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Low Calorie Cabbage Roll Casserole is a healthy casserole dish high in protein made with ground beef and simple ingredients. A family friendly stuffed cabbage roll casserole! Low Carb + Low Calorie + Gluten Free + Paleo

I love the combination of ground meat with cabbage. It makes for the most filling and delicious meals. In fact, two of my favorite dinner meals are deconstructed beef cabbage bowls and cabbage soup.

During the fall, I enjoy making healthy casseroles that are full of simple and healthy ingredients, protein, veggies and flavor!

This healthy cabbage roll casserole comes together in less than an hour and is low carb, low calorie, gluten free and Paleo friendly!

Why This Cabbage Roll Casserole Is Healthy

There is so much to like this ground beef cabbage roll casserole. Here's a few reasons it's better for you!

Made With Simple Ingredients - While there are 9 ingredients and spices in this recipe, they're all kitchen staples that most people already have on hand.
Easy To Make - There are a lot of steps, but this recipe only takes an hour to make and is super hearty and filling with protein and veggies!
Secretly Healthy - This healthy recipe is lower in calories, made with wholesome ingredients, and lower in sodium than other casseroles.
High Protein - 30 grams of protein for each serving is an adequate amount of protein for women.
High Fiber - 10 grams of fiber per serving is high fiber and that higher fiber along with the higher protein will keep you fuller and satisfied longer.
Low Calorie - 349 calories per serving which is considered low calorie.
Gluten Free - All ingredients are gluten free in this healthy casserole.
Paleo/Whole30 - This low calorie casserole is also Paleo and Whole30 friendly.

Ingredients for low calorie cabbage roll casserole

Low Calorie Cabbage Roll Casserole Ingredients

To make this easy cabbage roll casserole you'll need:

Lean Ground Beef (I buy grass-fed, grass-finished from ButcherBox)
Green Cabbage
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cauliflower Rice
White Onion
Egg
Garlic
Parsley
Italian Seasoning
Nutmeg
Marinara Sauce

You will also need a large pot to boil a head of cabbage in water and a casserole dish like this one.

steps to make low calorie cabbage roll casserole

How To Make Healthy Cabbage Roll Casserole

Here's the steps to making this low calorie cabbage roll casserole. Don't let the steps intimidate you, it's simple!

Step One - Heat the oven. Pour marinara sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish to cover the bottom of it.

Step Two - Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the head of cabbage to it for about 5 minutes. Drain the cabbage and let it cool while you prepare the filling.

Step Three - Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the cauliflower rice, onion and garlic.

Step Four - Add the remaining ingredients along with 1/2 cup of a marinara sauce. Stir while breaking up the ground beef. Add the whisked egg and stir into the ground meat until cooked.

Step Five - Peel 12 large leaves from the cabbage head. Slice a V at the bottom of the cabbage leaves to remove the hard ridge.

Step Six - Prepare the cabbage rolls by adding 2-3 tablespoons of the meat mixture to a cabbage roll then roll it up. Tuck the side in then roll it up from the bottom like a burrito.

Step Seven - Repeat step six for the remaining cabbage leaves and place in the casserole dish. Pour the remaining marinara sauce on top.

Step Eight - Bake 1 hour then remove and enjoy!

How Long Do You Bake Cabbage Roll Casserole?

You can bake a cabbage roll casserole in one hour.

What Temperature Do You Bake Low Carb Cabbage Roll Casserole At?

It's best to cook cabbage roll casserole at 350 F for one hour.

Can You Make Ground Beef Cabbage Roll Casserole Ahead Of Time?

Yes, you can prep this cabbage roll dish the night before, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to eat, leave the casserole on the counter while the oven preheats. Bake as directed. It's important to ensure your casserole dish is not cold because it could crack going into a hot oven cold.

How To Store Stuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole

Refrigerator - This cabbage roll casserole will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
Freezer - I haven't tried freezing this cabbage roll casserole, but I think the cabbage would get soggy so I don't recommend it.
Reheating - You can reheat cabbage rolls on the stovetop, in an air-fryer, toaster oven, in the oven or in the microwave.

How Many Calories In Cabbage Roll Casserole?

Healthy stuffed cabbage roll casserole has 349 calories per serving.

Stuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole Recipe Substitutions

Here's the substitutions I recommend for this recipe. Remember when you substitute an ingredient, the nutritional data will change from what you see in the recipe card below.

Ground Beef - I used 90% lean ground beef. If beef doesn't work for you, you can swap with ground pork, chicken, turkey, plant-based meat or tofu.
Cabbage - You can swap the cabbage for zucchini or eggplant if you prefer. I would recommend not wrapping the meat sauce and rather layering the zucchini and eggplant with meat sauce in between. You can do a deconstructed cabbage version by following this skillet recipe.
Cauliflower Rice - I used frozen cauliflower rice for this recipe that I thawed ahead of time. You can use frozen or fresh cauliflower rice. Broccoli rice may be substituted instead. You can also cook rice then add rice to the meat sauce if you would like to add carbs.
Fresh Parsley - You can swap for the fresh parsley for one tablespoon of dried parsley.
Italian Seasoning - You can swap for one teaspoon of oregano and basil each instead.
Egg - You can omit the egg. The egg is the "glue" for the meat fixture, but if you prefer you can omit it.

More Healthy Casserole Recipes

Looking for more healthy casserole recipes? Check out these recipes!

About Megan

Megan is a certified nutrition practitioner, author, freelance food photographer and fitness instructor living in Phoenix, Arizona. On her blog, Skinny Fitalicious she shares EASY, gluten free recipes for weight loss. Follow Megan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.

Low Calorie Cabbage Roll Casserole {Low Carb, GF, Paleo}