All the rich, saucy flavor of lasagna from one skillet in 30 minutes. Keto skillet lasagna with hearts of palm noodles, ground beef and sausage, ricotta, and a simple tomato sauce that tastes like the real thing. 5.6g net carbs, 25.7g protein.
I made my first keto lasagna years ago and loved the result, but between the prep and the layering, it was a 90-minute commitment. This skillet version was my answer to the nights when I wanted that same meaty, cheesy, ricotta-layered flavor but only had 30 minutes before we needed to be somewhere.
Everything cooks in one 12-inch skillet. I use a cast iron, but any heavy-bottomed 12-inch pan works. A 10-inch pan gets too crowded with two pounds of meat, the noodles, sauce, and cheese, and the noodles don't simmer properly. Ground beef and sausage brown first, then crushed tomatoes and sauce go in. Hearts of palm lasagna noodles simmer right in the pan, absorbing the tomato sauce as they cook. Spinach, ricotta, and mozzarella finish it off. The result tastes layered even though you never assembled a single thing.
I’ve tested this with different meats, different cheeses, and different noodle swaps over the past few years. The version here is the one I keep coming back to. Hearts of palm noodles hold their shape in the sauce, unlike zucchini which turns to mush after 10 minutes. I also tried going completely noodle-free once and it just felt like a meat sauce with cheese on top. The sausage-and-beef combo gives it that deep, savory richness I want from a real lasagna, though I’ve made it with just ground beef when that’s all I had and it still worked.
People always ask about the tomato carbs. Across 6 servings, the tomatoes add about 4.7 grams of net carbs each. I think that’s a fair trade for real tomato flavor in a lasagna. I use plain crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce instead of jarred sauces, which tend to sneak in sugar.
This is one of my most-rotated weeknight recipes because the leftovers are genuinely good. A reader pointed out that the hearts of palm noodles actually held together better the next day than they did fresh, and I’ve noticed the same thing. The sauce thickens overnight and the flavors settle in. I reheat mine in a skillet over medium-low with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Microwave works in a pinch, but stovetop keeps the cheese from getting rubbery.
If you love Italian comfort food on keto, I rotate a few depending on my mood. Keto spaghetti uses hearts of palm in a simpler format. Keto zucchini lasagna is the classic layered version for weekends. And keto lasagna soup is what I make when I want those flavors in a bowl.
Why I use hearts of palm noodles
I’ve tried just about every noodle substitute out there for recipes like this. Shirataki noodles have a rubbery texture and that odd smell I could never get past. Zucchini slices work in a layered lasagna but break down in a skillet with sauce. Hearts of palm noodles are the closest thing I’ve found to a real noodle. They’re neutral in flavor, hold their shape during cooking, and absorb whatever sauce they’re sitting in.
For this recipe, I use the lasagna-cut hearts of palm so they lay flat in the skillet and mimic those wide noodle sheets. One 9 oz package is the right amount for a 12-inch pan with all the other ingredients.
The brand I use is Natural Heaven. I started using them a few years ago and haven’t switched. They’re fully cooked, shelf stable, and made from one ingredient: hearts of palm. No draining, no rinsing off a weird smell like you get with shirataki. Open the package, add them to the skillet, and they’re ready to go.
Most grocery stores carry them in the pasta aisle or the health food section, and I order from Amazon when my store is out of stock. If you like cooking with hearts of palm, my keto chicken noodle skillet is another one-pan recipe where they work well.
Are tomatoes low carb?
I get this question a lot. One medium tomato has about 4g net carbs, which sounds like a lot until you break down how much actually goes into each serving. In this recipe, I use 14 oz of crushed tomatoes and 1/2 cup of tomato sauce. That’s 20 grams net carbs from the crushed tomatoes and 8 grams from the sauce.
Across 6 servings, the tomatoes add about 4.7 grams of net carbs per serving. To me, that trade-off is worth it for real tomato flavor. A lasagna without tomatoes doesn’t taste like lasagna.
I avoid store-bought pasta sauces because they often contain added sugars. Plain crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce keep it simple and let me control exactly what goes in.
Picking your protein
I use a pound of ground sausage and a pound of ground beef because that combination gives this dish the most depth. The sausage adds Italian seasoning flavor throughout the meat, not just on top. But I’ve made this with all ground beef when that’s what I had in the fridge, and it still turned out great.
Ground turkey and ground chicken both work if you want a leaner version. I add an extra teaspoon of Italian seasoning with either one since they lack the built-in flavor sausage brings. If you’re vegetarian, skip the meat entirely and add more spinach, sliced mushrooms, and diced zucchini. I’d bump the vegetables to about 3 cups total so the skillet still feels full. Another one-pan option for meat lovers is my stuffed Italian sausage, which uses the same sausage in a completely different way.
Why one-skillet recipes win on weeknights
I rely on one-pan dinners more than anything else in my rotation. After work, I usually have about an hour before someone needs to be somewhere, and that hour includes cooking, eating, and cleanup. This recipe checks all three boxes because everything happens in the same skillet.
You brown the meat, build the sauce, simmer the noodles, and melt the cheese without switching pans. When dinner’s over, you wash one skillet. That’s it. If you like this approach, my crustless pizza is another one-pan recipe my family asks for regularly.
Add ground sausage and ground beef to a preheated skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Add Italian seasoning, salt and garlic. Mix until combined.
