There’s no prep work necessary for this 10-minute Dump-and-Bake Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Casserole! It’s a shortcut twist on my Polish grandmother’s famous recipe, and it’s sure to become a tradition in your house as well!
We all have those comfort food meals that remind us of our childhood, and Stuffed Cabbage Rolls is definitely one of mine.
My dad’s mom is Polish, so I have been treated to her family’s traditional recipes for as long as I can remember.
Potato pancakes (with potatoes that she insists have to be grated by hand), easy sauerkraut with crispy bacon, and her famous Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are the three that instantly come to mind. There’s just nothing that compares, and one bite of these dishes instantly transports me back to her table.
My grandmother has shared her much-requested recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with my mom, my mom’s friends, and with me many times over the years. But here I am, 37 years old, with a family of my own, and I can honestly say that I’ve never made them before.
I’ve watched my mom make them, I certainly know how they taste, but it’s just a process that seems way too time consuming and daunting for a busy gal like myself! I’m not into dinners that require a lot of steps and a lot of dirty dishes…
But you know what? My cravings recently got the best of me, and I just couldn’t get my grandmother’s comfort food out of my mind. That’s when I knew that it was time to “modernize” her recipe and adapt the cooking process to suit my lifestyle.
I was reluctant to give it a shot since I didn’t know if the final result would work, but I can confidently tell you — this Dump-and-Bake Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Casserole would make my grandma PROUD!
And you know what makes ME proud? The fact that I managed to recreate her recipe and all of its delicious taste without any of the prep work! You don’t even have to:
- Steam the cabbage leaves;
- Cook the rice;
- Cook the meat; or
- Stuff the leaves!
You seriously just stir together all of the raw ingredients in one dish, cover, and bake for 1 hour!
Top Tip For Making This Dish
This is a really important note, though, so please listen up: since you’re using raw ground meat in the casserole, you want to make sure that it’s the leanest type of meat that you can find.
My grandmother uses ground beef in her recipe, so if that’s your preference I would go with at least 96% lean beef. I used 99% lean ground turkey breast here (which works perfectly), but 99% lean ground chicken breast would also be a great substitute.
The key is to use the extra lean meat since you will not be pre-cooking it and draining the fat from a skillet, and you don’t want any extra fat in your casserole after it bakes. Makes sense? Great!
How To Make Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Casserole
The rest is easy-peasy. Just layer chopped cabbage, diced onion (I use frozen diced onion so that I don’t even have to chop it up), uncooked long grain white rice, and your uncooked meat with some seasoning in a big baking dish.
Combine condensed tomato soup (just as my grandmother used) with beef broth (or chicken broth), and pour over top.
It will seem like a lot of liquid initially, but trust me: the rice will absorb most of that liquid while it cooks.
Cover the dish tightly with foil so that the moisture cannot escape, give it a stir after about 45 minutes, and top it with some chopped bacon and cheese during the final few minutes. The end result is a sweet, savory and rich combination that will bring a smile to any Polish grandmother’s (or granddaughter’s) face!
By taking all of the same ingredients from her original recipe and transforming them into a 10-minute casserole, I feel like I just may have reached the pinnacle of my dump-and-bake cooking career! Whether you have Polish blood pumping through your veins or not, this is a one-dish meal that your family is sure to love!
Cooking Just for Two?
You can prepare this casserole in a smaller 8-inch square dish and cut all of the ingredients in half. The baking instructions remain the same.
More Casserole Recipes You Might Like;
- Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
- Dump and Bake Ravioli Casserole
- Southern Squash Casserole
- Taco Pasta Casserole
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Dump-and-Bake Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Casserole
Ingredients
- ½ head of cabbage roughly shredded or chopped (about 8 cups)
- 2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 cup frozen diced onion or about 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 lb. extra lean ground turkey breast ground chicken breast, or extra lean ground beef*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 ¼ cups condensed tomato soup NOT diluted (I used 1 family-size 23.2 ounce can of Campbell’s condensed tomato soup + 1 regular 10.75 ounce can of Campbell’s condensed tomato soup)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 6 slices cooked bacon chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Spray a large 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Place half of the shredded cabbage in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Top with half of the uncooked rice, half of the onions, and half of the uncooked meat. You’ll want to break the meat up into small pieces with your fingers as you add it to the dish to make sure that it cooks in an even layer.
- Season with half of the salt, half of the pepper, and half of the garlic powder. Repeat layers once more, starting with the shredded cabbage.
- Sprinkle top of the casserole with remaining salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together condensed tomato soup and beef broth. Pour soup mixture over the top of the casserole.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil, stir everything, and cover with foil again. Return dish (covered) to the oven for an additional 15 minutes, or until rice and vegetables are fully cooked and tender.
