This homemade cabbage roll casserole recipe has all the sweetness and the rich flavor of the traditional cabbage rolls but with less prep time. This recipe is super easy for those busy chefs and moms who don't have enough time to prepare dinner for the crowd.
Contents
⭐ Easy cabbage roll casserole
This recipe has the same taste and flavor as traditional cabbage rolls but with much less work. It contains a layer of rice, tomatoes, meat, tomato sauce, and cabbage leaves, meticulously cooked and baked to create a mouth-watering, luscious, and gently flavored cabbage roll casserole. All this is made from simple ingredients and easy-to-follow procedures. It is the ideal meal to prepare, particularly for the people who love cabbage rolls but don't have the time to prepare them.
If you are a fan of cabbage rolls, but you're often discouraged by the amount of work involved in preparing it, then this easy-to-prepare casserole recipe is for you. It is one of my favorite recipes, and it is the perfect choice for a simple dinner. My passion for making cabbage roll casserole is inspired by my childhood memories, specifically the Friday nights cooking time with my mom and grandma.
I can say with confidence, I love cabbage rolls. However, I've always felt they require to much work to make. I mean, there is the making of filling, boiling of cabbage, and then wrapping the whole thing up before baking it. Sometimes it can take the entire day. However, it's one of the simplest meals to prepare when the cabbage roll casserole is assembled. You get to solve/soothe your cravings but with little work.
🍽 What you need
Before preparing a cabbage roll casserole, ensure that you have the right tools and ingredients close to the cooking area, as this will make your work easier and faster. Also, note that measurements are everything if you are to get that uniquely delicious cabbage roll taste.
Ingredients
- Olive oil - 4 tbsp, separated
- Onion - 1 medium, chopped
- Garlic cloves -3, minced
- Ground beef - 1 pound (500 g)
- Salt and pepper - to taste
- Thyme - 1 tsp, dried
- Paprika - 2 tsp
- Worcestershire sauce - 1 tbsp
- Brown sugar - 2 tbsp
- White vinegar - 1 tbsp
- Diced tomatoes - 1 14 oz (400g) can, with juices
- Tomato sauce - 1.15 oz (480 g) jar
- Brown rice - 2 cups, cooked
- Green cabbage - 1 large head, wooden spoon, coarsely chopped
- Parmesan - ½ cup, grated
- Mozzarella - 1 cup, shredded
Equipment
When preparing a cabbage roll casserole, the tools needed are the everyday kitchen tools, and they include:
- a skillet or pot
- one cup
- one pan
- a spoon
- casserole dish
- aluminum foil.
🔪 How to make
Making this meal is simple and straightforward, and it takes roughly 45 minutes to one hour to get everything up and ready. The procedures highlighted below gives you a detailed step-by-step process that will guide you in creating and assembling this easy cabbage roll casserole.
Instructions
Step 1
Begin by heating two tablespoonfuls of olive oil in a pot or a deep skillet on medium heat, stir-fry the onions for approximately 3 to 4 minutes until it softens, then add cloves garlic and let it cook for two more minutes.
Step 2
Now, adjust the heat a notch higher, then add the ground beef. Sprinkle some pepper and salt to taste. Allow it to cook until it turns brown and fully drumbled
Step 3
Once done, add and stir paprika, thyme, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar and leave it to cook for a few more minutes before adding the tomatoes and tomato sauce.
Step 4
Pour about a quarter cup of water into the empty tomato sauce jar, swirl, and add it to the mixture.
Step 5
Allow it to simmer for around 15 minutes, then add and stir cooked rice and remove from heat.
Step 6
In a separate deep pan or large skillet, heat another two tablespoonfuls of oil on medium heat and add the sliced cabbages. Stir, turn, and lift using a pair of thongs until it's fully wilted and tender. Add enough black pepper and salt as it cooks and removes it from heat. This step normally takes around 10 to 12 minutes.
Preheat the oven to a temperature of 350°F (176°C). Grease a large (9 inch) casserole glass dish by spraying it lightly with canola oil spray.
Step 7
Lay half the cabbage on the bottom of the dish and press it down using a spoon
Step 8
Layer cabbage with half of the beef mixture, then lay the other half and spread the remaining meat/sauce/rice mixture.
Step 9
Carefully smooth-en the surface and cover the baking dish tightly with foil, and bake.
Step 10
Bake for around 45 minutes in the preheated oven, remove the aluminum foil and delicately sprinkle the cheese on top.
Return the uncovered casserole from the oven and bake for ten minutes until the cheese is fully melted. Then transfer the dish to the top of the oven and leave it for two minutes until the cheese turns golden brown.
The time needed to prepare this meal is roughly 1 hour 30 minutes, but the cooking time reduces significantly to around 25 mins total if you've prepared the rice and meat mixture.
