Healthy Cabbage Lasagna
A dish for those who count calories! Classic lasagna is very tasty, but it’s quite high in calories and not for everyone. I suggest a lighter healthy-eating version: cabbage lasagna. It’s for those who love cooking tasty food while still watching their figure.
Updated : 17 February, 2026
Easy
About 45 min.
Ingredients
Main
300 grams
Cabbage
500 grams
Chicken fillet
1
Carrot
1
Onion
2
Tomato
to taste
Salt
to taste
Dry spices
3 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
200 grams
Any type of cheese
Sauce
50 grams
Butter
300 milliliters
Milk
2 tablespoon
Wheat flour
to taste
Salt
to taste
Dry spices
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make healthy cabbage-leaf lasagna. Wash the tomatoes, remove the first leaves from the cabbage, and peel the onion and carrot. Put the chicken fillet in a bowl of water and take it out after about 10 minutes. This helps remove residues from processing without splashing all over the kitchen.
Step 2
Put the cabbage into salted water and bring to a boil. Cook for 5-7 minutes (depending on the size of the head; if it’s large, cook a bit longer). You’ll need the first large leaves.
Step 3
Drain the cabbage in a colander and let it cool.
Step 4
While the cabbage is softening, prepare the chicken fillet. You’ve “washed” it in advance, so to speak. You can make ground chicken by running it through a meat grinder, or chop it very finely. I prefer chopping - fillet is soft and turns into a mince-like texture easily.
Step 5
Pour 1 tbsp vegetable oil into a skillet and add the chicken. Cook until done, and only then add salt and spices. Salt at the end so there isn’t too much liquid and the chicken doesn’t stew in its own juices (but that’s up to you).
Step 6
Finely chop the onion; grate the carrot on a coarse grater.
Step 7
Add the vegetables to the chicken and add another small spoon of vegetable oil so the vegetables don’t turn out dry. Stew for about 5 minutes.
Step 8
While the vegetables and chicken blend flavors, finely chop the tomato and add it. Stew for another 5-7 minutes.
Step 9
I also added a couple of tablespoons of tomato sauce for a bit of heat. This is optional, so I didn’t list it in the ingredients.
Step 10
Stew everything with the sauce for about 5 more minutes and turn off the heat.
Step 11
Make the béchamel sauce. Melt 50 g butter (about 3 1/2 tbsp) in a skillet.
Step 12
Add 2 tbsp flour and mix well so there are no lumps.
Step 13
Pour in the milk gradually, stirring constantly. At the end, add salt and spices to taste. I used an Italian herb mix to make it feel more “Italian.” The sauce should be as thick as sour cream. Don’t let it boil - once small bubbles appear, turn off the heat. The sauce is ready.
Step 14
Move on to the cabbage, which has cooled. You can preheat the oven to 170-180°C (338-356°F). Separate the leaves from the head. The number of leaves depends on the size and shape of the cabbage. I used 6 leaves, but the cabbage was large. You can trim the thick ribs along the leaf with a knife - this makes the leaf more flexible and also removes extra bitterness.
Step 15
Pour the remaining vegetable oil into a baking dish and grease it. Place the first cabbage leaves so they hang over the edges of the dish.
Step 16
Layer in half of the sauce.
Step 17
Add half of the chicken-and-vegetable mixture.
Step 18
Grate half of the cheese on a coarse grater (or fine - whatever you prefer). The cheese will melt into one layer anyway.
Step 19
Cover with cabbage leaves and repeat the layers: sauce, filling, cheese.
Step 20
Use the leaves that were hanging over the edges to cover the top layer. The cheese should be completely covered with cabbage. You’ll end up with the whole lasagna wrapped in a cabbage “envelope.”
Step 21
You can also lightly brush the cabbage on top with vegetable oil so the leaves don’t burn too much. Bake for 20-30 minutes (time is approximate). Since all ingredients are already cooked, you’re essentially waiting for the cheese to melt. Remove from the oven, cut into portions, and serve. It’s good both hot and cold. Enjoy your meal.
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