I know what you’re thinking, but this cabbage and sausage lasagna is honestly really good. I was skeptical too but it worked beautifully and hit all the comfort notes we were craving. And just look at it! Zero refined flour, all whole food ingredients and so delicious. You absolutely have to try this one.
Cabbage Lasagna
Servings: 4
1/2 head green cabbage
1 (24 oz.) jar marinara (no sugar added)
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped (organic preferred)
1/2 lb. Italian ground sausage or links (whichever you prefer but high-quality please)
1 ball, whole milk mozzarella, cut into thin slices
Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Fresh basil, for garnish
Ricotta Filling:
10 oz. whole milk ricotta
1 egg, slightly beaten (organic preferred)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
Fresh ground pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain ricotta cheese in cheesecloth to remove excess liquid. Simply wrap in cloth and squeeze gently. Once drained, mix all filling ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate while preparing the rest of the lasagna.
In a hot skillet, brown the sausage. Once cooked through, add onion and bell pepper and sauté until tender. Add the jar of marinara, stir to combine and simmer for about 15-20 min to reduce into a rich, thick sauce. Taste and adjust salt/pepper.
While marinara is simmering, cut out the core of the cabbage and carefully tease apart outer leaves so you have ‘sheets’ of cabbage. If any hard stem remains on the leaves, cut them out. Steam leaves until just tender; transfer to a towel to remove any excess moisture.
In an oven-proof pan, layer 1/2 cup of the marinara in the bottom. Place 1/2 the sheets of cabbage down to create the first layer. It’s ok to overlap the cabbage leaves so you have a good base. Add 1/2 the ricotta mixture and spread evenly over cabbage. Next add 1/2 of the remaining marinara and spread evenly. Place sliced mozzarella on top (as much or as little as you prefer) and repeat all layers. Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese if you’d like.
Pop lasagna into preheated oven and bake for 30 mins. If you’d like the top golden brown, broil for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let set for 5-10 mins. Top with chopped basil and serve.
Note: As leftovers sits in the fridge, liquid will collect in the bottom of the pan. This is ok! It’s happening because there is no pasta to absorb moisture from the veggies and sauce. Simple drain off.
Variations:
You can use a mixture of pork and beef, ground beef or whatever you’d prefer instead of sausage. You can also use more or less cheese, add shredded carrot to the marinara for extra veggie goodness (great hack for kids), or go meatless.
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