Easy Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole: A Time-Saving Taste of Home
Enjoy the comforting taste of home in this delicious and easy cabbage roll casserole! This recipe delivers an authentic taste of home with all the flavors of traditional cabbage rolls but in a super tasty and freezer-friendly unstuffed format.
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One of my favorite dinners growing up was my mother’s cabbage rolls. They represented the ultimate taste of home for our family. Often, my Mom did not work when I was growing up, and she had a lot of time to cook dinner. She would make these excellent cabbage rolls that filled our kitchen with an aroma of comfort and love.
Now that I work full-time, it’s tough to come home, prepare a dish like this, and eat the meal that evening. This casserole brings that authentic taste of home to my family’s table with all of the flavors of the cabbage rolls without all of the work.
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Why is this cabbage roll casserole recipe so fantastic?
This unstuffed cabbage roll casserole succeeds by capturing the essential taste of home and the flavors and textures of traditional cabbage rolls while eliminating the labor-intensive steps of parboiling cabbage leaves and rolling individual portions. The chopped cabbage cooks to perfect tenderness in the oven, absorbing the savory flavors of beef, onions, and tomato sauce just like in the original recipe that brings back the taste of home for so many of us. Uncooked rice is added directly to the mixture, softening and expanding as it absorbs the beef broth during baking.
The covered baking process creates a steamy environment that perfectly melds the flavors while ensuring the cabbage cooks down and the rice becomes tender. This approach delivers consistent results with minimal hands-on time, making it accessible for busy weeknights while still providing the comforting, hearty satisfaction and authentic taste of home that traditional cabbage rolls offer. The casserole format also allows the flavors to develop even further when stored as leftovers, making it an excellent make-ahead option that delivers that beloved taste of home whenever you need it.
Recipe ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Ground beef – Provides hearty protein and savory flavor base
- Onion – Adds aromatic foundation and sweetness
- Tomato sauce – Creates tangy, rich sauce that binds the casserole
- Cabbage – Main vegetable that softens and absorbs surrounding flavors
- White rice – Adds substance and soaks up delicious juices as it cooks
- Salt – Enhances all flavors throughout the dish
- Beef broth – Provides necessary moisture for cooking the rice and cabbage
How to make cabbage roll casserole
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off fat. Chop the cabbage head into small bite-sized pieces.
- Combine chopped onions, tomato sauce, cabbage, rice, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the drained meat into the mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish, you can use a Dutch oven if desired.
- Pour broth over the mixture.
- Cover the dish and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
- Stir, replace cover, and bake for another 30 minutes.
Substitutions and Variations
When you cook, you have a lot more freedom than with baking, which is nice. If you know you or your family members do not like a certain thing, you can remove it or swap it for a suitable substitute.Â
Here are a couple of variations you might like to try to mix things up or if the original recipe does not work for you:
- Swap out the rice. Instead of using 1 cup of uncooked rice, you chop up 2 cups of additional cabbage and use that instead and make your own Keto Cabbage Casserole recipe.
- Use sauerkraut. If you like cabbage but don’t LOVE it, you can also swap out half of the cabbage for sauerkraut, and it will taste amazing too!
These are just two ideas, but feel free to make your own changes too!
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Reheating from frozen: Thaw overnight in refrigerator, then reheat covered at 350°F for 20-25 minutes
- Refrigeration: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container for 5-7 days
- Freezing: Freeze in portion-sized containers for up to 3 months for easy future meals with that taste of home
- Make-ahead option: Assemble completely, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking
- Reheating from refrigerated: Cover with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes until heated through
Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Easy Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 29 ounces tomato sauce
- 3.5 pounds chopped cabbage
- 1 cup uncooked white rice – not instant
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 28 ounces beef broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat until redness is gone. Drain off fat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped onions, tomato sauce, cabbage, rice, and salt.
- Add the drained meat into the mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Pour broth over the meat mixture.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil or a lid.
- Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
- Stir, replace cover, and bake for another 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Love cabbage? Try these recipes!
Favorite Casserole Recipes
- Broccoli Rice Cheese Casserole
- Chili Relleno Casserole
- Crab Casserole
- Doritos Casserole
- Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole
- Hashbrown Casserole
- Reuben Casserole
- Sausage Casserole
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
- Taco Casserole with Corn Tortillas
- Yellow Squash Casserole
Check out more of my easy casserole recipes and the best comfort food recipes here on CopyKat!
Great recipe, absolutely delicious! LOVE cabbage rolls! My polish friends taught me to call them gwumpki!
