep on hand and ideas for what to make from them! And there are a few breakfast-for-dinners included here too.

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I know dinner prep every night can be a challenge, especially when you’re watching your carbs. And no one want to go to the store for special ingredients when you’re trying to get dinner on the table. For day-to-day cooking, I have an assortment of ingredients I keep on hand and use over and over. I’ve created this list of Dinners Using Common Low-Carb Ingredients!

I don’t know if every one of my favorite ingredients will be something you use often, but I bet some will be. This post also has a suggested list for ingredients to keep on hand for low-carb cooking in general, with more recipe options using those ingredients.

I’m also mentioning it when there are ingredients that are optional so you could make the recipe without every ingredient. I hope this informative post is going to be useful for you!

Common Low-Carb Ingredients I Keep on Hand:

People have varied freezer, fridge, and pantry space and food preferences, so maybe you can’t store all these foods at once. But look for recipes below using the ingredients that you enjoy most and try to keep those on hand.

• Bacon, Beef chuck roast, Chicken Breasts, Ham, Ground Beef, Turkey or Pork Italian Sausage, Eggs
• Cheese including Mozzarella Cheese, Feta Cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, Parmesan Cheese, Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Three Cheese Mexican Blend, Cream Cheese (Different cheeses can be substituted in most recipes).
• Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cauliflower Rice, broccoli, Mushrooms, Red Bell Peppers, Green Bell Peppers 
• Butter, Olive Oil, Mayo, Sour Cream, Basil Pesto (affiliate link), Herdez Salsa Verde (affiliate link), Pace Picante Sauce (affiliate link), Rao’s Pasta Sauce (affiliate link), Chicken Stock or Broth, Half and Half

How else can I use these low-carb ingredients?

You can enter any of the ingredients into the search bar on Kalyn’s Kitchen to find more low-carb and Keto recipes using them!

Easy Baked Pesto Chicken is one of the most popular recipes on the blog, and pesto from a jar is fine for this. And I’ve had more than one person tell me this recipe is why they keep Kirkland Basil Pesto in the fridge!

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Chicken breasts, Basil Pesto, Mozzarella cheese

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese
• Lemon Pesto Chicken Kabobs

You may not have all the cheeses I used in Easy Cheesy Baked Keto Cauliflower. But if you have cauliflower, butter, and cheese, you can make a version that’s pretty good! (I’m not the only one that always has cauliflower on hand am I?) This might be a side dish but I’d happily eat it for dinner.

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Cauliflower, butter, Parmesan cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, three cheese blend (or other cheeses you have in the fridge will work)

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin (add ham)
• Ham and Broccoli Casserole au Gratin (add ham and broccoli).
• Cauliflower Roasted with Parmesan (add olive oil)

Instant Pot Salsa Chicken is a pressure cooker version of my popular recipe for Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken. These two recipes are one reason I always have Pace Picante Sauce in my fridge!

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Chicken breasts, Pace Picante Sauce, Mozzarella cheese ( and fresh-frozen lime juice which you could skip in a pinch)

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Instant Pot Low-Carb Cheesy Chicken Tacos (add low-carb tortillas, cream cheese, and a few added seasonings and spices, most of which could be optional)

I know stuffed peppers aren’t a winner for some people but I love these Stuffed Peppers with Italian Sausage and Ground Beef. This is a favorite recipe I’ve been making for years!

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Ground beef, turkey or pork Italian sausage, Rao’s Pasta Sauce, Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Stuffed Peppers (Uses Rao’s Pizza sauce but could be made with pasta sauce; add onion, pepperoni, and some spices, which could be optional) 
• Low-Carb Deconstructed Pizza Casserole (add canned tomatoes, mushrooms, pepperoni, and the spices could be optional)

Southwestern Pot Roast has only five ingredients! You’ll have to buy a beef roast to make this, but the recipe makes leftovers for most families and it’s another reason to keep Pace Picante Sauce in the fridge!

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Beef chuck roast, Pace Picante Sauce, beef broth, olive oil, (steak rub, which is optional)

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Shredded Beef Tacos with Spicy Slaw and Avocado (add low-carb tortillas, diced green chiles, taco seasoning; there are other seasonings, avocados, and spicy slaw, which could all be optional)

Broccoli and Three Cheese Keto Breakfast Casserole is a tasty breakfast casserole that’s comfortingly cheesy and this makes eight servings for leftovers. We used Monterey Jack cheese, Feta cheese, and Parmesan cheese, but make this with any cheese you have on hand and it will always be good!

