Best Cabbage Lasagna Recipe

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Want a delicious twist on lasagna? Love cabbage rolls? When you combine the classic design of lasagna with the incredible flavors of cabbage roll, you get this amazing cabbage lasagna recipe. It's packed with flavor, healthy, and ideal for a comforting weeknight dinner.

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Best Cabbage Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
Handy Kitchen Tools
How to Make Cabbage Lasagna
Frequently Asked Questions
More Comfort Food Meals
📖 Recipe

Best Cabbage Lasagna Recipe

This cabbage lasagna is amazing! It combines the classic design of lasagna with the incredible flavors of cabbage roll. You won’t believe how good it is.
I know you’re going to love this recipe simply because it is perfect for any occasion where that is a family dinner or a meal to serve friends and family.

This cabbage lasagna is the perfect blend of two classic dishes. It’s easy to make and will amaze your taste buds. If you like cabbage as much as we do, you'll probably also love this classic cabbage rolls recipe or the simple cabbage vegetable soup recipe. Both are fantastic and super easy to make.

red oval baking dish with lasagna topped in red sauce

Ingredients

1 medium head cabbage
1 pound ground meat (500 g)
1 cup cooked rice (125 g)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large tomatoes
1 small onion
1 ½ cup fresh parsley (40 g)
2 tablespoons fresh basil (optional)
2 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted)
12 cloves garlic
6 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon aleppo pepper powder
2 tablespoons dried mint
1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
½ cup tomato paste (112 g)
2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 cup water

sliced cabbage lasagna on lettuce on black plate on wood table

Handy Kitchen Tools

square white and gray plate with slice of lasagna on top next to red onions on teal tablecloth

How to Make Cabbage Lasagna

Cut the head of cabbage in half and place it into a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.

Cook the cabbage for 15 minutes or until the cabbage is tender. Drain the liquid from the cabbage and set it aside to cool while you prepare the filling and sauce.

If needed, cook rice now then set it aside.

In a blender or food processor, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tomato, 1 onion, 1 cup fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons fresh basil (optional),2 tablespoons butter, 8 garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon dried mint, ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ cup tomato paste, and 1 teaspoon salt.

hand adding tomato and onion to food processor

Pulse the mixture until combined and the garlic and tomatoes are pureed nicely then set it aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, rice, and tomato sauce mixture until well combined.

glass bowl of ground meat and tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 375°F/200°C.

Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray or butter well.

Then add a layer of cooked cabbage leaves into the bottom of the dish, hanging them over the sides so the cabbage will create a layer on the bottom that can fold over the top of the filling.

Spread ⅓ of the meat mixture on top of the cabbage leaves, leaving the leaves laying over the top edge of the pan.

hands spooning ground beef onto cabbage leaf

Add a second layer of cabbage leaves over the meat mixture, covering it completely.

cabbage leaves over ground meat in oval casserole dish

Then top it with another ⅓ of the meat.

spreading ground meat and rice over cabbage leaves

Repeat this adding a third layer of cabbage leaves, and the remaining meat, then fold the remaining tops of the leaves that are on the sides over the top of the casserole.

hands putting cabbage leaves over top of casserole

Set aside the casserole to prepare the additional sauce.

In the food processor, blend together 1 tomato, 4 garlic cloves, ½ cup fresh parsley, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon dried mint, 1 tablespoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ¼ cup tomato paste, 1 cup water, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pulse together to create a sauce until a smooth sauce is created.

sauce in food processor sitting on black table

Pour the sauce over the top of the cabbage casserole.

sauce being poured over the top of cabbage in casserole dish

Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes.

hand in green oven mits putting casserole dish onto trivet

Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

slice of lasagna on marble plate sitting on black table

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Cook the Cabbage Before Layering?

Yes. It is best to go ahead and cook the cabbage leaves to soften them for layering.

To blanch cabbage, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Place the cabbage leaves in the boiling water for about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry using a paper towel before layering. Let the cabbage leaves cool to the touch, so that you can handle them without getting burned, and then you can continue making the lasagna.

Can I Use Other Proteins in Cabbage Lasagna?

