For a healthy and delicious low carb Italian dinner, try this keto cabbage lasagna that you make in a sheet pan. It uses cabbage noodles instead of regular pasta and mixed with an easy but tasty meat sauce and baked with melty cheese. You only need 4 ingredients to make this healthy and hearty meal. Each serving has just 228 calories, 7.4 grams of net carbs and 12.7 grams protein!
You might also like low carb lasagna recipe using noodles from eggs!
Recently I made sheet pan lasagna and really loved it because it’s much easier than making the traditional layered recipe (though my mom’s delicious lasagna recipe is simply the best!) Today I wanted to make something similar but using tender cabbage leaves as noodles instead of pasta noodles.
This keto cabbage lasagna in a sheet pan recipe is so quick and easy because you only need 4 ingredients and there is no layering. Best of all there are much less carbs and it’s gluten free! It was really good and is definitely going to be part of my low carb meal planning and recipe rotation.
So next time you are craving Italian food on a keto diet, try this cabbage lasagna and make in a sheet pan like this because it’s much easier. It will also satisfy your Italian comfort food cravings! Each serving has just 228 calories, 7.4 grams of net carbs and 12.7 grams protein. It also has a good bit of dietary fiber (3.2 grams).
Recipe ingredients I used and substitutes.
You only need 4 simple ingredients to make this tasty keto dinner – low carb marinara sauce, Italian sausage, cabbage and mozzarella cheese. I like Italian sausage because it has all that garlic and additional seasonings so you don’t have to add any more.
Cabbage
I used green cabbage to make the lasagna noodles. Since this the main ingredient in this low carb recipe you really don’t want to substitute it. I would use a fresh head of cabbage and chop it and not use coleslaw mix. And don’t grate it. You want big pieces in this recipe.
Italian Sausage
I used hot Italian sausage but you could also use sweet flavored. And while I used pork sausage you could use turkey if you want. Or you could also use ground meat like a lean ground beef and add seasoning to make it taste like sausage. Check out this post to learn how to do that.
And if you want to make this vegetarian you could eliminate it all together. However I think it adds a lot of flavor so I would keep it apart of the sauce if you can.
Low Carb Marinara
Using jar pasta sauce helps eliminate extra ingredients because it usually has garlic, Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, etc. I buy this Specialty Selects Marinara Sauce from Aldi but you can use whatever your favorite pizza or pasta sauce is.
Note that many jar sauces are high in carbs but if you don’t care about carbs use whatever kind you want. I also really love Rao’s marinara and it has the same amount of carbs as this Aldi brand.
Mozzarella Cheese
I like shredded mozzarella because of it’s cheesy goodness and is traditionally used in Italian dishes like this. You could try fresh mozzarella cheese or other types of shredded cheese if you want but the mozzarella is much easier.
I didn’t use ricotta cheese because I was trying to keep the carb count down. However if you don’t care about that you can mix ricotta cheese with a little salt and black pepper as well as a bit of parmesan cheese.
Don’t add a ricotta layer, rather add dollops of the ricotta mixture on top of the cabbage noodles and then sprinkle the mozzarella on top. You can also mix in some chopped baby spinach too with the ricotta cheese if you like.
How to make keto cabbage lasagna in a sheet pan.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a rimmed sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. You could also make this in a casserole or baking dish but the sheet pan is better with the cooking process. Everything gets a bit more crispy and flavorful.
Step 2: Meanwhile make the quick meat sauce. Get out a medium nonstick pot and heat to medium high. If you don’t have a nonstick pan, you can use a tablespoon of olive oil or nonstick spray.
Take the casings off the sausage and break up into little pieces. Brown the sausage meat part way then add the sauce to the cooked meat. Cook for a few minutes until the sausage is cooked through. Take off the stove and let cool a bit.
Step 3: Chop the cabbage head into big pieces. I cut them in big square pieces because when you make traditional sheet pan lasagna you break the noodles into squares instead of long sheets like traditional lasagna noodles. So I tried to mimic that.
