Low Carb Gluten Free Pizza Cabbage Bake

I don’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions. It seems so silly to wait until some arbitrary date to make a positive life change. The time is NOW!! Good Things Come to Those Who Wait? Wrong. Good things come to those who make it happen!

Which is why I am a fan of keeping a collection of keeping a collection of “diet friendly” recipes in my rotation. By diet friendly I mean friendly for how I diet. Which means low(ish) carb. I find it easier to maintain my weight if I try to eat under 75 g of carbs per day for 4-5 days per week. This is a great balance for ME since it allows leniency on weekends and allows for a bit more calorie and carb intake on my heavy workout days.

Today I want to share one of the super easy low carb dishes from my rotation. This one is easy, has few ingredients, and my husband really likes it. Some of my kids (minus the vegetarian) even like it. It is a cabbage bake. Whaaaaaat?

When I was a cook at a rehabilitation home, we made these cheesy, tomato-y cabbage bakes all of the time. They were a big hit with the residents. I thought they were pretty tasty, so a few years back, I modified a traditional cabbage bake to make it low carb and added the pepperoni for those scratching those pizza itches.

Low Carb Gluten Free Pizza Cabbage Bake

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
3 cups marinara sauce (Whatever is your favorite jarred sauce.)
1 small head of cabbage
1 package pepperoni slices (I actually used the turkey pepperoni to lighten it up.)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 8oz package Crystal Farms® Shredded Cheese (mozzarella)

Break up thawed ground beef and brown in a two quart sauce pan. Once beef is cooked through, add marinara sauce.

Slice up the head of fresh cabbage and chop to a consistency that a chunkier than coleslaw. Use the whole head! Please use a real head of cabbage and not bagged pre-chopped stuff. I know it is an extra step, but the texture will be worth it.
Incorporate the cabbage into the beef and marinara. Add the pepperoni slices (about 5 servings). The pre-sliced bags of pepperoni usually have the same amount across all brands.

Spread the ricotta cheese out in a thin layer in a 9×12 inch baking dish. Pour the cabbage-marinara mixture over the ricotta.
Top it with the 8oz Crystal Farms® Shredded Mozzarella.
Place baking dish in oven at 375° F for 30 minutes, uncovered. (Covering it will make it too soupy.)

Take out and let sit 5 minutes.
Makes a delicious cheesy low carb entree for six people.

Obviously, you can add some other veggies like cauliflower, just not starchy vegetables. Of course, if you want to lighten the fat content, try it swapping out beef for chicken and using reduced fat ricotta. I have made this meal as a stir fry style dish, but it really is more flavorful as a bake.

Interested in trying some more recipes with Crystal Farms® cheese?

GIVEAWAY

Enter below to WIN THREE Crystal Farms® cheese items! Winner will receive three coupons for free Crystal Farms® cheese products. Entrants must be 18 or older and residents of the U.S. Please enter with a valid and often checked email address.

TO ENTER: Check out the Crystal Farms® cheese recipe page. Then leave a comment below telling me what awesome recipe you want to make with your cheese! Giveaway runs 11/2 through 11:59 PM EST 11/20. Good luck!

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