- Remove foil. Sprinkle top of casserole with shredded cheese and chopped cooked bacon. Place in the oven uncovered for about 5 more minutes, or just until the cheese melts.
Thank you for an amazing recipe! My husband absolutely loved it and it turned out perfectly. I altered the recipe by using a whole head of cabbage and I used long grain parboiled rice. I’m always search for low cost casserole recipes that are good for large groups of people. We serve anywhere from 40 to 90 people every Monday night at a local church and I can’t wait to serve this dish at Church.
Thank you again for sharing your wonderful recipe!
I’m so glad that you loved it, Teresa! I know that your friends at church will enjoy it, too. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note!
My mm always made cabbage rolls and covered them with little bacon grease and of course baked the rolls. I will try your quick dump recipe without the tomato sauce etc..I am now 81 yrs young and on occasion have made the rolls. thanks for this recipe…
Hi, Emma! My grandmother always made them the same way — with the bacon grease on top and everything! I hope that you find this to be an easier (but still delicious) version of your family recipe. 🙂
Cooked extra minutes so the cabbage was tender but sadly the rice was crunchy. My husband and son said the taste was just ok. Not a keeper in my book of recipes.
I am really looking forward to trying this recipe. I have a question about the rice. I’m trying to eat less carbs, especially white, starchy ones, so I only eat brown rice. I know that it takes more liquid as well as time to cook, and I’m afraid of ruining the recipe by substituting brown rice. My only other thought would be to eliminate rice from the recipe and cook brown rice separately, but that will change the amount of liquid needed. Can you please advise me on what to do? I can either:
-Use brown rice, extend cooking time and adjust liquid if it won’t affect the meat and cabbage
-Cook rice separately, and adjust amount of liquid
-Partially cook the brown rice ahead of time and adjust the amount of liquid
Please let me know which option you would try and how to adjust the liquid (how much less broth and less soup). I am a beginning cook and am very hesitant to amend this recipe but I really want it to fit into my diet. Thank you in advance for your help. I love your recipes.
Hi, Lindsay! Since the brown rice has to cook for so long, I worry that it would compromise the quality of the other ingredients. Instead, I would probably cook the brown rice first, then add it to the casserole and just decrease the amount of liquid. I would start with about 1 regular size can of the tomato soup, thinned with just 1/2 cup or so of beef broth. Remember that the cabbage and onion will release additional liquid as it cooks, so you don’t want it too liquidy to begin with. Hope that works out, and enjoy! 🙂
I had an issue with the rice, but chalked it up to nothing in particular. After 45 minutes, it was nowhere near done, but I had read another user’s comments so I cooked for an hour and a half (last 15 mins at 400°). That being said, when cooked it was YUMMY! I did cook half the recipe…which could feed way more than two! This is very tasty and I thank you for posting!
Thanks, Gina! I’m so glad that you were able to enjoy the dish — even if it required longer to cook. Thanks for taking the time to come back here and let me know!
Blair, I made the recipe for two version for supper last night. It was delicious, and we had enough for Wednesday night supper and froze a meal.
I had browned and crumbled ground beef in the freezer, so I thawed and used it with some instant minced onions. Also I used one of the Minute Rice and Quinoa cups. If someone didn’t want to chop up cabbage, they could use one of those bags of coleslaw mix to make prep even quicker. And I used a packet of sodium free beef bouillon with water for the beef broth. Also I used the Campbells healthy request tomato soup. This recipe’s a keeper v and I’ll make it often. Thanks!
That’s great, Nancy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to come back here and leave a note. 🙂
I’ve only made cabbage rolls once and boy, did it take a lot of time! Stouffer’s used to offer frozen cabbage rolls, but I haven’t seen those in a long time. I’m definitely going to try your cabbage roll casserole since I’m having to do a lot more cooking in these times of COVID=19. If I can remember to take a picture, I’ll post one.
Awesome! Enjoy, Sue!
I also have not made cabbage rolls but remember them from Moms cooking growing up! I am looking forward to trying this recipe for my family. Thank you for sharing with those of us that have lost touch with our ability to recreate meals we grew up eating.
You’re so welcome. I hope the meal brings back wonderful memories!
Blair:
For 1/2 (4 servings) recipe, do the soup amounts stay the same, or does that get reduced also? Seems like a lot of soup for a 8 inch pan.
Your advice,please.
A note for those who dislike the photos: there is a choice for you to “jump to the recipe”. Use it.
Sandra W.
