This keto-friendly lasagna recipe offers a delicious low-carb twist on the classic Italian dish, replacing traditional noodles with a homemade cheese dough. The cheese noodles, made from a blend of cream cheese, mozzarella, eggs, and Italian seasoning, create a firm yet soft texture that mimics traditional lasagna noodles when layered with savory meat, marinara sauce, and ricotta cheese.

To keep the lasagna low-carb, the recipe suggests using a no-sugar-added marinara sauce, emphasizing brands like Muir Glen or Rao’s, or providing the option to make your own. The ground beef filling is seasoned with Italian herbs, creating a flavorful and hearty meat sauce that complements the cheesy layers.

Assembling the lasagna involves slicing the cheese dough into thirds and layering it with the meat sauce, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella in an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. The result is a visually appealing and delicious keto-friendly lasagna that captures the essence of the traditional dish without the carb-heavy noodles. With a total preparation and cooking time of just over an hour, this recipe makes it easy for beginners to enjoy a satisfying and flavorful keto meal that doesn’t compromise on taste or texture.

KETO LOW CARB LASAGNA

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Most of the keto-friendly lasagna recipes I’ve come across skip out on the lasagna noodles, which just isn’t the same thing for me. This lasagna recipe uses a cheese dough to create the lasagna noodles.

On its own, the noodles don’t really taste like noodles. But when they are sandwiched between all the layers of meat, tomato sauce and cheese, they provide that needed noodle texture. The fact that it’s made out of cheese and Italian seasoning also lets the noodles blend right in with the rest of the ingredients.

HOW TO KEEP THIS LASAGNA LOW CARB

The lasagna is low carb and keto-friendly with two big adjustments. The first step is replacing traditional lasagna noodles with cheese noodles. The second step is using a no sugar added marinara sauce.

CHEESE DOUGH LASAGNA NOODLES

  • These cheese noodles are based on my 3 ingredient flourless cheese breadsticks.
  • It’s a blend of mozzarella, cream cheese, egg and Italian seasoning. When baked, the texture is just firm enough to hold its form but also quite soft, like you are eating a type of flat bread.
  • The cheese dough is baked in a 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan and then it is divided into thirds, creating three noodle layers that fit perfectly into an 8 inch by 4 inch loaf pan.

LOW CARB MARINARA SAUCE

  • To make life easier, I purchased a no sugar added marinara sauce. Many brands offer this option. I’ve purchased Muir Glen and Rao’s in the past.
  • You can also make your own. I previously made my own with this recipe.
  • Normally, I like to add a lot of tomato sauce to my meat when making my lasagna meat sauce. However, even no sugar added marinara sauce contains carbs from the natural sugars found in tomatoes, so I used a lot less sauce for this recipe.

servings: 4

prep time: 15 MINUTES

cook time: 50 MINUTES

total time: 1 HOUR 5 MINUTES

course: MAIN DISHES

cuisine: AMERICAN, ITALIAN

A lasagna made with cheese noodles. This lasagna tastes just like regular lasagna but is low carb and keto friendly.

Ingredients

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Cheese Dough Lasagna Noodles

  • 4 oz full fat cream cheese softened
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded part skim low moisture mozzarella cheese
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Lasagna Filling

  • 1/4 cup onion minced
  • 1 lb ground beef I used lean ground beef
  • 1 cup no sugar added marinara sauce
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 6 tbsp ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup shredded part skim low moisture mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  • Add all cheese dough ingredients into a food processor. Blend until evenly mixed. It should have a thick liquid consistency. If you do not have a food processor, you can mix by hand (see notes).
  • Pour cheese batter into prepared baking pan. Use a spatula to spread batter across pan.
  • Place into middle of oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until surface is no longer wet and is firm to the touch.
  • Set cheese noodles aside to let cool. While noodles are cooling, prepare your meat sauce.
  • In a large skillet, add onion and ground beef. Cook on medium heat until meat is browned. Drain excess fat from pan. 
  • Add in Italian seasoning and marinara sauce. Reduce to low heat and cook at a simmer for about 3 minutes. 

Assembling Lasagna

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  • Evenly slice your cheese dough into thirds. Your slices should just fit into an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. (see photo in post for reference)
  • Add a thin layer of meat sauce to the bottom of an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Add first noodle layer over meat sauce.
  • Add 1/3 of the remaining meat sauce across first noodle layer. Spread 3 tbsp of ricotta cheese across. Sprinkle 1/4 mozzarella cheese across. 
  • Repeat with second noodle, meat sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella.
  • Add third noodle. Top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle on remaining mozzarella. If desired you can add a pinch of dried herb seasoning to the cheese. I like to finely crumble a pinch of dried oregano and add it to the cheese.  
  • Bake lasagna in the middle of your oven at 350F for about 20 minutes. If you wish to get some color on the top cheese layer, set your oven to a low broil (after the 20 min bake) and let the cheese bubble and blister for about 2 minutes.
  • Let lasagna cool slightly before slicing and serving. If desired, sprinkle on some finely chopped fresh basil, oregano and parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese before serving. 

Notes

  • I prefer using a food processor for mixing the cheese dough. If you do not have a food processor, it can be done by hand but you will need to finely chop the shredded cheese so it is similar to running it through a food processor. First, whisk softened cream cheese until smooth. Add in eggs and whisk. Stir in mozzarella cheese and Italian seasoning. Pour into prepared baking pan.
  • You can use your favorite mozzarella cheese for the filling, but make sure to use a low moisture part skim for making the cheese dough.
  • I purchased no sugar marinara pasta sauce to use for the filling. Some brands that offer this are Muir Glen and Rao’s. You can also make your own with my recipe here.
  • Adapted from this recipe. My recipe uses a different cheese noodle.
  • Nutrition facts is calculated with 90/10 lean ground beef

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25of recipe, Calories: 633kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 49g, Fat: 43g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Sodium: 840mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, NET CARBS: 8

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