2
Add the sauce
Stir in crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil.
3
Add noodles
Add hearts of palm lasagna noodles. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4
Add spinach and cheeses
Stir in spinach and ricotta cheese. Top with mozzarella slices. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes, then top with parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1/6 of recipe
Calories
435
Fat
32.6g
Protein
25.7g
Total carbs
7.5g
Net carbs
5.6g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze keto skillet lasagna?
I've frozen individual portions and they reheat well. Let the lasagna cool completely, then transfer to airtight containers or freezer bags. It keeps for about 2 months in my experience. When I'm ready to eat it, I thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a skillet. The noodles hold their texture through freezing better than I expected.
What can I use instead of hearts of palm lasagna noodles?
I've used thinly sliced zucchini and eggplant slices when I couldn't find the lasagna cut. Zucchini releases water into the sauce and breaks down during the 20 minute simmer, so I salt the slices and pat them dry first and expect softer noodles. Eggplant slices are the other option I've used. I still prefer hearts of palm because they hold their shape and don't add extra moisture to the skillet.
Can I use cottage cheese or cream cheese instead of ricotta?
Yes. Cottage cheese works if you blend it smooth first. Cream cheese is what I swap in when I'm out of ricotta, and it melts into the sauce nicely. The texture is slightly different (creamier, less grainy) but my family didn't notice. For dairy-free, I haven't found a swap I love yet, but cashew cream comes closest.
Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes instead of regular. The smokiness fills in what the Italian seasoning doesn’t quite finish. Brown the sausage longer than you think, until there’s actual fond built up, then deglaze with the tomatoes straight into it. What comes off that pan in the first 30 seconds is where half the flavor lives. I went back to regular tomatoes once to test it and won’t again. Both changes matter on their own but together they’re a different dish.
That deglaze move is the part I’m stealing. I always rush the sausage and now I’m annoyed at myself. Fire-roasted going on the next grocery run, Brianna.
Covering the skillet for those 20 minutes matters more than I realized. The hearts of palm noodles, first time using them, held their shape and soaked up the sauce instead of releasing water into it. The spinach reduction caught me off guard though, it goes to almost nothing. I’d add another cup next time. Does ricotta fat content matter here, or is part-skim fine?
David, part-skim works here. The sausage and beef have plenty of fat. I’ve used it when I was out of whole milk and couldn’t tell the difference. Extra spinach is the right call, it just disappears.
The ricotta stirred in at the end is what sets this apart. Everything else I’ve made layered it and it just sat there kind of separate (you’d get a bite of ricotta, then a bite of everything else). This actually tastes like one thing.
Took me three test batches to land on that. Layered it the first time and it just sat there as its own thing. Stirring into the hot sauce is what makes it blend.
Tip for anyone new to hearts of palm noodles: drain and rinse them really well before adding to the skillet. I skipped that step my first time and the sauce came out thin and watery, which threw me off. Second time I drained them thoroughly and the ricotta actually stayed creamy and thick the way it should. Completely different result from one small change.
Been keto for 11 months. Honestly thought real lasagna was something I had to grieve, but that first bite of sausage and ricotta stopped me mid-skillet.
My son spent half the meal poking at the hearts of palm noodles, convinced something was off about the texture. He cleaned his plate anyway, then asked me to make it again Thursday. That’s the real review.
Ha. The texture investigation is a rite of passage with hearts of palm. Once they figure out it tastes right, the poking stops. Thursday he’ll just eat it.
Made a double batch on Sunday to get through the week and the hearts of palm noodles hold up in a way that regular pasta never does. Day three out of the fridge, the texture was still distinct, not mush. I portioned into six containers right out of the skillet, added a scoop of ricotta on top of each before sealing, and reheated covered at 350 for about 12 minutes instead of microwaving. The cheeses melt back properly that way and the sauce doesn’t pool weirdly at the bottom. With the protein sitting at 25g per serving and only 5.6g net carbs, this fits into my macros for five straight days without any adjustment. Probably the most practical keto pasta swap I’ve batch cooked.
The oven at 350 covered is way better than microwaving this. Cheese melts back instead of separating. And the ricotta on top before sealing, I’m stealing that for my own meal prep.
My mom used to make lasagna every Sunday when I was a kid, the whole ritual (layering, baking, waiting an hour, burning your mouth because you couldn’t). I gave it up when I started keto and figured that was just the trade-off. Made this last Tuesday on a cold night mostly out of craving, and something about the way the ricotta settled in with the sausage and those hearts of palm noodles got me. Not the same as hers, but closer than I had any right to expect after two years.
My son has a firm policy against every pasta swap I’ve brought home, so when the leftovers were gone by Wednesday and he was annoyed it was gone, I counted that a better endorsement than anything else. The hearts of palm noodles also held together in the sauce better reheated than fresh, which I didn’t expect.
Ha, ‘annoyed it was gone’ is the best review I could ask for. And yes on the reheating, hearts of palm hold up way better than zucchini noodles do. Zucchini turns to mush.
These are amazing recipes! You should sell them in a downloadable cookbook! I would purchase them all!!! Your videos are professionally done and makes all your recipes so easy to understand. Thank you for sharing them. ?
The cookbook idea never goes away from my inbox. For the videos, I really wanted to nail the hearts of palm noodle step – most people have never cooked with them and I wanted to show exactly what they look like when they’re ready.
