Love stuffed homemade cabbage rolls but short on time?

We’ve got you covered with this Cabbage Roll Casserole! Layers of tender cabbage, rice, and meat in a zesty tomato sauce.

Made with simple ingredients, this cabbage casserole is so easy to toss together and can be made ahead of time (on the weekend!). The family and the cook will love this simple and comforting dish!

Cabbage Roll Casserole in a bowl with dish full in the back

A Cozy Cabbage Roll Casserole

  • This casserole is also known as lazy cabbage rolls and it’s so simple to make!
  • All of the flavor of our favorite easy cabbage rolls without the fuss rolling or cooking whole leaves.
  • This makes a hearty family sized meal and reheats and freezes well.
  • This casserole can be made low carb by swapping the rice for riced cauliflower.
  • Top it with the optional cheese (or don’t if you’d prefer).

Ingredients in Cabbage Roll Casserole

Green cabbage is used in this recipe. It is chopped and cooked which means no peeling leaves or rolling. You can use other types of cabbage in this recipe but cooking time might need to be adjusted slightly.

The traditional ingredients in the cabbage roll filling from my grandmother’s recipe make an appearance in this recipe! Ground beef, ground pork (or use all beef), rice, and spices are combined with a zesty tomato sauce.

The optional topping in this recipe is loved by all. A unique cheese mixture forms a flavorful brown crust and while cheese is not traditional in cabbage rolls, we do love it on this casserole. If you’d prefer, it can be left off.

process of adding ingredients together to make Cabbage Roll Casserole

How to Make Cabbage Roll Casserole

Enjoy all the flavors of traditional cabbage rolls without all the work and fuss.

  1. PREP MEAT SAUCE – Cook meat and onion garlic per the recipe below. Add remaining sauce ingredients and simmer.
  2. COOK CABBAGE – While meat is cooking, chop and fry cabbage.
  3. ASSEMBLE – Mixe the rice into the meat sauce and layer with cabbage in a casserole dish.
  4. BAKE – Top if desired and bake until browned and bubbly.

If you’d like to cook this in the crock pot, we use this Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Casserole recipe.

Cabbage Roll Casserole with a spoon

Make Ahead and Leftovers

Leftover casserole will keep in the refrigerator for 4 days or can be frozen.

This is also a great casserole for doubling and freezing. The dish can be frozen either before or after baking. They will keep in the freezer for 3 months.

To bake from frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as per the directions in the original recipe (you may need to add about 15-20 minutes if the casserole is cold from the fridge).

Got Cabbage? (Lucky you)!

Did your family love this Cabbage Roll Casserole? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! 

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
Cabbage Roll Casserole in a bowl with dish full in the back
4.96 from 166 votes
Author Holly Nilsson

Cabbage Roll Casserole

Author Holly Nilsson
Servings 8 servings
Cabbage Roll Casserole combines layers of meat sauce, rice, and cabbage all topped with cheese and baked in the oven!
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Servings 8 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
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Equipment

Ingredients  

  • 1 pound lean ground beef or pork , or ½ pound of each
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices, 1 can
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups cooked rice white or brown
  • 1 head green cabbage large, about 12 to 14 cups chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon dried dill optional

Topping

  • 2 cups shredded gruyere cheese or monterey jack cheese
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup milk

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Brown beef or pork, onion, and garlic over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat. Stir in diced tomatoes (including juice), tomato sauce, tomato paste, & seasonings. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes until thickened.
  • Remove from heat and add cooked rice.
  • Meanwhile, chop cabbage into 1" squares, rinse and shake dry. Heat oil in a skillet and add ½ of the cabbage and 2 tablespoons of water. Cook just until softened (about 10 minutes). Repeat with remaining cabbage.
  • Place ½ of the cabbage in a 9x13 casserole dish. Top with ½ of the meat sauce. Repeat layers. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Topping

  • In a small bowl combine cheese, egg, and milk. Remove foil, top casserole with cheese mixture, and bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.

Notes

Use lean ground beef or pork or a combination of the two.
This recipe calls for 2 cups cooked rice which is approximately ⅔ cup uncooked long grain white rice. If you have a tiny bit more or less, this recipe will still work well. Cauliflower rice can be used and should be precooked so it doesn't make the casserole watery.
Cabbage can be steamed, boiled, or fried. We prefer frying for easy prep and flavor. If boiling or steaming, ensure the cabbage is drained well. The cabbage will soften a bit as it bakes but you'll want to ensure it's fairly tender before adding to the casserole.
The cheese topping is optional (but delicious!). If you skip the cheese topping, bake covered for the last 20 minutes so the top doesn't dry out.
4.96 from 166 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 428 | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 647mg | Potassium: 827mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 929IU | Vitamin C: 71mg | Calcium: 463mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Beef, Casserole, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly

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4.96 from 166 votes (140 ratings without comment)

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Comments

    1. I have not frozen this before but I think it would work perfectly! I would actually prepare it exactly as directed up to the baking part ensuring that the pan you choose isn’t too deep. Freeze it covered and well sealed.

