Enjoy all the layers of delicious flavors, sans the carbs! The all-around favorite Italian comfort food gets a keto twist by using cabbage leaves instead of lasagna noodles. You can also slice zucchini thin and use long strips instead of cabbage. Whatever you do, feel free to cut these, wrap, and freeze lasagna in single-serving portions for an easy meal anytime.
Ingredients List
- 1 tsp salt, divided, plus more for salting the water
- 1/2 head of cabbage
- 1 lb (80% lean) ground beef
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
- 15 oz ricotta cheese (whole, not skim)
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 14 oz no-added-sugar marinara sauce
- 3/4 cup fresh grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, a generous teaspoon of salt; bring to a boil. Gently remove leaves from cabbage head, then add them to the boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet over medium-heat, crumble and cook the ground beef with the minced garlic, parsley, and half of the salt, stirring frequently until brown and cooked through.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176C).
- In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, the remaining half of the salt, and the Italian seasoning. Set aside.
- Spread half of the marinara sauce onto the bottom of an 8 by 8-inch baking pan. Gently place a layer of cooked cabbage leaves over sauce. Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the cabbage leaves. Then top the ricotta mixture with half of the browned beef. Spread ¾ of the remaining sauce over the meat. Repeat the layers of cabbage leaves, ricotta mix, and beef. Top with the remaining sauce and the mozzarella cheese, then bake in the oven until hot and bubbling, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Sounds yummy, will try soon.
Can you please tell me, did you use multiple cabbage leaves per layer, or just a single leaf layer?
I’m imagining how this will go and I can easily see how the thicker parts of the leaves mimic pasta. I’m not sure about the thin part, and where I live many ingredients are very expensive sk want to get it right first time.
I’ve always had cole slaw but recently made braised cabbage, egg roll bowl and a Russian friend’s delicious dish…and wow, where has cabbage been my whole life??!!!
Hi Angelina – you can overlap the thinner parts of the cabbage leaves. Give it a try!
I absolutely loved it!!!!
I am a “pasta” fanatic and I didn’t miss the noodles at all….thank you so much!
We aim to please! Thank you for your comment.
For God’s sake write down the weight of the cabbage used in this recipe (and in every recipe where it reads ‘half of whatever ingredient’). How in the world can I measure half cabbage, when cabbage in the US comes in all different sizes and even shredded ready to be cooked! I love keto-mojo, don’t doubt that, but I hope my complaint doesn’t fall on deaf ears. Thanks 🙂
Thanks for the valuable feedback! Meanwhile, most important is that you use enough leaves to cover the fillings as directed; once you’ve done that you don’t need to use any leftover.
This is such a rich delish dish, you won’t miss the pasta noodles at all! Make sure cabbage leaves are patted dry, otherwise it can get liquidy …It takes a little more work, but I also love to sub zucchini for cabbage. You’ll need a mandolin to slice thin, salt, and pat dry. Perfect to use up extra zuchinni from the garden !
sometimes i lightly brush the zucchini slices with olive oil and grill first before using as noodles