Place them into a microwave safe bowl with a tablespoon of water and microwave for 4 minutes. Take it out and drain cabbage to get the excess water out.
Step 4: Add the cooled sauce and meat mixture to the cooked cabbage leaves. Mix well and then spread out on the prepared baking sheet. Spread it evenly in one layer. Note you could season with salt and black pepper if you want but I didn’t think it needed it.
Step 5: Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over top then place in the preheated oven and bake for 7-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and starts to get brown and bubbly. Cooking time may vary.
If you want the finished product more browned on top you can also stick it under the broiler for a few minutes. When it’s down take it out and serve! You can garnish with fresh basil or parsley for color if you want. Or you can add some hot pepper flakes or added parmesan cheese too.
Store cabbage lasagna leftovers in an airtight container and you can freeze this for a quick low carb lunch or dinner. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.
You can serve this with a simple green salad or even a green vegetable like broccoli or asparagus or green beans. However since the cabbage is the main ingredient and a vegetable this pretty much makes a complete meal for me.
To make this low carb cabbage lasagna in a skillet.
Using a large skillet, quickly make the meat sauce while you cook the cabbage leaves in the microwave. When they are done, drain the water and mix with the sauce. Sprinkle the cheese over the layer of cabbage leaves and place until the broiler until the cheese has melted and is browned and bubbly.
More delicious low carb Italian dishes to try.
Who doesn’t love Italian food? Below are some of my favorite keto Italian recipes that you might also like.
- keto chicken Alfredo or cacio e Pepe with zucchini noodles
- low carb turnip noodles with pesto
- keto wide zucchini noodles with sausage and peppers
- keto Italian sub salad or stuffed bell pepper or meatball sub cups
- low carb Instant Pot Italian shredded beef
And if you are a fan of cabbage, check out all of these keto cabbage recipes.
I really, really loved this low carb cabbage lasagna dish. And making it in a sheet pan form with only 4 ingredients makes it’s so easy. I will definitely be making it again.
And I’ve said many times, I like to freeze portions of dishes like this for quick lunches. I’ve already did this once but those lunches are all gone so I’ll be doing it again. I hope you like it too!
The nutritional information for 1 serving (based on 8) is 228 calories / 15.4g fat / 10.6g carbs / 3.2g fiber / 12.7g protein
Sheet Pan Keto Cabbage Lasagna Recipe
This keto cabbage lasagna is made in a sheet pan and only needs 4 ingredients! It's a quick and delicious keto dinner for when you crave Italian food on a low carb diet!
Ingredients
- 8 cup chopped cabbage (1 small of head cabbage)
- 2 cups marinara sauce ( low carb, see notes)
- 3 links Italian sausage (hot or sweet but without casings)
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a rimmed nonstick sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray. Note you could also use a baking or casserole dish but it cooks better in the sheet pan.
- Get out a medium nonstick pot. Take the casings off the sausage and break up into small pieces. Brown the sausage then add the sauce. Mix well and cook for a few minutes to get the flavors to combine. Take off the heat and set aside to cool a bit.
- Meanwhile chop the cabbage into big square pieces (roughly 1-2 inch square). Place in a microwave safe bowl with a tablespoon of water. Microwave for 4 minutes then take out and drain excess water.
- Mix the meat sauce and cabbage together then spread out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarellla cheese on top and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 7-10 minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbly.
- Let cool a bit before serving. You can garnish with fresh basil or parsley if you wish or serve with hot pepper flakes and grated parmesan cheese.Store leftovers in an airtight container. This freezes well too for a low carb lunch.
Notes
The nutritional information for 1 serving (based on 8) is 228 calories / 15.4g fat / 10.6g carbs / 3.2g fiber / 12.7g protein
I used Premium Selects Marinara from Aldi. Rao's marinara is also a good low carb pasta sauce.
You could also use ground meat instead of the sausage if you want. You can add seasonings like garlic cloves, Italian seasoning, hot pepper flakes, fennel seed, etc to give it that taste. Check out my post on making your own Italian sausage if you are interested.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 228
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