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Broccoli, eggs, Monterey Jack Cheese, Feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, (green onions and Spike Seasoning can both be optional)

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Broccoli Gratin (less cheese but adds mayo, lemon juice, Dijon, and green onion which could be optional)
• Broccoli, Ham, and Mozzarella Baked with Eggs (adds egg, ham, optional green onions and seasonings)

Roasted Italian Sausage and Mini Peppers Sheet Pan Meal is a combination I love! I’ve made this many times with cut-up red bell pepper when I didn’t have sweet mini-peppers in the house.

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Turkey or pork Italian sausage, sweet mini-peppers (or red bell pepper), olive oil, balsamic vinegar (probably optional or use another type of slightly-sweet vinegar like rice wine vinegar)

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Breakfast Bake with Italian Sausage and Mini Sweet Peppers (add Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese or you could use more cheese, green onions and Spike Seasoning could be optional)
• Breakfast Casserole with Italian Sausage (add Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese or you could use more cheese, mushrooms, green onions and Spike Seasoning could be optional)

Baked Mayo-Parmesan Chicken just has a few ingredients but tastes like it came from a restaurant!&

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Chicken breasts, mayo, Parmesan cheese, poultry seasoning and garlic powder (seasonings could be optional)

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Baked Mayo-Parmesan Fish (replace chicken with fish fillets, fish rub could be optional)
• Baked Chicken Nuggets (add Dijon Mustard, white balsamic vinegar (or rice wine vinegar), almond flour) 

I always have bacon and cabbage in my fridge, so this Fried Cabbage with Bacon is something I make for a quick dinner any time of year.

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Cabbage, bacon, red pepper flakes (optional)

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Twice-Cooked Cabbage with Sour Cream and Bacon (add sour cream, mozzarella cheese, onion and paprika could be optional) 
• Fried Cabbage with Corned Beef (add onion and replace bacon with corned beef)

Eggs are probably high on the list for most low-carb eaters to keep on hand. And I always have Herdez Salsa Verde (affiliate link) in the fridge or pantry, so I could make these Fifteen Minute Salsa Verde Eggs most of the time. Low-carb tortillas are definitely optional, and I’d love this for breakfast for dinner!

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Eggs, Salsa Verde, grated cheese, low-carb tortillas are optional

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Bobbi’s Egg Casserole with Green Chiles (adds cottage cheese but could use more grated cheese, diced green chiles  but could use salsa verde, and other ingredients like olives, green onions, and seasonings could be optional)
• Southwest Egg Casserole (Uses canned tomatoes and diced green chiles but you could use a smaller amount of salsa verde instead, Spike Seasoning and green onions are optional)

Fried Cauliflower (with Bacon and Mushrooms) is a seriously-delicious side dish that could easily be a main dish and I bet you’ll love this one.

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Cauliflower, butter, bacon, mushrooms, parsley (optional)

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Cauliflower Crust Pizza (Grill or Oven) (add almond flour, Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, olives, Rao’s Pizza sauce; spices could be optional)
• Low-Carb Turkey Casserole (add diced chicken or turkey, Mozzarella cheese, onion, sour cream, mayo, Dijon; other spices can all be optional)

Sausage, Peppers, and Mushrooms Low-Carb Cheesy Bake is a ridiculously easy recipe that’s also super popular on the blog. Anyone who likes sausage and peppers will like this cheesy version.

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Turkey or pork Italian Sausage, olive oil, mushrooms, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, Mozzarella cheese

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Cauliflower Rice Sausage Casserole (add cauliflower rice, onion; spices can all be optional)
• Spicy Cauliflower Dirty Rice (add onion and garlic, chicken livers, Spike Seasoning, and Cayenne could all be optional) 

Salsa Verde Chicken Bake is another recipe that uses the Herdez Salsa Verde (affiliate link) I always have in the fridge. And this is about as easy as it gets for a dinner using what’s in the house!

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Chicken Breasts, Salsa Verde, olive oil,

• Green Chile Chicken Burrito Bowl (Add diced green chiles or just use more salsa verde to cook the chicken. You need cauliflower rice; use whatever ingredients you have to season the cauliflower rice and make the tomato-avocado salsa.)
• Green Chile Chicken Tacos (Use salsa verde to cook the chicken if you don’t have Green Chile Enchilada Sauce and canned green chiles. You need low-carb tortillas; make slaw with whatever ingredients you have on hand.)

And I am ending with this mega-delicious Twice-Baked Cauliflower that is always among the most-visited recipes on the site! You can eat this as a side dish or a main dish, and it’s always a winner!

Low-Carb Ingredients for this recipe:

Cauliflower, cream cheese, sour cream, bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese (green onions are good but definitely optional)

More recipes with these ingredients:

• Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup (add chicken stock, onions, and half and half; garlic powder and green onions can be optional)
• Loaded Cauliflower Mash (Instant Pot or Stovetop) (add chicken stock and cream cheese, green onions can be optional)