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Slice of cabbage ricotta lasagna layered with beef meat sauce, melted mozzarella, ricotta filling, and tender cabbage leaves on a white plate with fresh basil on top.
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Cabbage Lasagna Recipe

A lighter take on classic lasagna made with tender cabbage leaves layered with rich beef sauce, creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. High in fiber, lower in carbs, ready for the family dinners!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean
Keyword: Baked, cheesy, comfort food, meat
Servings: 8 people
Author: Karina Carrel

Ingredients

  • 1 whole cabbage cored and boiled until leaves are soft

Meat Sauce

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 carrot finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 34 oz ground beef
  • 24 oz passata
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste (heaped)
  • 2 beef bouillon cubes crushed
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp sugar

Ricotta Filling

  • ¾ cup fresh ricotta
  • 1 large egg
  • ⅓ cup parmesan grated
  • 4 basil leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • Cheese
  • 2 cups Light grated mozzarella generous amount
  • Parmesan to taste
  • Extra cheese to cover the top
US - Metric

Instructions

Prepare The Cabbage

  • Core the cabbage and boil in a large pot of salted water for 15–20 minutes, or until the leaves are soft and flexible enough to bend without tearing.
    Whole green cabbage boiling in a large pot of salted water to soften the leaves for cabbage lasagna.
  • Drain the cabbage and let it cool slightly before handling so the leaves separate more easily. Carefully peel off the cabbage leaves and transfer them to a tray or wire rack
    Softened cabbage leaves cooling on a wire rack after boiling.
  • Pat each leaf dry with paper towels.
    Patting softened cabbage leaves dry with paper towels before layering the lasagna.
    • Drying the leaves well helps prevent excess liquid from collecting in the baking dish later.

Make The Meat Sauce

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat.
    Olive oil heating in a large skillet for cabbage lasagna meat sauce.
  • Add the onion and carrot and cook for about 8 minutes, until softened.
    Chopped onion and carrot cooking in olive oil in a skillet.
  • Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
    Garlic added to softened onion and carrot mixture in a skillet.
  • Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon.
    Ground beef cooking with onion, carrot, and garlic for the cabbage lasagna meat sauce.
  • Cook until the meat is browned and fully cooked through.
    Browned ground beef cooked with vegetables in a skillet.
  • Stir in the passata, tomato paste, crushed bouillon, oregano, basil, and sugar until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    Passata, tomato paste, and dried herbs added to ground beef for cabbage lasagna sauce.
  • Cover and simmer for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
    Thick beef and tomato sauce simmering in a skillet for cabbage lasagna.
    • The sauce should look a little thicker than regular pasta sauce since the cabbage releases moisture while baking.

Make The Ricotta Filling

  • In a bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, parmesan, basil, and a pinch of salt until combined.
    Ricotta filling mixed with basil, parmesan, and egg for cabbage lasagna.

Assemble

    Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
  • Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a baking dish.
    tomato sauce spread on the bottom of a baking dish before layering cabbage lasagna.
  • Add a layer of cabbage leaves over the sauce, slightly overlapping them where needed to cover the bottom of the dish.
    Cabbage leaves layered over tomato sauce in a baking dish.
  • Spread some of the ricotta mixture over the cabbage leaves in an even layer.
    Cabbage leaves layered over tomato sauce in a baking dish while assembling cabbage lasagna.
  • Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the ricotta layer, making sure to cover most of the surface so every slice gets cheese throughout.
    Thick beef and passata sauce simmering in a skillet for cabbage lasagna.
  • Spoon some of the meat sauce over the mozzarella and spread it gently into an even layer without pressing down too much on the cabbage underneath.
    spoon of meat for cabbage lasagna
  • Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used.
    Meat sauce layered over mozzarella cheese in cabbage lasagna.
    • Overlap smaller cabbage leaves where needed instead of forcing large leaves into the corners.
  • Finish with mozzarella and parmesan on top and bake.
    Mozzarella and parmesan cheese added on top before baking cabbage lasagna.
  • Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until bubbling around the edges and lightly browned on top. Let the lasagna rest for 10–15 minutes before slicing and serving.
    Baked cabbage lasagna topped with melted cheese and fresh basil in a baking dish.
    • Resting helps the layers settle and makes the slices easier to serve.

Notes

Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. The slices actually reheat really well because the sauce settles into the cabbage overnight, making the lasagna easier to cut the next day.
For reheating, I prefer warming individual slices in the oven or air fryer instead of the microwave whenever possible. It helps the cheese melt more evenly and keeps the top from becoming too soft.
  • Freeze individual slices instead of the whole lasagna for easier reheating.
  • If your cabbage leaves are very large, trim the thick stem slightly before layering so the lasagna bakes more evenly.
  • A deeper baking dish works best here since the cabbage layers are slightly thicker than regular pasta sheets.
One thing I learned after testing this recipe a few times is not to overload the layers with sauce. It can be tempting, especially while assembling, but keeping the layers lighter gives you a much better final texture once baked.
Happy cooking! Xx
 

Nutrition

Calories: 520kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 757mg | Potassium: 1106mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 2280IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 495mg | Iron: 5mg