⏲️ Make ahead
You can prepare the beef mixture, rice, and sauce beforehand as well as parboiling the rice. You can also blench the leaves three days early. Wrap and chill in separate dishes. Assemble casserole right before you begin baking.
Like most foods, the taste becomes more pronounced the more it sits. Preparing cabbage roll casseroles early gives the ingredients the time to soak up all the flavors and good things, resulting in the ultimate comfort food. If you intend to prepare it way earlier before dinner time, you should stop after assembling. Leave baking for later when you are about to serve. This prevents the casserole from drying out.
💭 Top tips
You can add shredded mozzarella cheese to give it a new twist, though you can still use any other type of shredded cheese such as Colby jack, provolone, or swiss cheese. The secret is to add the cheese as you place it in the oven. Additionally, for this specific type of casserole, you should use instant rice.
- Save cooking time by buying shredded cabbage.
- If most of your family members are fans of cabbage rolls like mine are, you can make a double batch and freeze the extra dish. If you are a lazy cook, this will simplify your work as you will have something to eat the entire week.
- Lastly, the beauty of cabbage roll casseroles is that you can add extra ingredients depending on your preference. For instance, you can add corn, peas, green onion, bell pepper, broccoli or cauliflower, canned beans, chicken peas, mushrooms, or asparagus.
🥗 Side dishes
There are several things that you can serve with a Cabbage roll casserole. To give you an idea, think about the main ingredients that went into creating the dish. Since the main star ingredients are ground meat and cabbage, you may want to keep it simple by serving a tasty green salad or crusty bread. You can even opt to serve it with some steamed vegetables such as cauliflower or broccoli. Apart from the options mentioned above, you can also serve it with sauteed green beans and a dollop of sour cream (though it's not a darling of many).
🥫 Storage
Cabbage roll casserole, just like any other food, can be stored for use later. The best way to keep cabbage roll casserole is by chilling it in temperatures ranging between 2 to 4 degrees Celsius (for temporary storage) or freezing it to -18 degrees Celsius or below.
Fridge
Place your cabbage roll leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. Properly stored your cabbage rolls will last 3-4 days if not already consumed by hungry family members.
Freeze
Freezing helps to preserve cabbage roll casserole for up to 3 months. When preparing the cabbage roll casserole for future use, you should skip the baking part. All you need to do is to cover the casserole dish tightly with both foil and plastic wrap. Whenever you want to use it, remove it from the freezer and leave it in the fridge's bottom compartment for 1 -2 days for it to thaw. Bake for around 50 to 55 minutes before introducing the cheese.
📖 Types of cabbage
The best cabbage for making cabbage roll casserole is the Savoy Cabbage. The Savoy cabbage leaves are known to have a magnificent, waffle-knit, and relatively smooth texture that makes them noticeable. In addition, its texture and physical structure make it slightly elastic, making it a suitable cabbage to make traditional cabbage rolls and cabbage roll casserole. You can also use green cabbage as it is sturdier than all the other cabbage types. Moreover, its ribs (the thick parts around the core) are hefty and solid, making it ideal for aggressive cooking.
If you have extra cabbage do no hesitate to make my delicious fried cabbage with bacon recipe. Super delicious to pair with any meal!
Related Comfort Recipes
👪 Serving size
This recipe serves 8 people, and it takes 90 minutes total time to get it ready. However, it is worth mentioning I've witnessed 4 people devour this on occasion. Similar to my texas chicken spaguetti recipe which is absolutely mouth-watering!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Try one of my comfort dinner recipes for your next family meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
📋 Recipe
Cabbage Roll Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon olive oil - separated
- 1 medium onion - chopped
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 can tomatoes - 14 oz with juices diced
- 1 jar tomato sauce - 15 oz
- 2 cups brown rice - cooked
- 1 large head green cabbage - coarsely chopped
- ½ cup parmesan - grated
- 1 cup mozzarella - shredded
- salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon of the olive oil in a deep skillet or pot over medium heat and saute the onion for about 3 - 4 minutes, until softened, then add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
- Increase the heat to high and add the ground beef and season well with salt and pepper. Cook until browned, crumbling it up as it cooks.
- Stir in the thyme, paprika, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and vinegar and cook for a couple more minutes before adding the tomatoes and tomato sauce. Swirl about ¼ cup of water in the bottom of the tomato sauce jar and add that as well.
- Let this simmer for about 15 minutes, then stir in the cooked rice and remove from heat.
- In another large, deep, pan heat 2 more tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and add the chopped cabbage. Cook, stirring almost constantly until the cabbage is about half cooked - add salt and pepper generously as it cooks, then remove from heat.
