Sausage and Kale Lasagna Casserole
This low-carb Sausage and Kale Lasagna Casserole is so delicious, you definitely won’t miss having noodles! And this nutritious and flavorful lasagna casserole is also gluten-free!
PIN the Sausage and Kale Lasagna Casserole recipe to try it later!
For today’s Friday Favorite pick I’m reminding you about this low-carb Sausage and Kale Lasagna Casserole that’s been such a favorite on my site. I love creating low-carb recipes that go beyond the usual grilled-meat-and-salad meals that many people rely on when they’re watching their weight.
And for everyone who likes sausage and kale, this tasty kale lasagna casserole is a comfort food dinner idea that’s so loaded with flavor that you won’t 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! I hope you’ll think of this tasty casserole with sausage and kale the next time you’re craving lasagna!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- kale
- salt (for water to cook kale)
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- hot turkey or pork Italian Sausage
- Rao’s Pasta Sauce (affiliate link), or other low-sugar pasta sauce
- Dried Basil (affiliate link)
- Ground Fennel (affiliate link)
- grated Parmesan cheese
- grated Mozzarella cheese
Why is this recipe called a lasagna casserole?
This recipe is called a lasagna casserole because the slightly-wilted kale is layered in a casserole dish with other ingredients in a way that’s similar to how you would layer noodles, meat, and sauce to make lasagna, and this recipe also has some of the same flavors that people love in lasagna.
What other greens could you use for the lasagna casserole?
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 casserole.
How low in carbs is the kale lasagna casserole?
This tasty lasagna casserole recipe with sausage and kale has only about 8 net carbs per serving.
Want more tasty ideas for low-carb lasagna?
Check out 20 Low-Carb and Keto Lasagna Recipes for more low-carb casseroles with lasagna flavors!
How to Make Sausage and Kale Lasagna Casserole:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Cook the turkey or pork Italian sausage until it’s cooked through and nicely browned.
- Then add low sugar pasta sauce (affiliate link), 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 (affiliate link) 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 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 kale lasagna sit for a few minutes before you serve it; then dig in and wait for compliments!
- This kale lasagna casserole recipe freezes very well, but you might not have any left!
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
This Sausage and Kale Lasagna recipe would be delicious served with Air Fryer Peppers and Onions, Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts, Air Fryer Roasted Mushrooms, Pan-Fried Broccoli with Pine Nuts and Parmesan, or Green Beans with Tomatoes.
More Tasty Low-Carb Recipes with Kale:
Weekend Food Prep:
This kale lasagna casserole recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Sausage and Kale Lasagna Casserole
This low-carb Sausage and Kale Lasagna Casserole 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
- 19.5 oz. package hot turkey or pork Italian Sausage
- 3 cups pasta sauce (see notes)
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. ground fennel
- 4 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 C grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a 9″ x 12″ lasagna-type glass or crockery casserole dish with olive oil or non-stick spray.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
- Drain kale into a colander in the sink and let it continue to drain while you prepare other ingredients.
- After it drained, I used a salad spinner (affiliate link) to gently spin the water from the cooked kale.
- 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.
- 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.
- Let the mock lasagna sit for about 5 minutes before you cut it. Serve hot.
- This freezes well and can be easily reheated in the microwave.
Notes
Nutritional information is calculated using Rao's Pasta Sauce (affiliate link) which has only 20 carbs in the whole bottle, the amount used in this recipe.
Recipe created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 322Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 107mgSodium 1089mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 2gSugar 6gProtein 30g
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.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
If you’re making Sausage and Kale Lasagna Casserole for a low-carb diet or the original South Beach Diet, it’s important to use low-sugar pasta sauce. I used Rao’s Pasta Sauce (affiliate link), but look for the lowest-sugar sauce you can find. South Beach would recommend lower-fat turkey Italian sausage and reduced fat mozzarella and keto or low-carb diets will prefer pork sausage and regular cheese.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Casserole Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This lasagna casserole with sausage and kale was first posted in 2012! Through the year the photos were updated and it was featured for Friday Favorites in 2019. It was last updated with more information in 2024.
