Lasagna is one of those low-cost, easy meals that can feed a lot of people or leave you with a good amount of leftovers. That said, it’s also carb and calorie-heavy. So, I went looking for a healthier alternative. That’s how I found out about cabbage lasagna! The carb count is way down and the calorie count is almost half of traditional lasagna. Cabbage is also fiber-rich. Plus, it’s cheaper to make anyway. Last I checked, lasagna noodles are almost $2.00 for 16oz. Cabbage is around $0.80 for the same amount. Let’s get into it.

The Ingredients  

• 1 pound lean ground meat (I used a 50/50 ground turkey and ground pork sausage mix.)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 4 ounces mushroom pieces (Optional. I had mushrooms leftover from a different meal.)
• 10 ounces of spinach (Again, optional.)
• 1 head of cabbage
• 24 ounces Ricotta cheese
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (Melts better from a block instead of pre-grated.)
• 1 jar of pasta sauce (I used Rao’s.)
• 1 large egg (Optional. It just helps the Ricotta set, if you care about a clean cut.)
• cooking spray or olive oil
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (Again, melts better from a block.)
• Salt and pepper
• Any other seasonings that you would like to add (I like to use a little bit of Italian seasoning.)

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375 F.
2. Boil your cabbage in for 15-20 minutes.
3. While your cabbage is boiling, fry your onion and garlic until brown.
4. Add your ground meat and season to taste.
5. Fry the meat until it browns.
6. Drain the meat.
7. Add your spinach, mushrooms, and pasta sauce.
8. Lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. This is a very important step because the cabbage will release water when it gets baked and you don’t want soggy lasagna.
9. When your cabbage is done, drain it well and be sure to pat it dry. You want the cabbage as dry as possible. Like I said, it will release water in the oven.
10. Separate 1 cup of the mozzarella for the top layer.
11. Mix the rest of the cheese and the egg together in a bowl.
12. Lightly coat your casserole dish with oil.
13. Gently place the first layer of cabbage at the bottom of the dish.
14. Add a layer of your meat sauce.
15. Add a layer of your cheese mixture.
16. Repeat the layers until the lasagna is the size that you want.
17. Top it with the cup of mozzarella cheese that you separated earlier.
18. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
19. Broil for 3-5 minutes if you want a more golden crust.

Now you have easy, quick, low-carb, lower-calorie lasagna. You should still have a good amount of cooked cabbage left. It goes great in stir fry! By the way, you can replace the cabbage with zucchini and still have good results. Enjoy!