- Heat your oven to 350 F (175 C) and grease a large casserole dish.
- Spread about ½ the cabbage onto the bottom, pressing it down a bit with the back of a spoon.
- Spoon half the beef mixture over the cabbage, then add the other half of the cabbage and finish with the rest of the meat mixture.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 45 minutes, then remove the foil and sprinkle the cheeses on top.
- Bake uncovered for about 10 more minutes, until the cheese melts, then move the dish to the top of the oven - turn the broiler on for a minute or two until the cheese begins to brown.
Video
Nutrition
What do you think?
If you try this recipe, please let me know what you think. And if you're browsing recipes, check out my casserole recipes for more great dinner ideas.
Janice McMahon
I want to print this but there is no icon for it...help!!!!
Anonymous
i've made cabbage roll casserole for along time now, it's alot faster then doing the rolls.. but it is very good!!
maureen black
Sounds good Camie Fulton. I used to make a similar recipe but you add cream to it. At pot luck suppers everyone asked me to bring my cabbage casserole. I wish I could find that recipe. If anyone seeing this has it please reply.
Anonymous
Where does the rice come in????
Anonymous
Would take out the brown sugar nest time,, didn't like the sweetness on this dish,, will go more southwestern with the spices next time
Sylvia Johnston
I AM UKRAINIAN. GREW UP WITH FOOD LIKE THIS. I add sauted bacon and dill to mine.
Anonymous
Gonna try this one...but change it up a bit!!! thanks for the idea!!
Syvia Johnston@yahoo.com
I also make a recipe very much the same as this for my annual OCTOBERFEST PARTY. Make everything the same except leave out all the tomato. Fry up !# bacon to add to the ground beef 2# and onions, garlic etc.. Add 1 jar of drained rinsed sauerkraut (not the sweet kind) with the chopped raw cabbage (I do not fry the cabbage).....layer it as you would the orginal recipe. I add quite a bit of dill to this also..season with a lot of Mrs. Dash. I would not use the vinegar and brown sugar tho. I do not add rice to my Octoberfest Casserole as I serve it with mashed potatoes, beet pickles, rye bread and beer! When baking the casserole..I watch so it does not dry out..adding some beef broth if needed.Bake in a large blue oval roaster as it makes a lot. This is a killer meal for a sunday afternoon football game.
Sister Specialties
I love cabbage
Aiste
I cooked it last night, loved it!
Jan
The use of 'very generously' salt would be so bad for us. Will try without adding that as the other seasonings should allow for a still tasty casserole.
comfortablefood
Please do - I am a salter, so I am generous with it all the time. I'm gonna change it to 'to taste' since all are not like me. 🙂 Thanks for the feedback.
michelle
I usually substitute quinoa for the rice. A little more healthier.
How to fix cabbage - City-Data Forum
[…] also had a half head of cabbage to use up. I found this recipe:comfortable food - cabbage roll casserole recipe. Much easier than making cabbage rolls. I halved the ingredients, as it makes quite a […]
Euncie Warring
I tried various ways to print this but none would work.
Amy Shier Bowen
This recipe is delicious! Great tip pointing out the need to cook the cabbage well in the pan. I kept my pan hot & it still took a while to be a little over half cooked.Only thing I did the author didn't mention, I spooned off the fat from beef frying. I had 80% beef, so I thought that was sensible. My husband raved about this surprisingly delicious recipe.
Anonymous
No.... if you want vegetarian, you add a good redi burger...veggie burger or some soy or wheat protein...leaving protein out is not an option
Chris
As someone who's made Stuffed Cabbage often, I've never in my life heard of adding parmesan, mozzarella or brown sugar in it. Just no. Not even close to being similar in taste in any way. I'm sure this recipe is probably good, but it shouldn't be compared to Stuffed Cabbage.
Anonymous
SO Delicious! I used 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 ground turkey.
Anonymous
I made this 2 weeks ago and we loved it! Made it this weekend and added a dash (or 2) of cayenne pepper to meat mixture and then put catsup on to before baking. It was delicious!
Dana
Made this tonight for dinner.... OMG!!!!! Everyone loved it... Nice French crusty bread with it... Definitely a keeper!!!
Cici
I wonder if you could add sauerkraut to this dish I love the added flavour the sauerkraut adds…anyone tried that?
Ben Rayl
I have a couple friends who add sauerkraut after they dish up!
Euncie Warring
I love to read the different variations that everyone makes with the recipes. Not everyone will like the same one. I used to shudder when a friend's children used to put ketchup on perohe. But they did love it.Wonderful to have variety in food.