114 Comments on “Sausage and Kale Lasagna Casserole”
I love, love this recipe! It is always a good sign when I make it for my friends and they want the recipe. I have a particular friend who has problems with tomato based recipes. What do you think about making this particular casserole dish with an Alfredo sauce? I would love your comments about this.
I’m so glad you have been enjoying it. I do like the idea of making it with Alfredo sauce. I might have to try that myself! Or maybe a variation with chicken and Alfredo sauce?
OMG This was Delicious did not miss the pasta will be our family recipe to go to for all holidays.
So glad you enjoyed it so much!
Made this tonight in the Instant Pot since I didn’t want to turn the oven on during the hot Phoenix weather. Just the two of us so I basically halved the recipe and used a 7 inch pan. Made pretty much as directed but instead of the oven cooked on high pressure for 7 minutes, 10 minute natural release. Will definitely make this again! Thanks for the recipe.
How fun. I hadn’t thought of making this in the Instant Pot but it sounds like it worked well. So glad you enjoyed it.
BEST LASAGNA EVER!!!!! I have dreams about this lasagna. Even I couldn’t mess up this recipe. Hands down 10 stars.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it so much!
I’ve been making this recipe for years – it’s my husband’s favorite (and I love it too)! I’m planning to make it tomorrow but picked up lacinato kale at the store instead of regular kale. Wondering if you’ve ever made that substitute? Since the lacinato is a little softer, I’m thinking I might try it without boiling the kale, or maybe just microwave it for a minute. Thank you!
Sorry to be so slow to respond. I haven’t cooked that kind of kale but I hope it worked for you!
This recipe is so amazing. I make it several times each year. It turned my husband into a Kale lover too!
So glad it was a hit for you!
Got this recipe from sister in law that has added it to her go to favorite go to recipes. I made it tonight…fabulous! So tasty. Never cooked with kale before now…simple and delicious. Satisfies those cravings for traditional lasagna. Substituted Romano for parmesan cheese for a little bit more of an Italian bite. The fennel makes it tastes like a legit lasagna.
HI Toni, So glad to hear that you and your sister-in-law have enjoyed it!
I was looking for a way to use up some kale, and decided to give this one a try. I used bagged pre-washed kale, so I had to mess with the amounts. I ended up using ~8 cups. I didn’t bother parboiling the kale. I figured it was going to cook plenty long in the oven. It worked just fine. I may have used more cheese than the recipe calls for because … well … cheese! It turned out great. I’ll be making this again. Thanks for the idea!
Glad you enjoyed it! Interesting to hear it worked without parboiling. I need to try that. And more cheese is always completely okay with me!
Hi thank you for the recipe! Do you think it would still work if I substitute kale for spinach ?
I’m not sure how well spinach will hold up in a recipe like this; it’s so much more delicate than kale. You could try it, maybe don’t even pre-cook the spinach. I wouldn’t use baby spinach. Love to hear how it works if you do try it.
I made this last night with a few modifications, and it was amazing! The Kale soaked up the flavor beautifully and it was like a true lasagna. However, it needed a lot longer to cool (maybe because of all the additional ingredients I added), and was more recognizably a lasagna in the morning after spending the night in the fridge.
Changes I made:
I opted to make my own sauce with: an onion, a pack of mushrooms, several cloves of garlic, lots of Italian seasoning, some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat, and, of course, the sausage. I also used provolone, ricotta, and mozzarella for my cheeses. They created a beautiful beautiful layers in the end product.
So glad you enjoyed it and had fun experimenting with the recipe. I always love it when people do that. Not sure why it would have taken longer to cook, but oven temperatures can be really variable so it might just be that.
This is soooo good! I’ve made it twice now and both my husband and 10 year old daughter love it. I know I’ll make this again and again. The fennel really makes it taste like “lasagna” and I love the flavor of kale with it all. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This low carb sausage and kale mock lasagna was so delicious and filling! Plan to make it again asap!
So glad you enjoyed it!
What a great way to add more veggies to my ketogenic way of eating. I will definitely give this recipe a try. My boyfriend who’s such a picky eater will love it for sure! Thank you
Kalyn, thank you for another fabulous low carb recipe!! My family loved it!
So glad to hear that, thanks!
Do you think this could be made with spinach instead of kale? I've never been a big fan of kale.
