Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole
Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole is a true comfort food go-to. Nothing makes me think of my childhood and family more than Cabbage Rolls. Growing up with Polish grandparents, they made an appearance at every occasion, from Christmas to Easter, weddings to baptisms!
On days when I don’t have the time to create cabbage rolls, I’m so glad I have a quicker version of this age old favorite that still delivers all the flavor I expect from the original dish!
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How to Make Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole
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I’m sure most of you have enjoyed homemade cabbage rolls before. They’re delicious and truly a comfort food (not to mention budget friendly).
When I just don’t have the time to fiddle with boiling/freezing cabbage leaves and making the rolls, I turn to this simple lazy cabbage roll casserole.
There are a few steps in this recipe, but it is really easy to make! You’ll create a quick meaty sauce and while it’s simmering you can soften the cabbage in pan. Once softened, just simply layer and bake.
For the meat sauce layer I use a mixture of ground beef and pork because I find it gives the best flavor. Any ground meat will work, I’ve even subbed in ground turkey if it’s all I have on hand. If you do use ground turkey, I’d suggest adding in a beef bouillon cube to add some extra flavor.
I love the chunky tomatoes in this recipe but if you prefer a smoother sauce, you can simply substitute another can of tomato sauce for the tomatoes. Be sure to remove the bay leaf from the sauce before stirring the rice in, while it adds good flavor, it’s not good to eat! Long grain rice is traditionally used, but you can also sub in brown rice. Another tasty option is to substitute cauliflower rice in place of long grain rice make it lower in carbs and incorporate more vegetables into your meal!
The cabbage can be prepped ahead of time by chopping into ½” chunks and refrigerating in a zippered bag. Cabbage will keep for at least a week this way and is so convenient to have on hand (and also great to toss into vegetable soups and stir fries).
Another great thing about this recipe is that it can be prepared the night before (or in the morning) and then simply baked before serving. This makes it the perfect meal for guests and busy school nights!
This recipe does freezes perfectly so if you’re empty nesters or have a small family, this can be divided into 4 portions and frozen for future – a perfect meal ready and waiting!
Your family will absolutely love this Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole and you will love how easy it is! Homemade, ‘holesome’, hearty and healthy – the new definition of 4-H! It will quickly become a family favorite!
Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole
Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole is a true comfort food go-to. Nothing makes me think of my childhood and family more than Cabbage Rolls.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1 onion , diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 can tomato soup
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 28 oz . canned diced tomatoes with liquid
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 1/2 cups cooked rice (brown or white)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 head of cabbage chopped (approx. 8 cups)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 pan.
- Brown ground beef, ground pork, onion and garlic until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Add tomato sauce, tomato soup, canned tomatoes,tomato paste, dill, parsley and bay leaf. Simmer covered 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and stir in rice.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add cabbage and cook until tender crisp.
- Place half of the cabbage in the pan. Top with half of the beef/rice mixture. Repeat layers ending with beef/rice.
- Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes or until hot & bubbly.
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Holly Nilsson
Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
I’ve done a dish very similar…but used only diced tomatoes and for extra liquid used chicken bouillon mixed with slightly less water than directions call for and added in a few diced green peppers. Great flavour! And it works well for people who don’t care for too many tomatoes.
Thanks for letting us know that Linda!
I’m looking for something to do with a bag of cabbage. This looks perfect!
We hope you try it! :)
Typographical error in ingredients listing: “groups pork” should be “ground pork”.
Thanks so much for letting me know!
Do you know how many calories per serving in the Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole? It sounds delicious and simple to make and you did mention it is healthy but Inam a calorie counter.
Thank you.
I’m sorry I am unable to provide nutritional information. You can enter your ingredients here to calculate your information.
Can you make this with ground turkey instead of beef & pork
Definitely!
How many calories per serving in the unstuffed cabbage casserole?
I’m sorry I am unable to provide nutritional information. You can enter your ingredients here to calculate your information.
This looks delicious! Now if only my family liked cabbage as much as I do… :)
Haha, perhaps they will open up to cabbage if they tried this amazing recipe!
Hello, can this dish be frozen in portions to be warmed up later?
Sorry never mind – i didn’t read the details at the end. Got my answer! :)
I am trying this tonight, I made extra sauce and used a 11x 15 with a big head of cabbage, the wife says it smells just like her stuffed cabbage rolls, but not all the work
The easy and delicious version of cabbage rolls! I’m sure she’ll love it Bruce!
This looks really good! I love cabbage and this is dairy-free which is a must in our house. Maybe this will get my kids to eat cabbage!
Was the cabbage precooked like the rice?
It is cooked in step 4.
I am excited about this recipe. I am a novelist at this. What size cans are you using for the tomato paste etc?
Thanks
Thanks so much for the recipe on making French onion soup in the crock pot. Ingenious, also want to try your deconstructed cabbage rolls.
