Sausage and Peppers Mock Lasagna Casserole
If you like sausage and peppers and the cheesy goodness of lasagna, you’ll love this Sausage and Peppers Mock Lasagna Casserole! This delicious casserole does have some carbs, but I’ll give you tips for reducing the carbs if you prefer.
PIN Sausage and Peppers Mock Lasagna Casserole to try it later!
This Sausage and Peppers Mock Lasagna Casserole was one of those comfort food ideas that just popped into my head, but it was definitely inspired by my friend Lydia’s Slow Cooker Sausage and Four Cheese Lasagna. When I made that recipe for our family Christmas party, using my Casserole Crock Pot (affiliate link) it was a huge hit. That got me thinking about a lower-carb mock lasagna casserole with those same lasagna flavors but using a different ingredient to stand in for the noodles.
I first tried this recipe idea of a mock lasagna with Jake, adapting Lydia’s homemade sauce a little and using roasted red peppers from a jar to replace the noodles. It was good, but I thought it could be improved, so the next time I cooked with Kara we made it again, making the sauce with lots of hot Italian sausage and using fresh red peppers that we roasted in the oven.
If you absolutely don’t have the time or desire to roast your own red peppers, go ahead and make this delicious mock lasagna with roasted red peppers from a jar and it will still be wonderful. But if you can take the extra time and roast red peppers in the oven, that takes the recipe to a whole new level of deliciousness! And although this Sausage and Peppers Mock Lasagna Casserole does have some carbs, it’s much lower in carbs than traditional lasagna and also gluten-free! (Check out Ten Amazing Low-Carb Lasagna Recipes to find a lasagna recipe with even less carbs!)
Roasting the Peppers for Sausage and Peppers Mock Lasagna Casserole:
(Scroll down for complete printable recipe.)
- Cut 5 red peppers into quarters lengthwise, removing the stem end and seeds. (You can get away with only four peppers if you’d like less carbs.)
- Put peppers on a baking sheet and broil just until the skin of the peppers is mostly black.
- Immediately put peppers into a plastic or glass bowl and cover with cling-wrap; let them steam for 15 minutes.
- Then peel off the skins and discard.
- If you’re not up to the extra work of roasting peppers, just use two 12 oz. jars of Roasted Red Peppers in a jar (affiliate link). Using peppers from a jar will slightly increase the carbs.
Assembling and Baking Sausage and Peppers Mock Lasagna Casserole:
- First make the sauce and mix the cheese. Squeeze hot turkey Italian sausage out of the casings and brown in a little olive oil; when it’s brown add the finely diced onion and minced garlic and cook a few minutes more.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, Dijon mustard (Lydia’s secret ingredient), Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link), and a few tablespoons of chopped fresh basil, pesto, or basil from a tube. (You could skip the diced tomatoes if you want even less carbs.)
- Simmer over low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce has thickened.
- While the sauce simmers, mix together the 2/3 cup grated Mozzarella, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, eggs, 2-3 tablespoons basil, and freshly grated Parmesan to make the cheese mixture. (You can use less Ricotta or skip it completely and use a bit more cottage cheese if you want less carbs.)
- Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick spray and make layers of half the roasted peppers, half the sausage sauce, and half the cheese mixture.
- Then make a second layer of the other half of the roasted peppers, sausage sauce, and cheese mixture. Top with a little more grated Mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Bake at 375F/190C for 45 minutes, or until it’s bubbling and the top is browned to your liking.
- As you can see, we had to try it right away! (That’s my photo from Instagram; are you following me there to see those kinds of recipe previews?)
Serve hot, with more grated Parmesan to add at the table if desired. This recipe stays good in the fridge for at least a week, or it can be frozen, and it reheats beautifully.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
I’d love this with Kale and Romaine Caesar Salad served on the side.