I can't say for sure, since I haven't done it that way. And I will say that the kale is much sweeter and less bitter when it's been cooked a long time like this. But if you want to try with spinach, I might use it raw (or barely microwaved, not even a minute) so it's not too soft. The softness of cooked spinach is my only concern; I think the flavor would be great.
I have absolutely no idea, but if you look for the section that says "Nutritional Information" I have a couple of suggestions for sites where you can calculate or find it.
A LOW carb lasagna?! I feel like I've hit the jackpot!! And these flavors just look too darn tasty. Cannot wait to try this one!
Thanks Karly; hope you enjoy!
This recipe is amazing! I've been making it on Sunday and having it for lunch during the week. Thank you thank you thank you!!
Thanks Karen; so glad you've been enjoying it!
Cee Jay, I have made it several times and it's never been watery for me, so I would recommend cooking the sauce down more and spinning the kale dry. I called it "Mock Lasagna" because it has all the flavors you often find in lasagna without the noodles.
Thanks for the nice note! So glad you are enjoying the recipes.
We made it last night! My husband, who as a single person ate almost no vegetables, devoured a third of it himself. I love your ideas! Thanks!
How I love hearing that; thanks for taking time to let me know you liked it!
Hi Annette, I hope you enjoy!
I will most definitely be making this at some point during the week. I'm back on phase 1 since I've plateaud and knew I could depend on your site for ideas. Thanks as always
Hi Charlene,
Thanks for making that extra effort to comment, and so glad you enjoyed it!
Wow! I just have to say this recipe is so good that I actually just signed up for an account so I could make this comment! I'm trying to cut down on carbs and this was a real winner. The husband, who does the actual cooking, was a bit reluctant to make this when I handed him the recipe; however, he liked it so much that he went back for seconds, which he never does. Amazing! Now I need to try some more of your recipes. It's so hard to find stuff that is healthy for me yet still tasty for him. Thank you!!!
Deb, I can only imagine!
Thank you so much. That's what I thought. It always takes longer to make suppers like this with little ones under feet.
Deb, I'm sure that will be fine. If the casserole is refrigerated in between time, I'd let it come to room temperature before baking.
Thank you for this recipe. We love it. I'd like to assemble during my son's nap and bake at supper time. Any reason this should not work?
Lia, so glad you are enjoying the recipes!
Made this tonight, I added ricotta cheese mixed with an egg and Parmesan. It was delicious, every recipe of yours I have made thus far has been amazing. Hubs went for thirds!! Thank you!!!
Thanks, hope you (and Sam) will enjoy it!
Kalyn, you are amazing! I will try this recipe tomorrow night. Can't wait.
Dave, so glad you enjoyed it. I love this recipe; need to make it myself again soon!
The only way to accurately describe how good this is is with a gratuitous amount of swear words.
So I'll simply say thank you, it was delicious.
I think both will work, but I used plain curly green kale.
I have curly and lacino kale…does any onw know if one would be better? I haven't cooked with the lacino yet, but it is in my garden.
Jen, I divide my leftover into individual servings to freeze, and I freeze in glass dishes so I can just microwave right in the dish. It can be thawed or not, although I thaw in the fridge when I remember to plan ahead. If you're freezing the entire casserole I would thaw in the fridge and then reheat in the oven. Maybe bake it slightly less time initially if you know you're going to freeze and reheat. Hope you enjoy!
How do you reheat this after it has been frozen? Oven, microwave? Do you defrost and then reheat? I have the ingredients on hand for this meal but we won't be able to eat it for about two weeks due to schedule conflicts. So in the freezer it will go!
Rebecca, it was great after being frozen! I gave a few of my frozen servings to my niece and her husband and they raved about it.
Any update on how the freezer portion worked when thawed? Need to do a bunch of plan ahead meals with my new work schedule and if this freezes/thaws well I'd love to add it to the list!
Kristy, so glad you liked it!
Made this tonight…FABULOUS! Thanks so much!!
Searched all over Pinterest for the perfect recipe to use up the half bag of kale I had. Found your recipe, made it and it is fabulous! Can't wait to make it for my bunco ladies! Thank you!
Robin, so glad to hear it was a hit.