In my recipe for cabbage lasagna, I am using ground beef. It is cheap and the go-to protein for making this recipe. However, that doesn't mean you can't change things up. Any ground meat will work well in this recipe. You can use ground chicken or turkey, ground pork or even ground sausage. If you have leftover chicken, you can also use shredded chicken.

If using already cooked protein, you can reduce the cooking time for this. I would recommend cooking for only 20 minutes rather than the 45 minutes needed to cook through the ground beef.

Is Cabbage Lasagna Freezer Friendly?

This is a great dish to make for a freezer meal. Because it is hearty and filling, it is a great dinner idea to take out of the freezer in the morning before you leave for work or the night before, then reheat it when you get home. A great way to skip take out.

When placing cabbage lasagna in the freezer, I like to use disposable pans. This keeps my regular baking pans free to use on an everyday basis. I also do not have to worry about whether the pan is freezer safe. Another option is to wrap the slices of cabbage lasagna in plastic wrap and freeze them as individual portions if it is leftovers from dinner.

Is This Cabbage Lasagna Recipe Keto Friendly?

This recipe for cabbage lasagna is not keto-friendly. That is because it has rice in it. If you want to make it keto-friendly with fewer carbs, you can substitute white rice for cauliflower rice. Be careful because cauliflower rice has higher water content and you want to make sure to thaw and cook it well first so that it does not make your casserole too watery.

What Can I Use in Place of Aleppo Pepper Powder?

If you can't find Aleppo pepper powder in your market, you can substitute a combination of smoked paprika and cayenne pepper instead. ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika and ¼ teaspoon cayenne is a good mixture for this recipe.

red casserole dish with red sauce on top sitting on white table with red pepper mill in background

More Comfort Food Meals

If you want a delicious and comforting meal, we have tons of great ones to add to your meal plan. Below are some of our favorites that are delicious and family-friendly. Make sure that you bookmark the recipe, print out the recipe, or pin the recipe to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest.

📖 Recipe

Yield: 8

Best Cabbage Lasagna Recipe

A delicious combination of lasagna and cabbage rolls creates the ultimate weeknight meal with this layered cabbage lasagna recipe! Every bite is filled with meat, rice, cabbage, and delicious sauce!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 medium head cabbage
1 pound ground meat (500 g)
1 cup cooked rice (125 g)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large tomatoes, divided
1 small onion
1 ½ cup fresh parsley (40 g), divided
2 tablespoons fresh basil (optional)
2 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted)
12 cloves garlic, divided
6 tablespoon lemon juice, divided
1 teaspoon aleppo pepper powder, divided
2 tablespoons dried mint, divided
1 ½ teaspoons black pepper, divided
½ cup tomato paste (112 g), divided
2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 cup water

Instructions

Cut the head of cabbage in half and place it into a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
Cook the cabbage for 15 minutes or until the cabbage is tender. Drain the liquid from the cabbage and set it aside to cool while you prepare the filling and sauce.
If needed, cook rice now then set it aside.
In a blender or food processor, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tomato, 1 onion, 1 cup fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons fresh basil (optional),2 tablespoons butter, 8 garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon dried mint, ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ cup tomato paste, and 1 teaspoon salt.
Pulse the mixture until combined and the garlic and tomatoes are pureed nicely then set it aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, rice, and tomato sauce mixture until well combined.
Preheat the oven to 375°F/200°C.
Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray or butter well.
Then add a layer of cooked cabbage leaves into the bottom of the dish, hanging them over the sides so the cabbage will create a layer on the bottom that can fold over the top of the filling.
Spread ⅓ of the meat mixture on top of the cabbage leaves, leaving the leaves laying over the top edge of the pan.
Add a second layer of cabbage leaves over the meat mixture, covering it completely. Then top it with another ⅓ of the meat.
Repeat this adding a third layer of cabbage leaves, and the remaining meat, then fold the remaining tops of the leaves that are on the sides over the top of the casserole.
Set aside the casserole to prepare the additional sauce.
In the food processor, blend together 1 tomato, 4 garlic cloves, ½ cup fresh parsley, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon dried mint, 1 tablespoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ¼ cup tomato paste, 1 cup water, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pulse together to create a sauce until a smooth sauce is created.
Pour the sauce over the top of the cabbage casserole.
Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes.
Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing to serve.