Cabbage Roll Casserole

This Cabbage Roll Casserole is a comforting, easy to make dinner recipe! All your favorite cabbage roll ingredients in a delicious, easy casserole!

This casserole recipe is so much easier than making traditional cabbage rolls, with all the same flavors! Also check out this Chicken and Stuffing Casserole made with some store bought help, and our kids favorite, this Ground Beef Tater Tot Casserole!

Bowl with cabbage roll casserole and green napkin

Cabbage Roll Casserole Recipe

I have to admit, cabbage rolls were never really on my go to comfort food recipe list. Until now. This Cabbage Roll Casserole takes a lot of the effort out of making traditional cabbage rolls, with all the same flavors you love.

This casserole recipe can be made ahead of time, even the day before, but it also heats up wonderfully. Just pop a serving into the microwave or warm up the whole casserole in the oven for dinner!

How Do You Make This Casserole Recipe?

Start by chopping up a head of cabbage. You’ll need between 8 and 10 cups of chopped cabbage for this casserole. Grab a medium head of cabbage from the store and you’ll be all set.

Cook the cabbage in a large skillet with salt, pepper and olive oil until it’s tender but still crisp and set aside.

cabbage cooking in a skillet

In another large skillet, make the meat sauce by browning ground beef and pork with onions and garlic. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and a few seasonings and let it simmer to thicken.

Meat sauce in a skillet for casserole recipe

Now it’s time to assemble this Cabbage Roll Casserole! Layer the cooked cabbage, cooked rice and the meat sauce into a baking dish and then top with a can of condensed tomato soup.

I know what you’re going to say, why not just use more tomato sauce? Well, you can. But the tomato soup is what my mom used to put on her cabbage rolls (and stuffed peppers!) and the flavor just brings me back.

Cabbage Roll Casserole before cooking

How Long Does This Cabbage Roll Casserole Take To Cook?

Seeing as all the ingredients are already cooked, we’re just warming this casserole up in the oven. 25 minutes is all you’ll need to get this delicious Cabbage Roll Casserole hot and ready and on your dinner table!

We like to serve this casserole with some warmed tomato soup for spooning over the top. Our boys even add soy sauce to their portion, but TBH, they add soy sauce to literally everything.

Cabbage Roll Casserole in a bowl with spoons

Can You Make This Cabbage Casserole Ahead Of Time?

Oh yes, you most certainly can. Since there’s no pasta or any starch that’s going to suck up all the sauce, this casserole is a make ahead dream. You can assemble the casserole and then store it in your refrigerator until you’re ready to bake, or bake the casserole and heat up individual portions.

This casserole recipe is also one of those recipes that tastes even better the next day! So go ahead and save some time and make this in advance!

Spoon in a baking dish with casserole

Can You Use Other Types Of Meat In This Casserole?

Yep! Anything you like, really. Ground turkey or chicken to lighten it up, or even swap out the ground pork for Italian sausage. Of course, you can use all ground beef if you like and skip the ground pork, but we do like the flavor that it adds to this casserole recipe.

Cabbage Roll Casserole in a bowl with spoon for serving

Looking For More Casserole Recipes?

Print
Bowl with cabbage roll casserole and green napkin

Cabbage Roll Casserole

  • Author: Dan
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

This Cabbage Roll Casserole is one of my favorite, easy to make comfort foods! So much easier than making traditional cabbage rolls with all the same flavors you love!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground pork or Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • (1) 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes with juice
  • (2) 15 ounce cans tomato sauce
  • 4 cups cooked white rice
  • 810 cups diced cabbage, from a medium head of cabbage
  • (1) 10.75 can condensed tomato soup (plus more for serving)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and pork, crumbling the meat into smaller pieces as it cooks until almost cooked through. Drain any drippings from the skillet, then add the onion, garlic and salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes until the onion has softened, then add the tomato paste and stir into the meat.
  3. Pour in the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce along with the Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Stir to combine with the meat and onions and bring to a low simmer. Simmer the meat sauce for 8-10 minutes, uncovered.
  4. While the meat sauce is cooking, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to another large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced cabbage and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes until the cabbage has softened but is still crisp and remove from the heat.
  5. Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray and then layer in half of the cabbage, followed by 1 1/2 cups of the rice, and half of the meat sauce. Repeat with the remaining cabbage, the other 1 1/2 cups of rice and the rest of the meat sauce. Top the casserole with the tomato soup, spreading out evenly.
  6. Bake the casserole uncovered for 20-25 minutes until warmed through. Serve with extra, warmed tomato soup if desired.

Recipe Notes

This casserole can be made ahead of time, stored in the refrigerator and then cooked per the instructions in the recipe card. Or bake the casserole, let cool and then warm up individual portions in the microwave.

  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stove Top / Oven
  • Cuisine: American

You Might Also Like:

Leave a Reply

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Cocktails and Drinks

Side “Bar”

Try some of the cocktails and drinks we’re mixing up this week!

VISIT THE COCKTAIL BAR