Cabbage Roll Casserole

Our cabbage roll casserole has all the amazing taste of traditional cabbage rolls without all the work! Loaded with cabbage, beef, and an amazing sauce! My family loves this recipe.

We’ve always loved the standard stuffed cabbage rolls, but they take way too long to assemble for a simple weeknight meal. It would take me all afternoon to stuff enough individual cabbage rolls for everyone to enjoy.

But this delicious cabbage casserole tastes just like old-fashioned Eastern European stuffed cabbage rolls—but in a much (much) easier form to prepare. If you’ve ever heard of inside-out cabbage rolls, they’re the same thing as this dish. Whatever you choose to call it, it’s delicious!

If you love hearty beefy casseroles as much as we do, I hope you’ll try our stuffed pepper casserole, hamburger casserole (family fav!), Johnny Marzetti Casserole, and our John Wayne casserole!

Cabbage Roll Casserole Ingredients

• Tomato Sauce: This is the base of the sauce.
• Tomato Soup: This thickens the sauce and adds some sweetness.
• Ketchup: Add concentrated tomato flavor.
• Brown Sugar: Finishes the sweetness in the sauce.
• Lemon Juice: Adds acidity to the sauce which balances it. Don’t skip it.
• Dill: Adds the perfect herbal flavor to the dish.
• Cabbage: I use regular cabbage but feel free to experiment with other varieties such as Savoy.
• Oil: I use. olive oil but any neutral-flavored oil will work.
• Onion: I use yellow onion but a white one will work just as well.
• Garlic: I like fresh garlic, not the stuffed that comes in the jar.
• Beef: I use 80/20%. Feel free to use a leaner version or ground turkey or chicken.
• Salt + Pepper: Finishes off the seasoning.
• Thyme + Sage: Rounds out the herbal flavor in the dish.
• Bacon: Adds a tone of flavor to the filling.
• Rice: I use cooked long-grain white rice, but feel free to swap it with cooked brown rice if you prefer.
• Cheese: This is admittedly not an ingredient used in traditional stuffed cabbage rolls but my family loves it on this casserole.

Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This cabbage roll casserole with ground beef will 3-4 days in the fridge.
• Can You Freeze This?  Yes, this layered cabbage and ground beef casserole can be frozen but there will be some textural changes. It will last in the freezer for up to 4 months.
  • When you need it, thaw it in the fridge overnight. Sometimes I like to freeze individual pieces so that we can grab them one at a time, as desired. The smaller pieces can be reheated in the oven or microwave.
• Make-Ahead Tips: You can make it the day before, and just store it in the fridge until you need to bake it.
• Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link

Serving Recommendations

This is a complete meal in one casserole. That said I still like to serve Bisquick biscuits, homemade crescents, butter swim biscuits, or some Southern cornbread on the side.

More Beefy Casseroles

• Mexican Tater Tot Casserole
• Hamburger Potato Casserole
• Dorito Casserole
• Beef Noodle Casserole
• Sloppy Joe Casserole
• Shredded Beef Enchiladas
• Runza Casserole

Looking for a lighter version? Check out these keto cabbage rolls from Little Pine Low Carb!

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Cabbage Roll Casserole

Our cabbage roll casserole has all the amazing taste of traditional cabbage rolls without all the work! Loaded with cabbage, beef, and an amazing sauce!

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

Sauce:

• ▢ 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed tomato soup
• ▢ 1/2 cup ketchup
• ▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon dried dill

Filling:

• ▢ 1 (2 1/2 pounds) cabbage chopped
• ▢ 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion chopped
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 pounds ground beef or turkey
• ▢ 2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
• ▢ 6 slices bacon cooked and chopped
• ▢ 2 cups rice cooked
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups cheddar shredded
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella shredded

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray an 11x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the ingredients for the sauce and set aside. Add chopped cabbage (2 1/2 pounds) and stir to evenly combine. Set aside.
• In a large nonstick skillet, add the olive oil (2 teaspoons), onion (1 large), and garlic (4 cloves) and saute over medium heat until the onion is soft about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef (2 pounds), 2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoons pepper and cook over medium-high heat, crumbling the beef as it cooks, until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off fat. Add 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon dried dill, thyme (1 teaspoon), sage (1/4 teaspoon), bacon (6 slices), and rice (2 cups), and stir until evenly combined.
• Layer half of the cabbage in the prepared baking dish. Top with all the meat and rice mixture. Top with the remaining cabbage. Cover with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Uncover, then sprinkle top with cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Chili Cornbread Casserole
• 
  Cowboy Casserole
• 
  Fried Cabbage And Bacon
• 
  Mexican Casserole Recipe

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Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 541kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 1238mg | Potassium: 717mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 704IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 252mg | Iron: 3mg

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