A crowd pleasing low carb cabbage lasagna recipe that can be made ahead. They’ll never miss the pasta noodles in this healthier version.
As I was prepping for the holidays, I realized that I had let my membership to the BJ’s Wholesale Club run out a couple months ago. So, I started looking for the best deal on a new membership as I’m always looking for ways to save money on groceries.
Luckily, I stumbled upon a special 3 month free membership offer. What perfect timing! Now I can go there for some holiday shopping and stock up on food to feed those holiday visitors.
After grabbing my free BJ’s membership, I picked up some ingredients to test out a low carb cabbage lasagna recipe. I found everything I needed. And, the sizes were perfect for a crowd-sized version of the dish.
The holiday potluck for work is in a couple of weeks and I wanted to test out a new low carb recipe to try. I thought a huge pan of lasagna made with cabbage noodles would be perfect.
My youngest daughter came with me on the shopping trip to BJs. She always enjoys shopping there.
We usually grab one of the car baskets for kids. But, there weren’t any available at the front of the store.
Since she was such a good sport about sitting in the regular basket, I told her we could look at the clothes. She found a great deal on two new Paw Patrol jammies!
We did take a peek by the toy aisle to get some ideas for Santa. Then, we headed over to get the ingredients for the low carb cabbage lasagna recipe.
As always, BJ’s carries the best brands. Typically, the products come in larger sizes than regular grocery stores to save money.
I thought the five pound package of hamburger meat would be too much for the cabbage lasagna recipe. So, I opted for the smaller two pound meatloaf ground meat mix they had.
I also found a terrific jar of low carb marinara sauce. The brand is Rao’s and there’s only 4 grams of total carbs listed for each 1/2 cup serving.
All the cheese came super-sized which convinced me to up the cheesiness in the lasagna. And, after tasting the finished product, I don’t regret it!
To make this extra large pan of cabbage lasagna, you’ll need to first pull the leaves off the head. Then, they need to be boiled until soft.
While the cabbage was cooking, I went ahead and browned the meat and then added the marinara sauce. I also had time to blend up the ricotta cheese mixture.
Although you can save some time buying sliced or pre-shredded cheese, I like the taste of fresh mozzarella. You could shred it fresh or cut it in slices. I chose the latter.
The great thing about lasagna is that you can get the casserole layered into the pan a couple days before. Or, you can freeze the uncooked casserole longer term.
A large 11×15-inch pan isn’t likely to fit in most freezers. So, if you want to make this recipe ahead, you might want to separate it into two 9×13-inch baking pans.
I ended up baking the dish and freezing the leftovers. This makes this dish very versatile. You can make it as freezer meals or as a large pre-made dish for company.
The nice thing is that you are going to save money by buying the ingredients in bulk at BJ’s Wholesale Club. I love going there to stock up which also cuts down on my shopping time.
Don’t have a membership? No worries! You can click here to get a FREE 3 Month Membership at BJ’s!
Our local BJ’s Wholesale Club also sells gas. And, the store is between work and home. It’s really convenient and the price of gas is always cheaper than other gas stations in the area.
And, I find they have a great selection of gifts for the holidays. I’ve also found great clothing deals for the kids like those Paw Patrol pajamas.
You can also pick up a bag of spaghetti squash at BJs if you’d rather make a smaller pan of lasagna. I’ve got a terrific recipe for a spaghetti squash lasagna here.
Low Carb Cabbage Lasagna Recipe
Cabbage Lasagna - Low Carb and Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 head cabbage
- 3 lbs ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese grated
- 1/4 cup dried parsley optional
- 3 large eggs
- 2 pounds ground meat browned
- 40 ounces marinara sauce with no sugar added
- 32 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese sliced or shredded
- 1/4 cup parmesan grated (optional)
Instructions
- Carefully remove leaves from cabbage head.
- Parboil leaves in salted boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Drain and remove excess water with towel.
- Mix ricotta and parmesan cheese with eggs and parsley (if using). Set aside.
- Stir marinara sauce into browned meat.
- Spread about 3/4 cup sauce onto bottom of 11x15-inch baking pan.
- Place a layer of cooked cabbage leaves over sauce.
- Spread half ricotta cheese mixture over cabbage leaves.
- Top cheese mixture with half the remaining sauce.
- Cover sauce with half the mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat layers.
- Top off with additional parmesan cheese if desired.
