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"Just Like the Real Thing" Keto Lasagna

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Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·5 from 309 reviews

The original low carb lasagna recipe! This "Just Like the Real Thing" keto lasagna is rich and delicious, with layers of low carb noodles topped with savory meat sauce, creamy ricotta cheese, and melty mozzarella cheese. It is the ultimate in low carb comfort food.

A close up photo of a low carb lasagna. Melty cheese, sauce, beef, garnished with basil
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The best low carb lasagna recipe

This keto lasagna recipe is easy to make and tastes just like the real thing. In fact, over the years, I have been told many times that it should be called "Better Than the Real Thing" lasagna. It is so much better than zucchini lasagna. The keto lasagna noodles are so good that you can hardly tell you are eating a low carb, gluten free swap. If you have been wondering how to make keto lasagna, look no further.

Ingredients in the Best Keto Lasagna Recipe

The thing that makes this lasagna so close to the real thing is the noodles. You would never know that they are made up of just cheese, egg, and a little seasoning. Once you top them with the seasoned ground beef, homemade low carb marinara sauce, ricotta and parmesan, that is when they really shine.

For the Keto Lasagna Noodles

  • Cream Cheese: It is best to use a full fat cream cheese as it is lower in carbs than the low-fat or reduced fat varieties. Full fat cream cheese also has a richer flavor and a creamier texture.
  • Mozzarella Cheese: For these low carb lasagna noodles, you will want to use a pre-shredded, low moisture, part skin mozzarella cheese.
  • Parmesan Cheese: Finely grated parmesan cheese works best in this recipe, although you can also use a shredded parmesan. While fresh is always best, the green can/lid variety will also work.
  • Eggs: You will need 2 large room temperature eggs. I don't recommend making this recipe with egg substitutes as the noodles will not have the right texture.
  • Seasonings: The seasonings in these keto lasagna noodles are really optional, but they do add a lot of flavor.

For the Low Carb Lasagna Filling

  • Ground Beef: If you are using a fattier ground beef, be sure to drain any excess grease before adding the marinara to the pan. It is also delicious with half ground beef and half Italian sausage. For a lighter version, you can even make it with ground turkey.
  • Seasonings: While the marinara has a lot of flavor, I like to also make sure that the ground beef is well seasoning. I cook it with dried minced onion, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
  • Marinara Sauce: I like to make my own homemade low carb marinara sauce, but you can also use store-bought. My favorite is the Roasted Garlic Barilla. If you want to make your own, I have a couple of delicious recipes for you: Pesto Marinara Sauce and Three Cheese Garlic Marinara Sauce
  • Mozzarella Cheese: Again, you will want to use a shredded, low moisture, part skim mozzarella. I know this probably seems like a lot of cheese, but I promise it doesn't have an overly cheesy flavor.
  • Ricotta Cheese: Just like the cream cheese, I recommend using a full-fat ricotta cheese. Cottage cheese is a delicious substitution also.
A close up picture of a low carb lasagna with melty cheese, marinara and ground beef

More Low Carb Lasagna Recipe

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make the low carb lasagna "noodles" in advance?

Yes, you can. In fact, it will speed up the prep time considerably when you are ready to assemble and bake the lasagna. If you want to go a step further, you can even swap out the low carb marinara sauce and ground beef in this recipe for my Hearty Tomato Meat Sauce and make that in advance also.

Should you freeze a whole lasagna before or after you cook it?

With this particular recipe, you could do either. You can do all of the assembly steps ahead of time, freeze it, and then bake it when you are ready to eat it. Alternately, you could fully cook it, freeze it, and then reheat it in the oven later.

How can I make this gluten free lasagna in a larger pan?

To make a larger keto lasagna, simply double the recipe and instead of cutting each "noodle" into three equal parts, cut the noodles to fit the pan you are using.

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"Just Like the Real Thing" Low Carb Keto Lasagna - Peace Love and Low Carb

"Just Like The Real Thing" Keto Lasagna

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 309 reviews

  • Author: Kyndra Holley
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 6 Servings 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe

Description

This "Just Like the Real Thing" keto lasagna is rich and delicious, with layers of low carb noodles topped with savory meat sauce, creamy ricotta cheese, and melty mozzarella cheese. This low carb lasagna recipe is the ultimate in low carb comfort food.

Ingredients

Units Scale

(Order the Groceries to Make this HERE)

For the “Noodles”

  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 ¼ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • ¼ tsp Italian seasoning
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder

For the Filling

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced onion (I use this brand)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 ½ cups Marinara Sauce, divided (get the recipe here)
  • ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 6 tablespoons whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions

For the “Noodles”

  1. Preheat oven to 375° Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and eggs.
  3. Next, add Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
  4. Using a rubber spatula, fold in mozzarella cheese and mix until well incorporated.
  5. Spread the mixture into the baking dish, forming a nice even layer.
  6. Bake on the middle rack for 20 to 25 minutes.
  7. When the "noodles" are done baking, cool in the fridge for about 20 minutes and then cut into thirds. This makes three perfectly sized "noodle" layers for an 8.5 X 4.5 X 2.5 loaf pan.