Euncie Warring
My Mother is Romanian and her recipe was the sour cabbage rolls with layers of sauerkraut in between. Her filling was the sauteed onions and bacon added to the cooked rice and ground pork and beef with seasoning to your taste. Making rolls was a full time job for a large dinner group, wedding etc. but I remember it as being a great time for the women to get together to make these meals.and gossip etc with the children getting in the way. I really miss that type of life and never had it once I moved away. My English husband and 3 daughters and I used to have sessions of making homemade perohe(perogy), and letting the girls join in was more the family fun. The closest I have come to that in recent years was to let the grandchildren help make meatballs.
Anonymous
For those who have trouble printing from FB......send it to your email and print it from there
Cabbage Roll Casserole | Chow Down
[…] Source: Comfortable Food […]
Kathleen M Smith
This looks so good and easy! I would use a smaller amount of ground turkey (no beef) and light on the salt. Love the variations in the comments.
RyeRye
Made this tonight for dinner and it was fabulous! Thank you~
Anonymous
Definitely making this tommrow night
Tracy
Do you think this would freeze well? Would I need to make any variations if I plan to freeze and eat later? Thanks!
Julie
Sounds delicious, Thank you so much for sharing
Jacque
I made this casserole today. I didn't have plain diced tomatoes in the house so I used my can of Italian style diced tomatoes and I do not care for brown rice so I made white rice...other than that, I followed the recipe. It's a different taste with the different combinations but we liked it and would make it again for sure. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Pam
I use instant rice and boil my cut up cabbage just a little and use tomato soup and add a little caynee pepper to your liking and the onion and garlic layer in casserole dish 350 for 1 1/2 hours till tender.you can also make little meatballs and put in layers really goof.
.
Valarie
Is that 2 cups rice measurement a precooked measurement? That's how I'm interpreting it. Thanks!
pat adams
Does this recipe freeze well?- Gosh it sounds delicious! I am making this real soon!
Brandi
I absolutely love this recipe. The next day I made the sauce and poured it over plain white rice and it was delicious too.
It's ALL about that visual . . . ? | comfortable food
[…] The Cabbage Roll Casserole […]
carol stevens
this sounds like a real good dish. can't wait to try it. my husband and I both like cabbage dishes.
Ricky Kennedy
Made this today and my family LOVED it. I have always loved cabbage rolls but they are a lot of work to make. I had leftover country-fried cabbage (onions, garlic, cabbage and bacon), hamburger and leftover cooked rice. It was a
natural. I highly recommend it.
Linda
Hi If you have an allergy to tomatoes what other sauces would you recommend
Michelle
Can you use mash on top like you would in a shepherd's pie
Lisa
This recipe is great. I like to make big batches of just the meat sauce and freeze it and use it on spaghetti squash or pasta. It’s a really great sauce!
Aysegul
It will be nice as a sidedish for a dinner. I will try asap.
Jennifer Farley
I love this casserole! Thanks for sharing.
Melissa Sperka
The only way I'll make cabbage rolls now!!
carrie
So fun and so good
Joanna Cismaru
I love cabbage rolls so I can't wait to try this casserole!
Joanne
This dish is brilliant. I love cabbage rolls...and this is so much better!
Barbara Schieving
We love cabbage roll casserole.
Erin
Yes - love this in casserole form! So good and easy
Toni | Boulder Locavore
This was a huge hit with my kids! Thank you for the recipe!
Lori @ RecipeGirl
Delicious casserole, thank you!
nate'
Can i leave the rice out and bake it, then put over mashed potatoes? Is it saucy enough?
Jen
Depending on the fat content of the Hamburger, should the fat be drained off after cooking? Thank you.
kathryn donaghy
This is very, very good! I have made it every summer when the cabbage is ready.
Trisha Crossman Parker
This is one of my favourite recipes!!! The sauce has so much flavour!!
Tami
For the tomato sauce, is it unseasoned tomato sauce or a pasta sauce, like marinara?
Ben Rayl
Unseasoned, but I think any tomato sauce with mild seasoning would work amazing.
Paulette Klingensmith
Everyone loves this recipe! You can switch it around with the cheeses and the sauce . It is always delicious!
Jane
Love this Recipe!! So much easier than doing all the Rolls and Husband Loves it. Thank you for Sharing..
Admin
Your welcome! Absolutely! This cabbage roll casserole save us so much time when we have a busy week ahead or simple looking for a quick and comforting meal. Glad you liked it 😉
Joan
This is delicious! The only change I made was to substitute in Swiss cheese for the Mozzarella. Otherwise everything was exactly as in the recipe. My husband was raving about it
Cat
I have been making this for a few years now. It is always enjoyed by everyone. I never add the cheese because I have yet to see cabbage rolls with cheese in or in them. The cheese doesn't make sense to me. Whenever I serve this to others the recipe is always requested. Thank you for this delicious addition to my menu rotation.