- Bake 350F for about 25 minute
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Notes
Nutrition
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
About Lisa
Lisa has been creating low carb recipes for herself and sharing them with others since 2010. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and find new ways to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites! Her recipes have been featured on popular magazine sites including Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Women's Health, and Men's Health. Lisa lives in Southeastern Connecticut. Connect with her and Low Carb Yum at:
Patty says
Can I freeze this recipe AFTER it’s cooked?
Lisa MarcAurele says
It can be frozen cooked. Then just reheat frozen or thaw first before reheating.
Sue-Rita Goldstein says
I keep kosher so used soy meat and sausage replacement. I also baked cabbage leaves on a cookie sheet for a short time. Had sprayed them with some olive oil and they came out delicious and relatively dry. I also used only 2/3 of all cheeses and added a pint of cooked mushrooms. The result was wonderful!
Thank you so much for your recipe.
Lisa MarcAurele says
Thanks for sharing your methods! I’ll have to try baking the cabbage.
Rosmery G Santa Cruz says
Just made this! and it was sooo yummy!!!!!
Lisa MarcAurele says
Thanks for letting us know how the cabbage lasagna worked out!
Maxine Laugle says
I made this last night. I pre-cooked the cabbage but it was still too tough. I cooked the entire dish for 35 minutes, and the cabbage was still too tough. It was also way too “soupy”. It had a good taste. I need to figure out how to use the left overs though. That is way too much meat and cheese to waste. Ideas?
Lisa MarcAurele says
You could add in a thickener if you want to make it less soupy. Or serve it over something like cauliflower rice.
Sherry says
Made this recipe today. Was disappointed. Putting a large head of cabbage in boiling water for 5 minutes and then pulling the leaves off and blotting the water off does not produce cabbage tender enough. After baking for 20 minutes as instructed we could not cut the casserole with a knife because the cabbage was tough.
Lisa MarcAurele says
The leaves are supposed to be pulled off before boiling as stated in the recipe. It also says to boil for 5-10 minutes. It sounds like you did not follow the instructions. After boiling, the leaves should be soft and tender.
Amy says
Sorry if this seems like a dumb question, but do I need to thaw it before cooking it after freezing or just cook it frozen?
Lisa says
I just cook it frozen. Since it’s frozen, it does take a bit longer to cook.
Judy P. says
If I ate that much cheese in one dish, I’d be plugged up for a week!! LOL, you would have saved money by buying the larger PKG of meat, divided it and freeze portions. Also, steam the cabbage leaves for just a few minutes to keep more of it’s nutrients and it will hold it’s shape better.
And, even though this is a keto recipe and therefore less fattening, I assure you with all that cheese, (3lbs of riccot?????) this is ridiculously loaded with calories!
Veonn says
Maybe you should start your own food blog with recipes the way you like them.
Sandy says
I tried this recipe and tasted it just now. I was hesitant at first because I felt like any veggie replacing pasta wouldn’t be up to my expectations. But it was great! I felt satisfied !! I used turkey meat instead , and didn’t have marina sauce so just used regular pasta sauce. Very tasty! Will make again! Thanks for the recipe!
Lisa says
Yay! Glad it worked out.
Brooke says
This was definitely tasty, but the cabbage didn’t give it any structure or even really separate the layers. It was just a baked cheesy, meaty casserole with cabbage. The cabbage also gave it a vegetable soup-type flavor. I definitely couldn’t fool my kids into thinking it was “real” lasagna, but I will definitely eat leftovers tomorrow.
Lisa says
It’s not a sneaky vegetable dish, but I do like to change up my lasagna with different veggies.
Tucker Read says
Would it work to make it the day before and put it in the fridge until ready to bake the next evening?
Lisa says
It’s fine to make this recipe ahead and bake just before serving.
Patrick says
Man, this turned out really good. It’s expensive with 5 lbs of Cheese though. It’s heavy and filling. Only problem I ran into, was water coming out of the cabbage as it cooked. I don’t know if I over-cooked the cabbage, but even after freezing and re-heating, I get a good 1/4 cup of water in the bottom.
Definitely a repeat when I make another Costco run though
Lisa Gunther says
I didn’t use all that cheese….I cut it way down to a little more than 8oz. And it turned out really yummy. I also browned my cabbage in a cast iron instead of boiling it….lots of flavor when you Brown it with a little salt a lots of garlic. I used beyond meat crumbles instead of real meat and I added red onion, grated a carrot, one celery stalk and mushrooms. Very hearty and yummy.
Devin says
Hi I was just wondering if the 451 calories was per serving or just the whole thing of lasagna?
Lisa says
Per serving.
Michelle says
Hi there! Made this, loved it! I actually divided it and only cooked up one casserole of it it made so much! When you freeze it, do you cook it the same temp and time from frozen?
