Unstuffed Cabbage Roll 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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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 cabbage roll casserole 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!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 8 ounces lean ground pork or additional ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices, 1 can
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 ½ cups cooked rice brown or white
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 head green cabbage chopped, about 8 cups
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9x13 pan.
- Brown ground beef, ground pork, onion and garlic until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Add tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, dill, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and stir in rice.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large frying pan 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole
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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Your recipes look good and simple to make
I hope you find many to try Doris!
Awesome recipe I made last night for the family. I used 3 hot sausage links instead of the ground pork, fennel seeds since I had no dill or Terragon. Also used dried Parsley rather than fresh. Plus I used a teaspoon of beef better than bullion when sautéing the cabbage to impart more flavor. The family absolutely loved this recipe. Thank you so much-will definitely make this again.
Great additions and substitutions Elaine. Thank you for sharing!
Can I use instant rice in this recipe instead?
I have only made this recipe with long grain white rice. Enjoy Kristen!
Nice but I cheat i use raw rice n I just needed a reboot how to throw things together n cant find my own or old recipe. Ill be eating this all week but I dont mind I love cabbage rolls period n this is way easier.
Glad you enjoyed the casserole – definitely easier than full cabbage rolls, but just as delicious!
I just finished making this and it tastes delish! I basically look at recipes to get ideas, but don’t follow them to good. I do not like tomato paste and sure as heck don’t like tomato soup. I used a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes with garlic and herbs, one can of Rotel tomatoes and a jar of marinara sauce. As for meat, I used a chub of regular Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage and one lb. of ground turkey. I used brown rice as well.
I boiled my chopped cabbage and put that in the bottom of buttered casserole dish and I put the meat mixture on top. Then sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top. I didn’t think of layering it until after a reread the recipe. I’m actually thinking about stirring it all up together.
Your version sounds delicious too Judy.
Wow this is delicious! :-) I noticed someone asked about the lack of sugar to counter the acidity in tomatoes. I’m not sure what it is, but there was no acidity. Maybe it was the soup? I totally recommend following the recipe. I tried this recipe twice to try with fermented cabbage. It wasn’t as nice as the original recipe above. I think it added too much sweetness and it took over the rest of the flavours so unless you like that, I don’t recommend it. For the Aussies making this dish, the tomato sauce I used was Napoletana Sauce. I hope this helps, enjoy!
So glad you loved it! Thanks for the suggestions Cristina!
Hi. I am excited to try this dish but I was wondering what steps I could take to freeze it. Should I make it from start to finish then freeze it? Or should I just skip steps 1 and 6? Thanks!
Yes Jen, prepare and freeze then thaw and bake when you are ready to enjoy!
I would love to have a receipes book for these great foods
Thank you Doris, but I’m sorry, I do not have a book available for purchase at this time.
Do you add a can of water to the tomato soup? Also to make the 8 size serving, what size cabbage do you use? Small, medium or large? I think I will also add some cooked bacon and a little of the grease for flavor.
I don’t add water to the soup, just add condensed. I think the bacon would add amazing flavor! You’ll want about 8 cups of chopped cabbage, I use a small to medium cabbage.
Like SHERRY B I found the sauce really bland.
It required seasoning to a much greater extent than indicated in the recipe!
The “salt & pepper to taste” is nowhere close to enough.
I added a stock cube, a teaspoon os MSG, three tablespoons of sugar and two of Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce.
It did come out great!
Your additions sound great, thank you for sharing!
This was very good….a keeper! Hubby’s fave way to eat cabbage. Thank you!
You’re welcome. So glad you two loved it!
For the tomato soup, do you mean a can of Campbells condensed tomato soup or ready-to-eat soup?
I use condensed soup.
We thought the dish lacked flavor. Disappointed.
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this recipe as much as we do.
This was delish!
So glad you loved it!
How much does make for serving a family of 6
Hi Linda, We’ve only made this recipe as listed. So you would have 6 generous portions or enough for leftovers. With a casserole this tasty, I’m sure the “leftovers” will get gobbled up too!
This is excellent! We don’t eat pork so I used seasoned ground chicken for some extra flavor. Otherwise everything was the same. Very tasty and makes a lot!
Great idea Susan!
Can you use tomato juice instead of the tomato soup? My family is not fond of dishes made with canned soups.
It would likely work but may change the consistency as the juice is runnier and the tomato soup gives it a bit of creaminess. If you try it, please let us know how it goes!
I tried Sherrie B’s add ins and I couldn’t stop eating it. Cooked at 325 for an hour. Sherrie added 2 tsp lemon juice, 1tsp Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 cup light brown sugar.
I made this but with 2 lbs of ground beef and I used I large can of hunts herb and garlic sauce. It was so good and I’m making it tonight again. My hubby loved it. It will be on my menu board from now on. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
So glad your family loved it Angel!
Yes today, for tonight and it was awesome..added a can of hotel also for fun..Glad I did..Thanks though followed it to a T and it was a hit…
Great addition Charlotte! Happy to hear that you loved the recipe!
Hi Charlotte, can you please tell me what a “can of hotel” is? Thanks.
I think it was meant to be Rotel. :)
Made this tonight for dinner delicious, rave reviews even with my grandchildren.
It’s definitely a keeper.
Thanks Holly!!
So glad everyone loved it Lorraine!