Hi Ben, I hope you enjoy the soup!
In Russian we call them Lazy Goluptsi (cabbage rolls)
They definitely hit the spot!
How many calories per serving?
I’m sorry I am unable to provide nutritional information. You can enter your ingredients here to calculate your information.
If you want to freeze do you bake it first and then freeze or put in 4 separate containers and freeze and bake when wanted?
Place in 4 containers and then freeze. Thaw and bake when you are ready to enjoy!
I am going to try this. I love cabbage casserole and soup. I will be subbing Lentils for the meat, maybe adding some “meat crumbles” and omitting the tomato soup. Sounds really good. Thanks for sharing
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi! The 8 servings – is that true to how a normal adult would eat? Like would it feed 8 adults, or does it go by the standard serving size of things? Like if a box of pasta says it has 6 servings, but it only really feeds 2 people. Thanks!! Can’t wait to try this!
With a salad and some crusty bread you should get 6-8 good sized servings. :) Enjoy!
Could you top this delicious dish with cheese?
I like the way you think Toni! Cheese would be awesome on top of this casserole!
It looks so good, I will try it, but can I boil the cabbage? Instead of frying it in oil. Thanks!
You can certainly boil the cabbage instead of frying.
Can the rice be omitted?????
It can be omitted, I often used riced cauliflower in place. It will cause the dish to be slightly runnier.
What exactly is tender crisp for when to stop cooking cabbage?
You would like it to be tender and cooked but not mushy, it should still have a little bit of firmness.
I have been using shredded zucchini in my cabbage rolls. It is really good! I replace the rice with zucchini in the same amount.
That would be delicious!! Thank youfor sharing!
Hi Holly! We really love cabbage rolls in our house and I’ve always thought, of course, that my mom makes the best! I’ve seen other recipes for a Cabbage Roll casserole and yours, by far, looks the best. Your combination of ingredients just sounds delicious. I’ll be making this before the week is out and I have a feeling this recipe will make it onto my “tried and true” list. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Enjoy Mary Ann!
Made this for dinner-I didn’t have tomato sauce so used crushed tomatoes-everything else in recipe was the same–it was delish!!!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Just finished making this for a church dinner tomorrow. I used cauliflower rice instead of rice. I tasted it & can’t wait to have some on a plate, it’s delicious.
Will definitely try. I believe I will add fresh peppers to my second layer of cabbage before baking.
This was amazing!! We didn’t have a bay leaf but it turned out great anyhow. Thanks!!
Looks delicious..but I am trying to cook without any processed soups or sauces so what would others suggest I use in lieu of the tomato soup. Perhaps more tomato sauce? Would love suggestions!
I have only made this recipe as written. I find the tomato soup adds a little bit of creaminess to the recipe. If you substitute it, please let us know how it works out for you!
Hi. Your recipe calls for 1 can of tomato soup. How many ounces is this?
The tomato soup is 10.75 oz.
We loved it!!! Just my hubby and I so will be freezing enough left overs for several more meals. Served with side of cranberry sauce.
Awesome!!
Made this for dinner tonight it was really yummy! We had no bay leaf or parsley it was still good! I did 15oz can tomatoe sauce 15oz can chopped tomatoes and a tablespoon of Splenda – perfect!!
when do you cook the rice
The rice is pre-cooked before measuring.
I made this and added chopped green peppers to the meat and sauce. It was delicious.
That sounds like a delicious addition! I love green peppers!
Do you pre cook the cabbage as well as the rice?
The cabbage is cooked in step 4 of the recipe.
How long would you bake this if the rice wasn’t precooked?
Long cooking rice or instant? Trying this tonight,,,
Long grain white rice.
Could you use sour cabbage?
I haven’t tried it with sour cabbage, please let us know how it works out for you if you do try it.
I see the cooked rice in the Ingedients and then in the instructions it says the “meat/rice mixture” but at some point am I supposed to mix in and boil the rice with the tomatoes and meat or just layer the rice?
Hi! In step 3) you add the already cooked rice to the beef/tomato sauce mixture (after removing the bay leaf). Then just proceed to layer this entire mixture with the tender crisp cabbage mixture – beginning with the cabbage and ending with the tomato/beef/rice mixture. Hope that clarifies.
Holy smokes this is both delicious and makes a LOT of food! No cooking next week because we are having freezer left overs.
I would probably cook my rice with chicken broth next time to add some more flavor to counter having to add so much salt to flavor the cabbage, rice and tomato soup.
Delicious!
Oh my goodness this was de-lish! It makes a ton of food, yay leftovers!
I love leftovers too! Glad you enjoyed it!
this was delicious and enjoyed by everyone. much lighter than regular lasagna. I have been sharing this with other friends who love it too.