A simple keto hamburger cabbage casserole recipe with ground beef and a tomato sauce. It's great for preparing ahead and baking just before serving.

Article Index

How to Make a Keto Cabbage Casserole
Slow Cooker Option
Reducing Carbs
Storing Leftovers in the Refrigerator
Freezing Ground Beef and Cabbage Casserole
More Easy Cabbage Meals
Recipe

I'm a big fan of easy low-carb meat and vegetable recipes. They are my go-to dishes for quick weeknight meals.

Cabbage is a vegetable that I don't eat as often as cauliflower and broccoli. Although I really enjoy eating it in coleslaw, I rarely cook with it.

But I needed to use up some canned tomatoes so I came up with this ground beef keto cabbage casserole recipe. It's simple to prepare and makes a perfect easy keto dinner.

This easy weeknight meal has quickly become a family favorite because it's so delicious too.

How to Make a Keto Cabbage Casserole

The recipe is made with simple ingredients and can be broken down into three steps:

Boil chopped green cabbage and brown ground beef in a large pan.
Mix the tomato based sauce into the cooked meat.
Layer the cabbage and meat mixture in a casserole pan and bake.

Slow Cooker Option

For those that like slow cooking, you can use a crock pot instead. Just layer the meaty tomato sauce and chopped fresh cabbage into the slow cooker. There's no need to cook the vegetable first!

The cabbage casserole will be ready to enjoy after 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low. You really just need to heat things up and soften the cabbage.

I love using the slow cooker so there's no need to babysit the oven. Plus, you can leave the house to run errands and have your keto meal cooking at home without worry.

Reducing Carbs

Tomatoes do add some sugar to this hamburger cabbage casserole recipe. If you are on a really strict keto diet, you may want to reduce the amount or water it down.

However, most of the carbs in the recipe come from the cabbage. So you can use less of it and add more meat to make up the volume.

For added flavor, sprinkle in some Italian seasonings. You can even turn up the heat with a little red pepper flakes.

Storing Leftovers in the Refrigerator

Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week. But it's best to consume them within 4 to 5 days. Freezing is recommended for longer storage.

ground beef and cabbage casserole on plate and in baking dish

Freezing Ground Beef and Cabbage Casserole

The dish can be frozen baked or unbaked for up to 3 months. So you can easily make it months ahead for an easy keto frozen meal.

I like to split the recipe into two 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch pans. That way, I can cook one right away and freezer the other one for later.

The frozen unbaked keto casserole can be baked right from the freezer. You'll just need to add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.

If you want to freeze the casserole after baking, allow it to cool first. Then divide it into freezer-safe containers in the desired portion sizes.

To reheat the frozen cabbage casserole portions, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator first. Then either microwave or reheat in a foil covered dish in a low temperature oven until heated throughout.

For another great dish to keep in your freezer, check out my cheeseburger casserole recipe.

More Easy Cabbage Meals

If you love this tasty vegetable, you'll want to include it regularly in your low-carb meal planning. Here's a list of some of my favorite keto dinner ideas featuring cabbage:

Cabbage and Sausage is a classic dish that's so quick, easy, and delicious. It's sure to become a favorite family meal.
Keto Cabbage Lasagna makes enough to feed a crowd but you can scale it down or freeze it in smaller baking dishes.
Crack Slaw got it's name because it's such an addictive dish. You'll love how quick it is to prepare.
Creamed Cabbage and Hamburger comes with a Cajun spiced cream sauce that makes the casserole taste incredible.
Keto Egg Roll in a Bowl is a great way to enjoy the flavor of Chinese takeout without the carbs.

Follow us on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, and INSTAGRAM for even more tasty keto-friendly recipes!

Recipe

Hamburger Cabbage Casserole

4.84 from 6 votes

A simple low carb cabbage beef tomato casserole. This recipe bakes up in the oven so it can be prepared ahead and heated up just before serving.

Prep Time:5

Cook Time:1 45

Total Time:1 50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Print Pin Review Recipe Save Recipe

Servings: 15 people

Calories: 113

Video

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut cabbage into chunks; put in boiling water for 15 minutes. Remove from pot and cool.
Cook ground beef until brown.
In a bowl combine beef, tomato sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, minced onions and salt.
Spread a thin layer of tomato mixture on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan. Place half of the cabbage over tomato layer and top with half of tomato mixture. Repeat layers. Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1- 1.5 hours.

Notes

Cabbage leaves should be fairly soft after boiling.

The dish can be frozen for up to 3 months before or after baking. To reheat the frozen unbaked casserole, just add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time. Frozen leftovers should be thawed in the refrigerator before reheating in a microwave or conventional oven.

