Cabbage Roll Casserole is a super easy meal that you can prepare any day of the week.
Cabbage Rolls are delicious! I grew up on cabbage rolls made by my mom and grandma!
Recently, I’ve been making a cabbage roll casserole… so much quicker than rolling up the rolls themselves and equally delicious!
Here is one of my favorite things about recipes! You start with one thing and along the way the recipe gets tried and modified and shared and passed on. Finally, you may end up with something else that was just as wonderful or sometimes even better!
Last week, a reader had asked me if my Cabbage Roll Casserole recipe would work in the slow cooker… I hadn’t tried it! Well, Sue tested it out and I knew I had to try it out right away! I had a couple of different items in my pantry so I modified it a tiny bit further but let me tell you, the results were AMAZING!! This is my favorite cabbage roll dish yet! So a special thank you to Sue for inspiring this yummy recipe, you won’t be disappointed!
If you’re looking for another hearty dinner idea, be sure to check out my Cabbage Roll Soup recipe!
Cabbage Roll Casserole (Crock Pot Version)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef or ground pork, or a mixture of the two
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion diced
- 15 ounces tomato sauce divided
- 1 cup water
- 10.75 ounces condensed tomato soup 1 can
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¾ cup long grain white rice uncooked
- 1 medium head cabbage
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese optional
Instructions
- Brown beef or pork, onion, garlic and seasonings over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain.
- Add 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup water and ½ can of tomato soup and diced tomatoes to the beef.
- Stir in rice, and mix well until heated through. Remove from heat.
- Chop cabbage into 4 wedges and remove core. Chop into chunks (mine were about ¾"x1 ½").
- Layer ½ of the meat mixture and ½ of the cabbage in the slow cooker. Repeat layers. Place half the meat and then half the cabbage in cooker.
- Combine the remaining tomato soup, remaining tomato sauce and ⅓ cup water. Pour over top of cabbage.
- Cook on low 4-6 hours or just until rice is cooked. Once done, turn slow cooker off, sprinkle cheese on top and let sit 10 minutes to set and melt cheese.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole
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Can this be frozen?
Yes, this recipe freezes well.
Awesome recipe. I would cut back on the thyme a little but other than that it is a great recipe. My husband even went back for seconds!
I am so glad your family enjoyed the recipe Michelle!
Amazing!
Thanks Heather!
I made this yesterday and it was super easy and tasty. I would make it again!
Glad you loved it Monica!
Can you cook it on high for a shorter amount of time?
This would need approximately 4 hours on high Jeannie.
Well, I am not sure what I did wrong, but it seemed extremely tomato’y, and flat. Am hoping it tastes better in a couple of days. I just double checked the recipe and the instruction, cannot thing of what I may have missed. Maybe more seasoning, like Worcestershire, or bay leaves?
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this Michael.
I got my stuffed cabbage recipe from a lovely Polish woman I met while camping one year. Her secret was a half teaspoon of cinnamon mixed in with the meat mixture. I use a full teaspoon. It makes for a really good flavor! Seems weird to add cinnamon to meat, but the flavor is unique and wonderful. Try it, it really is delicious!
Sounds interesting Sue! Thank you for sharing!
I made your this today, and it tastes amazing! So simple to make too. I added a pinch of cayenne pepper because I love spicy cabbage rolls. Aside from that, I followed your recipe exactly. Thanks for sharing it!
So glad you loved it, I love the idea of adding a little bit of heat!
I too, would like to know how you would cook this in an Instant Pot!
I haven’t tried is as of yet… but I’ve added it to my list to test out. :) I’ll keep you posted.
Has anyone cooked this in the insta pot????
What is something good to serve with this? Maybe a salad?
We often serve it with salad and crusty bread.
Can I use purple cabbage?
Sure you can. It will change the appearance as purple cabbage can turn kind of blue-ish when cooked. The flavor will be similar, green cabbage is a bit sweeter.
Do NOT use basmati rice! It cooks too fast. Flavor is great other than i didnt have the thyme, but we loved it without it!
Hi Staci, so glad you loved it!
I love this recipe and have made it multiple times. I follow the recipe exactly, but I add a pinch of allspice to the mix.
Delicious addition, thank you for sharing!
What if you don’t have a crock pot
You can try our other favorites, Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole and
Cabbage Roll Casserole! Enjoy, Aurora!
I’m making this now. Came back from the store and gave the sauce a quick taste, it was a bit sour. Should I add a bit of sugar?
Also it filled the crock pot to the top, so it’s almost overflowing . Is this due to the rice expanding?
Also all my cabbage didn’t fit. I’ll use the leftover cabbage for something else I guess.
Cabbage has a natural sweetness to it and should sweeten the soup to perfection!
Leftover cabbage is perfect for salads, soups, stir frys or even fried with a bit of bacon. Enjoy!
I just made this. Followed the recipe exactly.
It’s finished. I added additional salt and pepper after I tasted it .
Cheese is now on top.
The last 10 min is going to take forever .
My house smells wonderful !
Thank you for sharing Judy! We love it too!
I added a little brown sugar, curry and half and half. Much better
Yummy additions Cade, thanks for sharing!
Holly – Thank You for sharing this recipe!! I followed directions to the letter and IT WAS WONDERFUL! I fed some hungry guys for dinner and they were full of praises ~ Sue Schmoker
I’m so glad you and your crew loved this recipe Sue!
P.S. To those who stated some ingredients didn’t seem to cook long enough: Every time you open your crockpot Iid to PEAK, YOU LOSE 15 MINUTES OF COOKING TIME – always be aware of that!
Can you leave the rice out???????? Have to watch my carbs..Diabetic
Sure you can, you can also use cauliflower rice.
Stupid question, do I cook the rice first and add, or let it cook in the sauce?
The rice will cook in the sauce.