      To bake it, I would try cooking right from frozen and add about approx 45min on the cooking time. Double check that the center is hot before adding the cheese mixture.

      Please let us know how it works for you!

      Reply

  3. This is a family favorite at our house. If you use a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles it really adds some zip to it.

    Reply

  4. I am interested in the recipe using riced cauliflower … What do you differently? Sounds really good!

    Reply

    1. I used cauliflower in place of the rice in the recipe. I took a head of raw cauliflower and put it in the food processor until it reached pieces about the size of rice. Once “riced” I added about 2 teaspoons of olive oil to a non-stick pan. I cooked the cauliflower over medium heat stirring occasionally. Once it was slightly softened and cooked, I prepared the recipe as directed using cauliflower in place of the rice. :)

      Reply

      1. To me that would not be a cabbage roll casserole. To me the caukiflower takes away from the cabbage. What the original recipe is we call Lazy Cabbage Rolls. .. awesome.. people always revert from a great recipe. Then it should be called something else if you add potatoes and cauliflower, etc.

      2. I would still consider it a version of a Cabbage Roll Casserole. There are many variations of cabbage rolls and this is just one of them.

  5. I love this Cabbage Roll Casserole, it looks awesome! Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great weekend and come back to see us real soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply

  6. Stopping by from Hearth and Soul Link up to pin your fabulous Cabbage rolls. They look delicious!

    Reply

  7. Great recipe and love that you made a low carb version. I agree with Holly, love it’s versatility. Visiting from Inspiration Monday party – thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply

  8. I know quinoa can sometimes be substituted for rice as a healthier option. Do you think that will work? I’m thinking of trying it so will follow up with my results

    Reply

  13. My mother and grandmother us to make these all the time. Grandma was from Budapest, Hungary and they use a lot of sauerkraut in their recipes. If you like sauerkraut just pour a can of sauerkraut (drained ) over the cabbage, etc. toward the end of cooking so it will warm with recipe. Soooo good!

    Reply

    2. Thank you Holly! I am also used to eating my cabbage rolls that have been cooked on a bed of sauerkraut and tomatoes (Which BTW is fantastic on the required mashed potatoes, but, may try the mashed cauliflower). We used to always put another layer of sauerkraut and tomatoes on top of the cabbage rolls and cook them slowly either on top of the stove or in the oven. I also have a friend who slices up Polish Sausage to go into the sauerkraut and lend it’s flavor to the cabbage rolls. I will try this recipe as I frequently get hungry for cabbage rolls and live alone.
      Thank you both for this recipe

      Reply

      1. That sounds wonderful too! I’m going to have to try a couple of your additions too!

      2. My grandparents were also from Hungary. My mother always made the cabbage rolls with lots of sauerkraut, canned tomatoes and extra cabbage leaves layed between the layers of cabbage rolls. Instead of using sausage to flavor, we have always laid down a layer of bacon on the bottom of the pan before loading it up. This not only adds flavor but also helps to keep everything from sticking to the bottom of the pan, especially when we would fill up an 8 quart stockpot. These also freeze wonderfully.

      3. I grew up eating what we called Halupki but we NEVER included the cheese topping, did you?

    3. yes! my family was from Hungary also. They also used ground pork and ham for the meat. no tomato sauce. They served it with a dollop of sour cream on top. We also top some ketchup on the rolls too. Yum!

      Reply

  14. Sounds very good and I wanted to print it. Would have been nice to have print format so I did not get 8 sheets of paper!!

    Reply

    1. I was going to ask about the rice too, then I saw your comments so I scrolled back up and looked again. lol. Totally missed that step!

      Reply

  16. I saw rice in the ingredients list but the rice isn’t mentioned in the cooking directions. Do you mix the rice the meat mixture or just layer it?

    Reply

    1. Holly I tried it in the crockpot. It came out wonderful.. I redid the recipe and would like to share it with you, and if you think it is good enough you are more than welcome to pass it on.. If you would like it, just let me know how to forward it to you… Talk to you soon.. Sue

      Reply

      1. Sue
        Could you send me the crockpot recipe.
        I would really like to try it. Thank you.

        Tamara

      10. I would love the crockpot cabbage roll casserole. It is still so hot and I love to use my crockpot. Love your recipes, thank you for sharing.

    1. I haven’t tried it in the slow cooker but I can’t see any reason it wouldn’t work! I’d just be sure not to overcook it so the cabbage doesn’t get too soft but aside from that I bet it would be wonderful and next time I make it, I will definitely try it!

      Reply

    3. No in fact rice really helps this dish have its unique flavor. Cauliflower or potatoes would take away from this wonderful dish all together. I am sure you would not want to ruin this especially wonderful dish.

      Reply

      1. When I make this with cauliflower – no one has been able to tell the difference between that and the rice. I also use ground turkey another healthy slip that people cannot tell the difference.