Cabbage Roll Casserole

This cabbage roll casserole is tasty and easy to make, combines the flavors of cabbage rolls without all the work.

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Cabbage roll casserole combines all the delicious flavors of stuffed cabbage rolls, but without the rolling. Your family will love this adaption of the classic cabbage rolls that are simple enough to make for a busy weeknight meal.

MORE RECIPES: Cabbage Dinner Recipes | Egg Roll In A Bowl | Cabbage Roll Soup | Cabbage Rolls

The perfect way to enjoy cabbage rolls, but with a lot less time and effort. This casserole meal is filling, hearty, and completely satisfying.

Easy cabbage roll casserole is a hearty meal that combines layers of ground beef, rice, and cabbage. The casserole is topped with cheese and baked in the oven. Leftovers heat up perfectly in the microwave!

Since this casserole is almost an entire meal all on its own, you’ll want to serve it with a side that doesn’t overpower it. Light salads, creamy mashed potatoes, and homemade bread all make scrumptious sides.

Cabbage Roll Casserole Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Ground beef
• Yellow onion
• Minced garlic
• Dried parsley
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Paprika
• Italian seasoning
• Salt
• Pepper
• Red pepper flakes (optional)
• Water
• Worcestershire sauce
• Petite diced tomatoes
• Tomato sauce
• Minute rice
• Beef bouillon cube
• Butter
• Cabbage
• Mozzarella cheese
• Fresh parsley, optional

Who doesn’t like a good shortcut? Think of cabbage roll casserole as a shortcut version of classic cabbage rolls. Slowly baked and full of the same elements of cabbage rolls, including ground beef, rice, and cabbage in a light tomato sauce.

If your family likes dinner more on the spicy side, you could swap pepper jack for the mozzarella cheese. You could also use a can of fire-roasted tomatoes in place of the petite diced tomatoes. Make this unstuffed casserole vegetarian by making the recipe with a meat substitute instead of ground beef.

This casserole is not only easy to put together but it also freezes very well. Make a double batch and freeze one of the pans to have on hand for a busy weekday night.

How to Make Cabbage Roll Casserole

FIRST STEP: In a small saucepan bring 1 cup of water, butter, and beef bouillon cube to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup minute rice and stir well. Cover pot and let sit until you are ready to use it in the meat mixture.

SECOND STEP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

THIRD STEP: In a large soup pot, over medium heat, add hamburger. Cook and crumble until no longer pink. Drain grease. Return beef to pot, add onions and garlic. Stir well. Let cook for 5-7minutes while stirring often.

FOURTH STEP: Add dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine. Let cook for an additional 2 minutes.

FIFTH STEP: Add diced tomatoes with their juices and tomato sauce. Stir well and turn heat to low and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.

SIXTH STEP: Add cooked rice to the sauce mixture and stir well. Remove from heat and set aside.

SEVENTH STEP: In a separate large skillet over medium heat add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add cabbage, salt, pepper, and butter. Stir well. Let cabbage cook for 5 minutes, or until the cabbage is starting to get tender.

EIGHTH STEP: Add your cabbage to the meat and rice mixture. Stir well to combine.

NINTH STEP: Dump cabbage mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and spread evenly with a spatula. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

TENTH STEP: Cover with foil and cook at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

ELEVENTH STEP: Uncover the casserole dish and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese is starting to brown and the casserole juices are bubbling on the sides of the casserole.

Cooking Tips 

You must use instant rice for this casserole.

To make this recipe a freezer meal, layer everything into the pan and let it cool completely. Cover the pan with foil and freeze. Let the casserole thaw in the fridge overnight before baking.

You can swap ground turkey for ground beef, or even use leftovers like pulled pork.

Storing this Recipe

IN THE FRIDGE:  Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  

IN THE FREEZER: Let fully cooked casserole cool completely before placing it in an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the casserole to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in a microwave or the oven at 50 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Cabbage Roll Casserole

5 from 7 votes

Author: Shauna

This cabbage roll casserole is tasty and easy to make, combines the flavors of cabbage rolls without all the work.

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Meat Sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium yellow onion diced finely
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• ½ tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp italian seasoning
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ⅛-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 14.5 oz canned petite diced tomatoes undrained
• 15 oz canned tomato sauce

Rice

• 1 cup minute rice
• 1 cup water
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 2 tbsp butter

Cabbage

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 head cabbage cored and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper

Toppings

• 2.5 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• chopped parsley optional

Instructions

 

• In a small saucepan bring 1 cup of water, butter, and beef bouillon cube to a boil over medium high heat. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup minute rice and stir well. Cover pot and let sit until you are ready to use it in the meat mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a large soup pot over medium heat add hamburger. Cook and crumble until no longer pink. Drain grease. Return beef to pot, add onions and garlic. Stir well. Let cook for 5-7 minutes while stirring often.
• Add dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine. Let cook for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add diced tomatoes with their juices and tomato sauce. Stir well and turn heat to low and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Add cooked rice to the sauce mixture and stir well. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a separate large skillet over medium heat add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add cabbage, salt, pepper, and butter. Stir well. Let cabbage cook for 5 minutes or until the cabbage is starting to get tender.
• Add your cabbage to the meat and rice mixture. Stir well to combine.
• Dump cabbage mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and spread evenly with a spatula. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Cover with foil and cook at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
• Uncover casserole dish and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese is starting to brown and the casserole juices are bubbling on the sides of the casserole.

Notes

Pro Tip: To make into a freezer meal, cook on skillet and then place in freezer bag to freeze rather than baking. When ready, let thaw, dump into casserole and finished as instruction.

Nutrition

Calories: 591kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 2027mg | Potassium: 999mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1137IU | Vitamin C: 70mg | Calcium: 364mg | Iron: 5mg

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