Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole (Video)

This Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna is so delicious, you won’t even miss the noodles! And this tasty low-carb casserole is also Keto, low-glycemic, gluten-free, and South Beach Diet friendly! Use the Diet-Type Index to find more recipes like this one.

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Watch the video to see if you might want to make
Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole.

Happy November everyone! I’m always happy when November comes around because Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday, and before long we’ll go into high gear on the blog spotlighting Carb Conscious Thanksgiving Recipes. But before the Thanksgiving recipe frenzy gets started I really wanted to share the new photos I took for this Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole. I just can’t say enough good things about this recipe that’s really the ultimate in low-carb comfort food!

I love creating low-carb or South Beach Phase One recipe ideas that go beyond the usual grilled-meat-and-salad meals that many people rely on when they’re watching their weight. I had comfort food in mind when I came up with the idea forHam and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin, and this Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casseroleis another comforting casserole that’s so loaded with flavor that you won’t even miss the lasagna noodles.

When I first made this I ate it for lunch and dinner two days in a row, and if I hadn’t put some in the freezer, I might have had it the next day as well! If you’re not a fan of kale yet, other sturdy greens like chard or collards would probably work, but I don’t think softer greens like spinach would hold up that well in this.

Cook the turkey Italian sausage until it’s cooked through and nicely browned. Then add low-sugar pasta sauce, dried basil, and ground fennel and simmer until the sauce is thick and water in the sauce has mostly evaporated. (The photo above is only about half-way through that cooking down of the sauce.) While the sauce simmers, cut out ribs of the kale and cut it into ribbons about 1/2 inch thick. Cook kale for a few minutes in boiling, salted water (just until it wilts), then let drain for a few minutes and then gently spin off any extra water in a salad spinner if you have one.

Spray a 9″ x 12″ casserole dish with non-stick spray and make layers with half the kale, half the thickened sauce, half the Parmesan, and half the Mozzarella. Then make another layer each of kale, sauce, Parmesan and Mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake in preheated 375F/190C about 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue to bake until the casserole is bubbling and the top is nicely browned, about 20-25 minutes more.

Let the mock lasagna sit for a few minutes before you serve it; then dig in and wait for compliments! This freezes well, but you probably won’t have any left.

More Tasty Low-Carb Ideas with Kale:

20 Delicious Low-Carb Kale Recipes ~ Peace, Love, and Low Carb
Kale, Bacon, and Cheese Breakfast Casserole~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Sheet Pan Kale and Egg Bake ~ Healthy Nibbles and Bits
Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash with Kale, Feta, and Mozzarella ~ 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!

Print Recipe

Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole

Yield: 6-8 servings

Total Time: 70-80 minutes

Prep Time: 30-35 minutes

Cook Time: 40-45 minutes

This Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna is so delicious, you won’t even miss the noodles!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized bunches of kale
• 1 tsp. salt (for water to cook kale)
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 pkg (19.5 oz) hot turkey or pork Italian Sausage
• 3 cups low-sugar pasta sauce (see notes)
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. ground fennel
• 2 T + 2 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 C + 1 C grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a 9″ x 12″ lasagna-type glass or crockery casserole dish with olive oil or non-stick spray.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy frying pan, squeeze sausage out of the casings, and cook over medium-high heat until the sausage is cooked through and nicely browned, breaking it apart with the turner as it cooks. When the sausage is done, add the pasta sauce, dried basil, and ground fennel. Stir to combine and let the sauce simmer 20-25 minutes, or until it’s thickened and the liquid is reduced.
3. While sauce simmers, add the salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Trim stems from the kale, then cut the kale into ribbons about 1/2 inch wide.
4. When the water starts to boil add the kale, lower heat so the water is gently boiling, and cook kale 4-6 minutes or just until it barely starts to wilt. (Some kale is much coarser than others, start to check after a few minutes so it doesn’t get overdone.)
5. Drain kale into a colander in the sink and let it continue to drain while you prepare other ingredients. (After it drained, I used asalad spinner to gently spin the water from the cooked kale.)
6. In the casserole dish, layer 1/2 the drained kale, 1/2 the sauce, 2 T grated Parmesan, and 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat with another layer of kale, sauce, Parmesan, and Mozzarella.
7. Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 20-25 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling and cheese is starting to brown.
8. Let the mock lasagna sit for about 5 minutes before you cut it. Serve hot.
9. This freezes well and can be easily reheated in the microwave.

Notes:

I used Paul Newman’s Common Good Tomato Basil Sauce with only 3 grams sugar in 1/2 cup to keep this recipe low in carbs. Recipe created by Kalyn.

All images and text ©Kalyn Denny for Kalyn's Kitchen.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
If you’re making Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole for the South Beach Diet, another low-glycemic diet, or a low-carb diet it’s important to use low-sugar pasta sauce (get the lowest sugar one you can find; the Paul Newman’s Common Good Tomato Basil SauceI used had only 3 grams of sugar per 1/2 cup, and since tomatoes have natural sugar, it doesn’t get much lower than that.) South Beach also recommends lower-fat turkey Italian sausage and reduced fat mozzarella. When those instructions are followed, this is suitable for any phase of the South Beach Diet. The recipe should also be suitable for most low-carb eating plans, which would prefer full-fat pork sausage and full-fat cheese.

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.

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