Thanks!
Lisa says
I do cook it at the same temperature but extend the baking time.
Alicia says
This recipe looks great! Could you tell me how to cook it if it is frozen?
Lisa says
You’ll just need to bake longer, around 5-10 minutes longer or until it’s hot.
Christina says
Going to make this for the superbowl party. I’m from philly and we had a huge crowd coming to the house. So…This is probably a stupid question, but if I layer the lasanga the night before and put it in the refrigerator would the cooking temperature and time be the same for a refrigerated temp lasagna?
Lisa says
You may need to cook it a little longer since it will be cold.
Delilah DeLage says
When subscribing the …
CLICK HERE for your free copy of LOW CARB TIPS AND TRICKS eBook. does not download or open because it says it is invalid format.
Lisa says
Send an email reply to the email you receive. It does work for most people.
Toshia says
can i use plain greek yogurt to sub for ricotta ? and if you can do i still add egg to it ? i have never sub for ricotta before , but do not have ricotta in fridge at the moment
Lisa says
I have heard of others subbing Greek yogurt for ricotta with success, but I haven’t tried it.
Jess says
My husband hates ricotta 🙁 so I’ve always subbed with small curd cottage cheese with park and Italian seasoning in it. It’s still turns out so good. In baked ziti I use sour cream with the same mix.
Lisa says
We hate cottage cheese which is why we use ricotta. But they are good subs for one another.
Sarah says
Just watch the carb content in the yogurt. It will most likely add enough to make it a higher carb meal, depending on the type of yogurt you use. ☺
Lisa says
The carb count on the label for plain yogurt is typically much higher than actual lab tests. The reason is because the culture consumes the milk sugar.
Allison Masters says
This was fantastic! A suggestion is to cut out the stems of the leaves, as they take longer to soften than the rest of the leaf does. Absolutely delicious. My non keto hubby had two helpings. Thanks for a great recipe!
Lisa says
Yes! I did forget to mention that it’s best to remove the thicker part of the leaves.
Jido says
I’m going to make this. It sounds amazing. Thank you for that. Side note, less chatting about the toy aisle and how about the recipe be the focus. It’s not just you either. It’s all the trend to tell us this looooooooong back story about what grocery store you went to or what your kids were doing or whatever when some of us have to scroll through ads and stories ad naseam just to sift through to get a recipe. Maybe a button that says “go straight to recipe” would be nice for those of us who just want to cook. Thanks for reading.
Lisa says
It’s a sponsored post and that’s what they were looking for. 😉
Joanne rusaw says
I happen to love the accompany stories. 🙂
Lisa says
Thank you Joanne! 😀
Terri says
I enjoyed your story , it told us what kind of store it was and how many things were available at that particular place. Frankly I have never have been to a B.J. ‘s .What part of the country are in where the B.J.’s would be .
Lisa says
I’m in the Northeast and it looks like most of the stores are located here. There’s a store locator on the BJ’s website.
Amber says
Can I put this in 2- 9×13 pans? One for now and one for the freezer? Or will there not be enough ingredients? I am excited to try this!
Lisa says
That’s a great idea! Yes. The recipe should make enough to fit into two regular casserole pans. 🙂
Janet Welch says
I’m just seeing this amazing sounding recipe but I’m confused on the actual # of servings and the carb count.
Thank you for any info.
Lisa says
20 servings, counts are for each serving.
Lori Pierce says
When making regular lasagna I substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta, do you think that would work for this recipe?
Lisa says
Absolutely!
Pam says
Does it taste like cabbage or is there no difference ?
Lisa says
Cabbage tastes like cabbage, but it is covered in lasagna flavors so it isn’t as strong as eating it plain.
DeeDee says
There are so many other italian flavors that you don’t taste or even really see the cabbage. Its just what separates your layers.
Lisa says
Agree!
Lisa L says
FYI, I believe cottage cheese has a higher carb count than ricotta…if that’s an issue for you. Making this tonight. Can’t wait!
karen vogelsang says
Hi. So what is the total net carbs per serving ? And how big is the serving ??? I will probably halve the recipe, since it’s only me. Would you please look into this for me? I really want to make this, but don’t want to overdo it with calories. Thanks
Lisa says
Each slice is about 3×3-inches in size. I’d definitely half or quarter the recipe if it’s just you.
Denice Burger says
I’m making this Saturday. Tonight I made your chicken Pizza and tomorrow I have your Cobb salad planned. I’m so happy to have found your site! Keep up the great writing/cooking/blogging 😊
Lisa says
You’ll love the cabbage lasagna. If not feeding a crowd or freezing for later, you’ll definitely want to scale it down. It makes a lot.