I made some modifications. Used 1.3 lbs (package size) of meatloaf mix (beef, pork and veal), 1/2 C jasmine rice, 15 oz of tomato sauce, 15 oz of beef broth, 1.5 lb green cabbage, approximately 10 oz of cremini mushrooms rough chopped, fried each ingredient on medium high heat to partially cook and get some color. Good thing I did as I misread recipe and left uncovered for final 30 minutes. LOL Next time I will use 3/4 C rice. I also served over mashed potatoes. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! My polish friends also tell me you can never go wrong adding potatoes or mushrooms to a meal! Even with reduced quantities 13×9 pan very full! More than half will go into freezer for future meals!
This recipe is the best, no weird seasonings that ruin the taste, One of my favorite comfort foods since childhood… easy and delicious. Sometimes I make it with ground pork, it’s as good as with beef, We call it ‘lazy cabbage rolls’. 5 stars
My favorite food from a child…now a senior. I make it like my mother and her friends did. Instead of the broth use Heinz tomato juice (do not substitue for another brand. And the meat make 65 percent beef and 35 percent pork.I wrap it in cabbage leaves when the leaves are big enough. Other wise I make it like you did almost. Try it? When I prepare it it can be all mixed together and cooked in the oven.
Stephanie I never get disappointed anytime I visit your site. Thank you for amazing recipes!
It’s such an easy recipe and has the delicious comfort-food feed of cabbage rolls. It’s officially my go-to cabbage recipe. thanks for sharing!
This is a very tasty casserole that is easy to make. I love how inexpensive cabbage is.
I am glad you enjoyed this recipe. I think it is a great way to get that similar flavor of cabbage rolls without so much work.
Looks very easy to make for those of us who love cabbage rolls but hate the prep time! Can’t wait to try it out!
Is the rice ‘instant’ or reg long grain? Thank you. This looks so yummy!
I prepared this with regular long grain rice. No instant rice needed.
I used regular long grain rice.
I love this recipe and have made it twice now with my own revisions. I use V-8 juice with beef broth added and also use garlic, salt and pepper. We eat it with parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top. So delicious!! Thank you!!
I bet it is fabulous with V-8 juice. I know when I make chili with that it is even better.
MADE A POLISH THEME DINNER PARTY, THIS WENT OVER JUST GREAT. AND SO EASY. WAS JUST DELICIOUS. RECOMMEND FOR A CROWD. WILL MAKE AGAINL
Well I think that is a real compliment when it goes well at a dinner party.
Love anything with cabbage and ground beef. This was great! I also tried the recipe substituting sweet Italian sausage (removed from casing) for the ground beef. Tried it a third time adding little red potatoes with the ground beef. All were tasty.
I never thought about swapping out the sausage for the ground beef. That would be a great way to do it. I could also see how slipping in a few potatoes would be a great way to serve up this dish. I love your suggestions.
Sounds delicious, I can not wait to try it.
THAT sounds like rubbish!!!!!!!!!
Slop for the hawgs…………Now a REAL cabbage roll is delectable, with SEASONINGS…………
Hmmm, your comment makes me chuckle, your complaining about a recipe you have never tasted.
OMG! I came here to look up the meat grinder post for the post I’m editing today and saw this! My post is about Asian Stuffed Cabbage Bundles! How funny is that?
This casserole looks great! I’m going to have to try that next time.
I will have to check out your Asian stuffed cabbage bundles, those sound amazing.
This recipe is a fabulous idea. I can’t believe how easy!!! My family loves stuffed cabbage but it is so time consuming that I only make it for special occasions. Now I can make it any night of the week! I also think that it would make a wonderful and unusual covered dish, thanks a bunch!
Yes, I love cabbage rolls too, but you have to steam cabbage, make the filling, then bake them, this is so much easier than the other way.
Fixed for supper last night, my family and I loved it, So easy to make.
Yes Tina. Look up the term ‘Copy & Paste’ and you’ll know what Mitch is describing. Oh heck, I might as well tell you here. To highlight text, press down the left mouse button and drag the cursor over the text you want to copy. Then press the right mouse button and click on Copy. Then open your favorite word program and right click again. Click on Paste and that’s it! Ready to save or print immediately. Good luck.
There is a print screen button you may want to use, it looks like a printer. This produces the photo and recipe text only.
I used to make a skillet casserole very similar to this by adding the cabbage and other ingredients to the browned beef. Tomato paste was used instead of tomato sauce. Very tasty and off the stove top.
“Drain off fat In a large mixing bowl combine the onion, tomato sauce, cabbage, rice and salt. Add meat and mix all together. ” Does this mean that you are mixing the onion, tomato sauce etc in with the fat in the mixing bowl?
I have made modification for clarity. There is not need to drain the meat fat into the mixing bowl. Please drain the meat fat, and do with it whatever you normally do. If the recipe is still not clear, please let me know.
Love this recipe btw
I love your recipie site,is there any way to save recipies on your site?
I don’t currently have a way to save recipes. Hopefully one day!
Save recipes..here is how I do it: Hilite recipe.. than, right click on it…select “copy” than open your word program and “paste” it to a blank document…name it and your done!!!