Keto cabbage and sausage Alfredo is a quick 30-minute dinner that smothers cabbage noodles and Italian sausage with creamy Alfredo sauce. This skillet meal is incredibly delicious yet completely low-carb, gluten-free, and family-friendly.
How to Make Keto Cabbage Alfredo with Sausage
One of the joys of being a food blogger is trying new recipes I haven’t made before. As a result, I’m constantly adding new family-favorite meals to our personal collection. Here’s another winner!
In fact, this creamy cabbage and sausage dish might be the all-time favorite of the entire year.
It has the mouth-feel, flavor, and macros that I like best. The dish is filling and leaves me satiated for hours, plus it is easy to prep in 30 minutes or less, especially if the alfredo sauce is already made.
I can’t wait for you to try it too. This recipe won’t disappoint!
Ingredients
This recipe will be welcome in any kitchen. It’s the perfect cross of simple everyday ingredients with basic kitchen equipment and skills for a whole lotta flavor, all in harmony with keto macros.
All you need are:
- A skillet
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring spoons and cups
- A spatula
Add one small saucepan and a spoon to the list if you plan to use my recipe and make the Alfredo sauce from scratch. Otherwise, this is a complete one pan meal!
- Sausage – I use a mild Italian sausage, but you can substitute it with smoked sausage, kielbasa, spicy Italian sausage, or another type of your choosing.
- Butter – For frying the sausage and cabbage. Divide between the two in step one and step two.
- Cabbage – For me, green cabbage is the only choice. It cooks perfectly tender and has a mellow flavor that doesn’t interfere with the Alfredo sauce. Cabbage is the perfect carrier for a flavorful sauce. Six cups weighs approximately 21 ounces, so as a shortcut to chopping it all by hand, you can use 1½ bags of shredded cabbage. It’s best if the cabbage is ¼ to ½-inch wide because it’s more noodle-like and can carry the sauce better. However, finely shredded will still taste just as great in a pinch.
- Salt and pepper – Classic seasonings to pull the dish together.
- Parsley – Give a beautiful pop of bright green garnish and the taste of fresh herbs.
- Alfredo sauce – With butter, garlic, cream, and Parmesan cheese, what’s not to love? Follow the (super easy) homemade recipe attached to the recipe card below, or substitute with a store-bought sauce. You’ll need 1 cup of Alfredo sauce. This dinner is easier if you have the sauce made ahead of time or use a store-bought product. Nevertheless, a from-scratch sauce is 100% worth the effort (it’s minimal effort anyway).
This low-carb skillet meal only takes 30 minutes, even when you make the sauce from scratch.
Step-By-Step Directions
Follow these easy directions for a healthy low-carb dinner that the whole family will love.
Cook sausage
Fry the sausage links in butter until crispy and golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Cook cabbage
Shred the cabbage into long thick strips (approximately ¼ – ½ inch wide), either by hand or with a food processor. Heat the remaining butter in a large skillet. Add cabbage and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring, until all soft. Season with salt and pepper halfway through the cooking time.
Make Alfredo sauce
Prepare the sauce while the cabbage cooks (only if you are not using ready-made or store-bought). Simmer the garlic in butter in a small saucepan for 2 minutes until fragrant. Mix in cream. Slowly add the parmesan and stir continuously until it’s a thick, uniform sauce. Season with nutmeg and stir well. Remove from heat and set aside.
Mix everything together
Slice the sausage into small ¼-inch rounds. Add it back to the pan with cooked cabbage. Pour the Alfredo sauce into the pan and toss until an even coat covers the cabbage and sausage.
Plate and serve warm directly from the skillet. Garnish with optional parsley.
Storage tips for freezing
I’m hesitant to freeze dairy foods because they don’t always thaw and reheat well. (1) However, knowing that Alfredo sauce freezes ok, I hoped this sausage and cabbage would be freezer-friendly too. (2)
Great news, you can freeze these leftovers the same way you would approach traditional Alfredo pasta (3) except it’s even easier because freezing cooked cabbage isn’t as delicate as freezing noodles.
First, let the food cool completely to room temperature, then put any leftovers in an airtight and freezer-safe container or bag. Finally, label and date the container before placing it in the freezer. The ingredients will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Before serving it again, first, thaw it in the fridge overnight. Then, reheat the Alfredo cabbage over medium heat on the skillet before serving. It’s that easy!
Nutritional Info for Keto Cabbage Alfredo
You could feed a few more or stretch the leftovers throughout the week by dividing into eight potions and serving with a side salad, steamed broccoli, or keto bread. It’s very flexible, so feel free to be creative and do what works best for you.
The one dish dinner approach was perfect for me, and I loved every bite.
With six servings, each serving has:
- 508 calories
- 23 g protein
- 42 g fat
- 11 g total carbs
- 4 g fiber
- 7 g net carbs
Please note that the nutritional value will change if you substitute ingredients. Use a nutrition app like My Fitness Pal to recalculate and reflect your changes.
Cabbage Noodles with Sausage FAQ
Typically, sausage is a keto food. Whether pork, chicken, beef, or turkey, sausage easily fits into a keto diet because it is a high-protein, high-fat, and low-carb ingredient. However, some sausages include binding agents such as flour, cornstarch, and breadcrumbs. Read the label before purchasing to confirm you’re getting a keto option. It won’t be too hard.
As one of the most popular flavors, this is an important question to ask. Smoked sausage refers to the cooking method used to finish the sausage but doesn’t indicate anything about the ingredients. A simple review of the ingredient list will confirm if your specific sausage is keto-friendly or not. Avoid added sugar and high-carb binding agents.
Is fried cabbage keto? Absolutely, yes! Green cabbage contains less than 5 grams net carb per cut and fits nicely within the context of a keto diet. Furthermore, it’s a great noodle replacement and works in a wide variety of recipes.
More Keto Cabbage Recipes
These low-carb 30 minute meals with cabbage are super any night of the week!
- Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry
- Keto Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Fried Cabbage and Sausage Skillet
- Cabbage Noodles with Ground Beef
Keto Sausage and Cabbage Alfredo
Ingredients
For the skillet
- 2 tbsp butter divided
- 1 pound Italian sausage links
- 1 medium green cabbage approx 6 cups
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley minced for garnish, optional
For the Alfredo sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅔ cup heavy cream room temperature
- 1 ½ cup Parmesan finely grated
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Fry the sausage links in ½ tbsp butter until crispy and golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Shed the cabbage into long thick strips, either by hand or with a food processor. Heat butter in a large skillet. Add cabbage and cook in 1½ tbsp butter over medium heat for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring, until all soft. Season with salt and pepper halfway through the cooking time.
- Prepare the sauce (if not using ready-made/store-bought) while the cabbage cooks. Simmer the garlic in butter in a small saucepan for 2 minutes until fragrant. Mix in cream. Slowly add the parmesan and stir continuously until it's a thick, uniform sauce. Season with nutmeg. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Slice the sausage into small ¼-inch rounds. Add it back to the pan with cooked cabbage. Pour the Alfredo sauce into the pan and toss until an even coat covers the cabbage and sausage.
- Plate and serve warm directly from the skillet. Garnish with optional parsley.
Notes
Nutrition & Macros
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information.
I have tried many of Jessica’s skillet meals and I love them! I was excited to try this new recipe and it did not disappoint. Great way to feed my family without spending unnecessary time in the kitchen.
I’m pretty sure this is my personal #1 favorite recipe of 2022! I’m so glad you liked it too! That means a lot 🙂
So satisfying! I loved the alfredo with the cabbage, which was unexpected 🙂
Cabbage makes a great low-carb noodle replacement. It’s one of my favorites!