More Low-Carb Casseroles with Lasagna Flavors:
Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Roasted Garlic and Chevre Eggplant Lasagna ~ All Day I Dream About Food
Low-Carb Mock Lasagna Spaghetti Squash Casserole ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Low-Carb Lasagna Meatballs ~ I Breathe I’m Hungry
Grilled Zucchini Low-Carb Lasagna ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a new category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
If you like sausage and peppers and the cheesy goodness of lasagna, you'll love this Sausage and Peppers Mock Lasagna Casserole! I used Jenni-O Hot turkey sausage for this recipe. I used my frozen basil; use basil pesto from a jar or chopped basil from a tube if you don't have fresh or frozen basil. If you're not up for roasting peppers, use 2 12 oz. jars of Roasted Red Peppers (affiliate link), drain them well and pat dry. To make a version of this recipe that's still tasty but a bit lower in carbs use 4 peppers instead of five, skip the can of diced tomatoes in the sauce, and use less ricotta (or skip it completely and use a bit more cottage cheese). This recipe inspired by Slow Cooker Sausage and Four Cheese Lasagna from The Perfect Pantry and perfected with recipe testing help from Jake and Kara. Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Sausage and Peppers Mock Lasagna Casserole
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 318Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 766mgCarbohydrates: 17.2gFiber: 3gSugar: 16gProtein: 20g
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe isn’t ultra low in carbs because the peppers and tomatoes add some carbs, but it’s much lower in carbs than traditional lasagna recipes. See my tips throughout the recipe if you want to make a lower-carb version. If you’re making this for the South Beach Diet they would recommend low-fat sausage, cottage cheese, Ricotta, and Mozzarella; other low-carb diet plans would prefer full-fat ingredients.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Casserole Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
20 Comments on “Sausage and Peppers Mock Lasagna Casserole”
I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for so long, but FINALLY made it this evening. I’m very disappointed…that I waited for so long to make this. It is absolutely wonderful. Lasagne without the carb guilt? Ohhhh…yeah, this is (as hubby and I call it) going into heavy rotation. The flavors are spot on, the prep was easy enough, and the dish even looks amazing. Thank you again for sharing yet another fantastic recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it! I really like this one too!
I can’t wait to try this. My husband is not a fan of cottage cheese. Should I increase the amount of ricotta to make up for omitting cottage cheese or would it be too dry?
That should work to use more ricotta and skip the cottage cheese. Of course I haven’t done it that way so I can’t say for sure, but I think it will be fine.
Is there any substitute for the cheese? Just found out I can’t tolerate milk like I use too.
Sorry but I don’t have any experience with cheese substitutes.
I gave this a shot and I loved it. It is definitely a keeper for me. I froze about 1/2 of this since I am the only one eating low-carb in my family, and I would say it tasted just as good after re-heating. Still have some in my freezer which will make a great meal next week. I was a little leary about roasting my own peppers, and I did not quite get them blackened enough and the skin was a little tricky to peal off. Thanks for the great recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it so much! Even if they are a bit of a pain, roasting your own peppers is so flavorful.
Kalyn, This was a home run! My husband commented "Who needs the noodles? This is excellent." You have such good ideas and execution of them. Alice
Thanks Alice, so glad you guys enjoyed it!
Now you know I will have to try this version — it looks fantastic! And thanks for trusting my original recipe to serve to your family.
Lydia, your lasagna was fantastic. And this one is really good too for a low-carb version with similar flavors.
Can't wait to try this. I don't have an oven at the moment and I so want to make my own roasted peppers. Adding this to First Things to cook when I get a new stove. Thank you
Have fun with the new stove!
Oh, this looks so great! I have to give it a try!
Hope you enjoy Adina!
Looks delicious!!! Do you think I could cook it in my casserole slow cooker? If so how long?.
Deborah, I haven't tried it but I don't think I'd recommend the casserole slow cooker for this dish. Since there is no noodles to absorb the liquid, I think it will come out watery in the slow cooker. Sorry!
Looks delicious! Love that it's low carb I will have to give it a try.
Hope you enjoy Andrea!