Carolyn Deutsch says
Can’t wait to try this! My husband is diabetic so this should work if I can find marinara sauce with low sugar content. Thanks for sharing this.
Lisa says
Most marinara sauce has no sugar added so it shouldn’t be hard to find.
Misty says
You can make your own with a can of sauce and one paste…
Loretta says
I made my own mariara sauce.In a bkender… 3 net carbs.. So good!!
Andy says
Nice recipe! Was curious if the 3lbs of ricotta was a mistake? That’s a lot of ricotta! lol
Lisa says
I used the whole container which is 3 pounds.
Tammy says
I was confused on this measurement as well. 16 ounces equals 1 pound. The typical “big tub” of ricotta is 32 ounces, which is 2 pounds. One “tub” of ricotta is plenty enough, 32 ounces, which is 2 lbs.
Jane says
Seriously, 3lbs of ricotta. PLUS parmesan. I mean, I sure it may taste great. So did McDonald’s fries….
Robin says
This sounds delicious! Think it would work in a crock pot?
Lisa says
It should, but I’ve never tried it.
Jenn says
If you don’t want to parboil the cabbage (pee-yew!!), you can just put the cabbage in the freezer, which softens the leaves. That’s what we do when making cabbage rolls. Do you need to parboil in order to have fully cooked cabbage in the finished product?
Lisa says
I’m thinking the freezer method works just as well. You just want to make sure the leaves are softened.
MARYJO REEVES says
WOW, THIS LOOKS AND SOUNDS DELICIOUS!! I AM ALWAYS LOOKING FOR RECIPES TO SHARE ON MY TIMELINE, AND OF COURSE I ALWAYS GIVE THE CREDIT TO THE PERSON WHO POSTS IT!!… THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS WONDERFUL LOOKING RECIPE, CAN’T WAIT TO TRY IT!!…. <3 MARYJO
Lisa says
I don’t mind the share as long as the recipe is not posted in it’s entirety.
Doreen says
why would anyone post a recipe that wasn’t all there?
Lisa says
When posting a recipe that isn’t yours, the correct way is to link to the full recipe.
Nikki says
You say this is low carb but it’s 9 carbs per 1 gram of food am I correct? That seems like a whole lot considering most will eat about 5 or 6 grams. I’m wondering if I’m reading this wrong. It does look delicious tho!!
Lisa says
That was a mistake and I have corrected it. The serving size wasn’t entered so the software automatically put in 1g for some reason.
Deidera says
Hi, Lisa. I was wondering what software you have that labels the nutritional info from a recipe?
Lisa says
WP Recipe Maker is the software I use for the recipes.
Cheryl says
Phenomenal!! Thank you for the recipe. Thank you for ALL of your recipes. Yours is my ‘go to’ low carb recipe website.
Lisa says
Thanks Cheryl! I really enjoyed this one too.
Miriam Jackson says
I made this tonight.. yummy… but it was quite liquidy.. mine did not plate as lovely as your photos… any thoughts?… i dried the parboiled cabbage leaves as you stated.. i even had extra meat too.. unsure where all the liquid is from
Lisa says
I actually let my cabbage sit for a while in the colander before drying each piece in a clean kitchen towel. Other than the cabbage, I’m not sure where it would come from. Could it have been from the sauce? Mine wasn’t liquid at all, but I did dry each piece of cabbage well in the towel.
AJ says
Will this recipe turn out if it is halved? Our household only has 2 people so this recipe seems a bit too large. Sounds delicious though!!
Lisa says
You can certainly half it and bake in a 9×13. Or, you can divide and freeze half for later.
Trina says
Hi, I’m sure that you’re an amazing cook, but I was wondering how it tasted being cabbage vs zuchini(sp?)
Lisa says
I like it better than the zucchini version. Cabbage has very little taste in this.
Sean says
Hi I follow you on twitter- Looks great and will try this!
A question for you… my mother in laws maiden name was MarcAurele, we are in UK but I know she has relatives in US (Vermont and Connecticut).
You look so similar to her when she was younger. You may be related!
Lisa says
She could be related to my husband! There are a lot of MarcAurele families here in Connecticut. I believe it’s a French Canadian name.
Michael says
Hi
Love your site. What would be a good replacement for the red sauce to a white sauce? Any ideas that you have tested?
Lisa says
It might be a lot of dairy, but I make my white sauce with heavy cream.