Thanks for the great recipe! My family and I loved it tonight!
Karla, hope you enjoy it!
Yum. Yum. Yum. I had this for dinner tonight after buying a HUGE bag of Earthbound Farms Organic Baby Kale at Costco today and then wondering how in the world I was going to eat a pound and a half of kale by myself!. I'm vegetarian so I used Field Roast Italian "sausage" rather than real sausage. I loved it but I also found that it was quite salty. I'm guessing it was a combination of the sauce I used (Trader Joes organic marinara), the Pecorino cheese I used, and the sausage. I'll definitely make this again with a little less pecorino. Thanks for your wonderful wonderful recipes, Kalyn!! And for all of the suggestions as to what to do with all this kale. 🙂
Usually the salt in the cooking water doesn't make things taste salty unless you use really a lot of salt, but Parmesan is definitely salty, and some kinds are more salty than others so that may be it. Maybe try a bit less salt for the water (I would not skip it completely myself, but your call) and a bit less parmesan.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was wonderful, but really salty. I just checked the comments to see if anyone else had the same result. I'm not sure if next time (and there will be a next time!) I would use half the parmesan or cut out the salt when cooking the kale. Does kale really need the salt? I've never cooked with kale before.
Karen
Amanda, so glad you have been enjoying it so much! I think mushrooms that were sauteed until all the water was released might be a great addition!
this is the second time I've made this and I LOVE it!!!! I don't miss "real" lasagna one bit!! The first time I made it, I salted the water (for cooking the kale) as I would for cooking pasta….ew! Way too salty- but entirely my fault for not reading the recipe!!! Last night, I followed the recipe and it was perfect!!! Even the first batch, while salty, was still delicious! This might be my favorite of Kalyn's recipes!!! I think you could add additional vegetables if you like, maybe mushrooms would be fabulous – but I wonder if it would be too soupy? I'll try it next time and let y'all know~
Glad you like it; I love this recipe too!
This is my new favorite recipe! I'm blogging about it and encouraging others to try it and comment on this post if they like it. Let's see what happens!
I honestly don't know how it would work to freeze this before it's baked, but since the kale is slightly pre-cooked it might work. Would love to know how it turns out if you try it.
I do know it freezes well after it's cooked.
How would you freeze this? I'd like to prepare it earlier on the week and cook it during a busy weekday… would that be possible?
YUMMO! This is now one of my husband's favorite meals! I am making again next week. We all loved it! We are on a low carb diet so this is perfect! Who needs the noodles whe you have kale? Brilliant!
So glad you're enjoying it!
Made this for the second time tonight…it's amazing and it freezes well! Thanks 🙂
We made this for dinner last night and LOVED it. Couldn't get our 19-month old to try it, but we'll keep working on him. Thanks for the great recipe!
Glad you liked it! I do think Parmesan is pretty salty. I was trying to use the minimum of it that I could get away with and still get some of that flavor.
I made this last night and it was delicious. We did not even miss the pasta. Mine was a bit on the salty side and I think that is because I added extra Parmesan cheese over the top. I will make this again. Thank you so much for this "keeper" recipe!
So glad you liked it as much as I did!
Ok, this was absolutely AWESOME!!! Hubby even asked for seconds! Yep! Best. Use. Of. Kale. EVER!!! YAY! =)
Thanks Gay. Of course I love hearing that!
This was absolutely delicious. I will be making this again. I am so grateful I found Kalyn’s Kitchen. I LOVE your recipes.
Gay
So glad you liked it. I loved the way the kale got cooked with the tomato/sausage flavors.
We had this tonight and loved it! I have been doing something similar with a cauliflower/cottage cheese layer instead of kale and I think I prefer the kale! Thanks Kalyn, I am looking forward to many more great ideas!
Nicole, so glad you enjoyed it. I have kale on my shopping list so I can make it again.
This was so delicious! It honestly did not seem like it was missing pasta. My husband said it reminded him of deep-dish pizza. A new favorite recipe for Phase One or any time!
Kale will stay good in the fridge for at least a week, maybe more. Hope you enjoy it!