For the Filling:

  1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine the ground beef, onion, oregano, garlic powder, dried basil and a pinch of salt. Cook until the meat is browned.
  2. Drain excess fat from pan and add 1 cup marinara sauce to meat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Putting it all together:

  1. Pour ¼ cup marinara sauce into bottom of loaf pan. Top with the first “noodle” layer
  2. Layer a third of the ground beef mixture. Top with ¼ cup mozzarella cheese and 3 tablespoon ricotta cheese, and cover with another “noodle” layer. Repeat these steps.
  3. Cover the top “noodle” layer with remaining meat sauce, marinara and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle Italian seasoning over top. Bake for 20 minutes.

Notes

  • Be sure that you are using parchment paper and not wax paper -- They are not interchangeable. The noodles will stick to wax paper, and you will not be able to get them off. It is also a good idea to grease your parchment paper. 
  • net carbs per serving: 5.6g
 
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Dinner Recipes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 399
  • Fat: 27g
  • Carbohydrates: 6.3g
  • Fiber: 0.7g
  • Protein: 33.5g

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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  1. Amber says

    My husband loved this recipe and he doesn't usually even like regular lasagna. He said he wants it on our regular rotation. I used Rao's vodka marinara, which is expensive at $6 per jar.. I may try to double the recipe next time and use a larger pan. Also, I always shred my own cheese because it tastes fresher and doesn't have the additives of preshredded. Thanks for bringing comfort food back to the low carb lifestyle!

    Reply

  2. Brenda says

    Oh my word - how have I not discovered your blog before now? I am absolutely thrilled to find a low-carb lasagna recipe that doesn't substitute some abominated form of zucchini or cauliflower for noodles! (HALLELUJAH - my husband might actually eat it!)

    All these great reviews mean this recipe goes on my short list of low-carb dishes to try. Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply

  3. Jen says

    Thank you, thank you, thank you! Love it! My husband and I are in our third month of a low carb life, and we needed some "pasta". He loves lasagna and I made this as a surprise for him - it was absolutely delicious!!

    Reply

  4. LuAnne says

    I've made this recipe before and it tastes amazing! But mine didn't slice well, probably because I used too much sauce. So this time I'm going to follow the recipe exactly. The recipe calls for 1-1/2 cups of marinara but I only see where 1 cup is used in the directions (3/4 c mixed with the filling and 1/4c in the bottom of the pan). Where does the extra 1/2 cup of sauce go?

    Reply

  5. Cathy Steinmetz says

    Can I please say thank you thank you thank you! I just started following a Keto lifestyle a couple weeks ago and have been experimenting with lots of things with some major "I won't make that again" moments. This, however is a keeper! The noodles smelled amazing and the flavor is just as good. I won't be missing noodles anymore. I'll be making your Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna to take to my family's Easter pot luck. I know it's going to be a hit!

    I'm looking forward to trying more of your recipes!

    Reply

  6. KCB says

    Yep! Cut "noodle" in thirds and make lasagna in loaf pan. Makes 4 servings for us.

    Reply

  7. Lori says

    I followed the directions to a t. I only get 3 servings for a 9x12 casserole dish. The noodles only make 1 layer. You’d have to make 2 more batches of noodles for this to work.

    Reply

    • Peace Love and Low Carb says

      The recipe calls for a loaf pan and the noodle layer is cut in thirds

      Reply

    • Natanya Amiel says

      Read it again. This recipe works perfectly. The lasagna is very filling as well. You get a loaf pan of lasagna but it is certainly enough for 4 servings.

      Reply

  8. Heather says

    This. Was. AMAZING!!!

    Reply

  9. dianafoot says

    I make a lot of meat spaghetti sauce at once and freeze the leftovers in individual meal-size bags, so I was ready to roll with this recipe! it took about 7-8 minutes from the time I got the noodle ingredients out and threw them into the food processor, until I spread it in the pan and put it in the oven. Once the noodles were baked and cooled, it took about 5 more minutes to assemble the lasagna and stick it in the oven.
    This lasagna, a big salad, and a piece of garlic toast for DH made us both very happy. He actually couldn't get enough and went back for seconds and thirds and raved about how great this lasagna is. What a wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  10. Natanya Amiel says

    This is undeniably a 5 star keto lasagna! Simply AMAZING.

    Reply