Hi, Sandra! Yes, you’re exactly right. If you cut the recipe in half for the smaller pan, just make sure to cut all of the ingredients in half. So you’ll use 1/4 head of cabbage, 1 cup uncooked rice, 1/2 cup diced onion, etc. You would need about 2 cups of condensed tomato soup (technically half would be 2 cups + 2 tablespoons, but it doesn’t need to be that exact) and 1 cup of beef broth. Hope that all makes sense. Enjoy, and stay warm!
This looks wonderful but I wonder if you would have any suggestions as to how replace the rice with something else. My husband is diabetic, and rice is one of the things that shoots his blood sugar up! I realize what I could use, but I don’t know how to adjust the baking time or the amount of liquid for say, quinoa or wild rice, or anything else that might work.
Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks you!
Hi, Gail! I haven’t actually tested this recipe with other grains or substitutes, so my suggestions are only guesses. That said, I think it would work well with quinoa. In general, quinoa has a very similar cooking time/method as white rice. So you could probably use quinoa as an equal swap for the rice in this dish.
Wild rice and brown rice would be trickier to substitute, because they typically require more liquid and a much longer cooking time.
Hope that helps!
I just used this recipe for the first time today. it was so much fun to make. I used red cabbage instead of the traditional green. I also put a bit more bacon in than called for- brown rice instead of white and ground turkey instead of beef. My husband says it’s the best thing I’ve ever made…. guess I’ll be making this more often!
Thank you!!!
Let me begin by saying be sure to use a 9×13 rectangular dish. I used a 9×13 oval and it was overflowing. I’m guessing because I didn’t use the correct size casserole, even after 2 hours in the oven all the rice wasn’t fully cooked, the cabbage could have used some more time, and there was way too much liquid left. That being said, I’ll try it again after I purchase the correct size casserole dish. Overall the family the family and I enjoyed the dish.
The rectangular dish would cause that to happen as it’s smaller. We’re glad you enjoyed it overall and do hope you give it another shot!
This is a very versatile recipe; it would probably tolerate a lot of substitutions. I used one large can condensed tomato soup, but then used a small can of diced tomatoes in sauce. Used lean ground beef instead of chicken or turkey. I didn’t have quite enough cabbage, so I added some fresh spinach. It took 1 hour and 20-25 minutes to cook (I stirred after 45 minutes). Then added bacon and cheese, cooked for another 10 minutes. It was still a little al dente, but I’m certain this is one of those recipes that will be even better on Day 2 and Day 3. Very tasty.
We’re so glad you were able to make it work for you, Deborah!
My great grandma was from Hungary. My Mom grew up in the same household and learned her Hungarian dishes by cooking with her. I love stuffed cabbages so much it was always my request for my birthday dinner (as is my sister’s). My birthday is coming up and I’m going to try your recipe. However, just as my great grandma Did, I will use tomato sauce with a small pinch of sugar and lots of sauerkraut! I’m so surprised no one else has mentioned sauerkraut in the comments! Thanks so much for posting this recipe – I’ll be 77, who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!
It’s never too late to learn new things! We hope you enjoy the recipe and have a great birthday, Leslie!
Can you substitute brown rice for white? If so, how much additional time do you have to add?
Hi Bob! Since the brown rice has to cook for so long, we worry that it would compromise the quality of the other ingredients. Instead, we would probably cook the brown rice first, then add it to the casserole and just decrease the amount of liquid. We would start with about 1 regular size can of the tomato soup, thinned with just 1/2 cup or so of beef broth. Remember that the cabbage and onion will release additional liquid as it cooks, so you don’t want it too liquidy to begin with. Hope that works out, and enjoy!
I just came across this recipe today and decided to give it a try…I followed the recipe and it DID fit in my 9x 13 despite me thinking there was no way. I did use lean ground beef …93/7 just couldn’t find leaner at my local store…on this and ended up taking about an hour and half to cook the beef and rice while covered so longer than expected but you did mention using turkey on yours. I was skeptical in how much flavor it would have based on the ingredients BUT was super flavorful!!! Thanks for the delicious recipe!!
Thank you, Lanie! I appreciate your note, and I’m so glad that you enjoyed the meal!
Love all your recipes but this one doesn’t fit in a 9×13 pan. It was completely full and left no room for rice to expand. Had to dump it into a 11×15 pan. It turned out great though!
We’re sorry to hear this, Jan, but appreciate your feedback. We’re so glad you were able to make it work!
Very delicious, my wife’s mother was Polish and we loved her dishes, but as you said very time consuming to make , we rarely make any but when we saw this I just had to try it. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review. We’re so glad you enjoyed it!