Bought me 2 lovely bunches of kale yesterday with plans to make this for dinner tonight. And then found out I have a evening meeting tonight. How do you think the kale will keep in the fridge? I have very little experience with kale, so thought I'd ask since you seem to work with it a bunch. =)
Thanks Mary! I love that the recipe won over someone who was skeptical!
This was SO delicious! My husband was skeptical, but he wound up eating two pieces. The kale flavor really did mellow in the tomato sauce and was so rich-tasting. I also added about 1/3 cup of grated aged cheddar, just because I had it on hand and was a little short on mozz. Thank you for the recipe!
Heather, great idea to use the stems!! So glad to hear you are enjoying the blog.
This was really tasty, Kalyn! Only change I made was to finely chop the stems and toss them in with the sausage when browning. No kale left behind! 🙂
PS: I've been reading your blog for over a year now, but this is my first comment. I should have said thank you months ago – your recipes have played a large role in my lifestyle change. Better late than never, I hope – thank you!!!
FOODalogue, the sausage really did give this great flavor.
Simona, I guess I wouldn't give up my warm weather crops, good point. I am going to try freezing cooked kale!
Liana, glad everyone enjoyed it!
I made a small pan of this the other night (with a few minor tweaks), and it was great—my five-year-old daughter especially liked it. ("*I* don't matter if there's no pasta, Mom," she said.) Thanks so much for sharing all these fun dishes this month!
Please, do not be jealous of us with garden kale, at least not of me. While I have kale year round, I have no tomatoes, no peppers, no zucchini, etc. Fortunately, other greens also grow here and there, so the bed doesn't look like a monoculture. I'll give a try to this recipe for sure. As an aside, I freeze cooked kale too, so even if the garden takes a little break, I have plenty of kale available.
I'm happy so many people are liking this (and jealous of all of you who still have garden kale!)
I've done something similar but I kept it too diet-y (no meat). This looks so much more satisfying. Thanks for posting it.
I LOVE this idea, Kalyn – and I even have some kale still growing in my kitchen garden. But now I think I'd better order a few extra packets of kale seeds for spring! 🙂
This looks ridiculously good!! My husband and I recently discovered how delicious kale is. I can't wait to try it.
Love, love, love! We have kale in our Florida winter garden right now, and lots of it. Because I'm wheat intolerant, I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate my favorite flavors without relying on noodle substitutes. I adore lasagna and always make my own sauce (so it is sugar FREE!) I love eating more healthy by incorporating greens, and cutting out high glycemic starches. This looks like something I'll make this week-end!
This sounds so delicious… I am definitely trying it soon!
Thanks all, so glad you guys are liking the idea.
Your Kale Lasagna has become a staple in our house, so having this Phase I variation is a surprising twist.
Kale is a SUPERFOOD. I don't think it has a cape and flies around, but it is supposed to have lots of vitamins and be extra healthy for us.
Ingenious! And as I've promised to eat more dark leafy greens this year, this lasagna is zooming to the top of my list.
This looks so good! have an extra bag of Kale that I need to use up and some chicken sausage that was destined for the doggies. I'll be making this instead!
It looks like a fabulous mock lasagna. I don't know if I've ever eaten kale. I'm sure this would be a great way to start.
All the flavors of lasagna but without all the calories and and carbs? Count me in! I love my pasta, but I also LOVE my skinny jeans. This sounds fabulous!
Absolutely loving this idea Kalyn. Been craving lasagna lately and really like the fact that this kind of cheats away the pasta! ;o)
Alyssa, I love kale too. Glad you like the recipe.
Jana, it's a green like spinach but with a stronger, slightly bitter flavor. I'd say it's an acquired taste, but in a dish like this where it's cooked with the tomato sauce it's much sweeter and very delicious.
Martha, thanks! Glad you like it.
Jeanette, I loved it; really made the kale tasty to be cooked in the sauce.
Kalyn, such a clever low carb lasagna! I love kale and would love to try this.
Wow, this looks yummy! With all my favorite foods – sausage, kale, and marinara sauce. I've been craving lasagna, but wondering how to make it work for my gluten intolerant stepson.
You've given me a solution. Can't wait to give this a try.
What a fun way to eat your greens!
I've never had kale. What does it taste like?
Yum! I am a kale fan and lover. What a creative way to use it!