Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole (Video)

Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna is so delicious, you won’t even miss the noodles, and this mock lasagna is also gluten-free!

PIN Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole to try it later!

For today’s Friday Favorite featured recipe I’m reminding you about this Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole that’s been such a favorite on my site. I love creating low-carb or carb-conscious 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 for Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin, and this mock lasagna is 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.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• kale
• salt (for water to cook kale)
• olive oil
• 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 mock lasagna?

This recipe is called a mock lasagna casserole because the slightly-wilted kale is layered in a casserole dish like you would lasagna, and this recipe has some of the same flavors that people love in lasagna.

Want more tasty ideas for low-carb lasagna?

Check out Ten Amazing Low-Carb Lasagna Recipes for more low-carb casseroles with lasagna flavors!

How to Make Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole:

(This is just a summary of the steps shown in the photos; scroll down for complete recipe.)

1. Cook the turkey Italian sausage until it’s cooked through and nicely browned.
2. 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.)
3. While the sauce simmers, cut out ribs of the kale and cut it into ribbons about 1/2 inch thick.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Then make another layer each of kale, sauce, Parmesan and Mozzarella.
7. 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.
8. Let the mock lasagna sit for a few minutes before you serve it; then dig in and wait for compliments!
9. This Low-Carb Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole freezes very well, but you might not have any left!

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

This Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole 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:

• Kale, Bacon, and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
• Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash with Kale
• Lemon Parmesan Kale Salad
• Artichoke, Kale, and Ricotta Pie
• Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup

Weekend Food Prep:

This 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!

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 8 servings

Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 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
• 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

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.
3. When the sausage is done, add the pasta sauce, dried basil, and ground fennel.
4. Stir to combine and let the sauce simmer 20-25 minutes, or until it’s thickened and the liquid is reduced.
5. While sauce simmers, add the salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil.
6. Trim stems from the kale, then cut the kale into ribbons about 1/2 inch wide.
7. 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.)
8. Drain kale into a colander in the sink and let it continue to drain while you prepare other ingredients.
9. After it drained, I used a salad spinner (affiliate link) to gently spin the water from the cooked kale.
10. In the casserole dish, layer 1/2 the drained kale, 1/2 the sauce, 2 T grated Parmesan, and 1 cup mozzarella.
11. Repeat with another layer of kale, sauce, Parmesan, and Mozzarella.
12. 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.
13. Let the mock lasagna sit for about 5 minutes before you cut it. Serve hot.
14. 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:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 322Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 1089mgCarbohydrates: 4.9gFiber: 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.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
If you’re making Sausage and Kale Mock 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 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 mock lasagna 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 in 2022.

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