Leftovers can also be refrigerated for up to a week.

Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart

Nutrition

Additional Info

Net Carbs: 5 g | % Carbs: 19.6 % | % Protein: 27.5 % | % Fat: 52.9 % | SmartPoints: 4

Values

Array
(
    [calories] => 113
    [carbohydrates] => 8
    [protein] => 7
    [fat] => 6
    [saturated_fat] => 2
    [cholesterol] => 21
    [sodium] => 406
    [fiber] => 3
    [sugar] => 5
    [potassium] => 422
    [vitamin_a] => 330
    [vitamin_c] => 29
    [calcium] => 46
    [iron] => 2
)

Notes 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.

Copyright

© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.

First Published: November 24, 2010... Last Updated: September 15, 2020 with new photos and additional recipe information

Comments

Marianne

March 31, 2023 at 2:03 pm

hello - have tried many of your recipes, quite enjoyed them -just a question re "head of cabbage" size" - living in Canada, just wondering what size in pounds is being referred to? thanks in advance.

- Chris Cagle
  
  April 17, 2023 at 4:32 pm
  
  It is usually between 1.5-2 lbs in the US
  
Steven

August 30, 2021 at 9:58 am

Lisa, just doing this in a slow cooker, for the 3rd times, add a few this and that and always turn out some tasty, my wife always love coming home from work to eat your recipes, thank you

- Lisa MarcAurele
  
  August 30, 2021 at 12:29 pm
  
  The slow cooker is a great way to make this one without turning on the oven! So glad you and your wife enjoy the recipe!
  
- Bev
  
  February 24, 2022 at 12:01 pm
  
  Does the hamburger have to be cooked first for the slow cooker
  
  - Lisa MarcAurele
    
    February 24, 2022 at 12:04 pm
    
    I always brown ground beef first otherwise it will clump together when cooking.
Jamie Plum

December 01, 2020 at 8:30 am

Hi There,

I am looking for Keto Air Fryer easy recipes. I am an older person with a broken back and need recipes that are somewhat quick and easy. I know it is a hard thing to find but an hoping you will have a few suggestions. Ground Beef recipes would be great.

Thank you

- Lisa MarcAurele
  
  December 01, 2020 at 8:42 am
  
  I don't have any ground beef air fryer recipes. You can see the ones I have by doing a search for "air fryer"
  
Janet Bradley

October 08, 2020 at 4:20 pm

Could I use crushed tomatoes instead?

Thanks, Jan

- Lisa MarcAurele
  
  October 09, 2020 at 8:55 am
  
  Crushed tomatoes should work in the recipe too.
  
Karen E

September 21, 2020 at 11:40 am

Thank you for sharing this. It prompted me to order the cookbook on Amazon.

- Lisa MarcAurele
  
  September 21, 2020 at 4:47 pm
  
  Thanks so much for ordering the cookbook! Hope you love the recipes.
  
Tina

March 06, 2019 at 6:36 pm

Is this cooking time right? An hour to an hour and 1/2 cook time? I feel like the cabbage would be mush by then

- Lisa MarcAurele
  
  March 07, 2019 at 7:56 am
  
  Time is correct. It's a very large casserole.
  
Donna

November 28, 2018 at 6:16 pm

Thanks for the updated recipe.. When using the crock pot, does the cabbage need to be boiled first or just layered in? I'll be making this next week for a pot luck dinner. I've used quite a few or your other recipes and really find them easy to make and delicious.

Thanks for all your hard work.

- Lisa MarcAurele
  
  November 29, 2018 at 1:43 pm
  
  The cabbage should cook down in the sauce when using a crock pot so I'm thinking it shouldn't need to be boiled. And the heat in the crock pot should cook and soften the cabbage so I'm pretty sure you'll be okay not cooking it first.
  
Emily Kemp

July 03, 2018 at 11:25 am

This is such a hearty and delicious looking recipe, can't wait to try it!

Lisa

June 13, 2011 at 1:42 pm

I really like to use cabbage in place of pasta. This recipe sounds good and will try it. I like to use shredded cooked cabbage in place of pasta in my lasagna recipe. Also, I like to use steamed cabbage leaves rolled around a mixture of browned ground beef or turkey with italian seasoning and spagetti sauce, onions,peppers,canned chopped tomatoes. Place in baking dish top with shredded mozzerella cheese bake until melted and brown.

Dinetonite

December 08, 2010 at 3:57 pm

What a great perfect its look delicious i will make them soon. Thank you very much.

4.84 from 6 votes (3 ratings without comment)