Total comfort food! This cabbage roll casserole includes all of the ingredients from my great grandmother’s Polish stuffed cabbage rolls — ground meat, veggies, rice, tomato soup, and bacon — without any tedious rolling and stuffing.
Table of Contents
If you love cabbage as much as we do, be sure to try this one-pot sausage and cabbage, this classic moo shu pork, crockpot cabbage soup with hamburger, sheet pan cabbage potatoes and sausage, ground beef cabbage recipe, Ramen noodle coleslaw, and a one-skillet egg roll in a bowl, too!
How to Make Cabbage Roll Casserole | 1-Minute Video
A Few Tips Before You Get Started
- I use a ground “meatloaf mix,” which is a combination of ground beef, ground veal, and ground pork. You can also just use ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken.
- Condensed tomato soup is one of the “secret” ingredients in my grandmother’s stuffed cabbage rolls, so of course I’ve included it in this recipe as well. The tomato soup is thicker than tomato sauce, and adds a sweet flavor that’s hard to replicate with sauce alone. If you prefer to use tomato sauce, see my notes in the Recipe Variations section below.
- Use any variety of cooked rice that you prefer. Long grain white rice, basmati rice, brown rice, or even wild rice will work. For a shortcut, pick up a packet of 90-second microwaveable rice. Just make sure that you cook the rice in the microwave according the package instructions before adding the rice to the casserole. You can also use leftover rice from a previous meal.
- Cheese isn’t a typical ingredient in classic stuffed cabbage rolls, but this is a casserole after all! You can omit the cheese if you really don’t want to use it.
Directions
This “unstuffed cabbage roll casserole” is a nourishing, delicious meal in one dish. With layers of flavor from the bacon, meat, vegetables, and cheese, it’s a family-friendly way to feed your loved ones…and you don’t even have to bother with stuffing cabbage leaves!
- Boil the cabbage in a large pot of water until tender, about 5 minutes. If you don’t want to bother with parboiling the cabbage on the stovetop, you can steam the cabbage in the microwave or fry the cabbage in butter in a skillet or Dutch oven.
- Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or large skillet, prepare the filling for your “stuffed cabbage casserole” by frying the bacon, and then browning the meat, onion, and garlic in the bacon drippings. Drain off the excess grease.
- Stir in the tomato soup, beef broth, cooked rice, cooked bacon, and drained cabbage.
- Transfer the cabbage mixture to a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
- Sprinkle grated cheese over top.
- Bake the casserole in a 350°F oven, uncovered, for about 20-25 minutes. Bake the casserole just until it’s heated through. All of the ingredients are already cooked, so you just want to warm it in the oven until bubbly. Don’t bake it for too long or it will dry out and the rice will get mushy. The casserole is done when the filling is hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted on top.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, chives, or other herbs for a bright, colorful touch at the end.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this “lazy cabbage roll casserole” with a side of Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn, 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits, pumpkin muffins, Southern fried apples, applesauce, or baked apple slices.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Assemble the casserole up to 24 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Allow the casserole to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes before baking according to the recipe instructions.
- How to Store: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the leftover casserole in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- How to Reheat: To reheat a previously baked casserole, cover the dish loosely with foil to prevent the top from excess browning. Warm in a 300°F oven for about 20 minutes, or just until heated through. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave for about 1 minute, just until warm.
Hubby grew 12 heads of cabbage for us to use this summer/fall. I’m so glad this receipt calls for a lot of cabbage! I’ve made a double batch, twice now, freezing 1 each time. SO GOOD. I didn’t buy soup, but made some thick tomato goop-like slush from fresh garden tomatoes and some corn starch and a tiny bit of salt and sugar, worked super well! My husband is so excited about this dish! Fantastic recipe!
– Hiltje
More Cabbage Recipes to Try
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Watch How to Make It
Cabbage Roll Casserole
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour
An easier twist on my great grandmother’s classic dish, this lazy, unstuffed cabbage roll casserole is a simple dinner with so much delicious flavor!
Ingredients
- 1 medium head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (about 12 cups)
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 lb. meatloaf mix (a combination of ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal) or sub with ground beef
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (or sub with ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
- 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup
- ½ cup beef broth (or sub with chicken broth, milk, or water)
- 1 ½ cups cooked rice
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (or other grated cheese of choice)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Cook cabbage in boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp, about 7-10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, reserving the drippings in the pan. Add the ground meatloaf mix (or ground beef) and onion to the drippings in the pan. Sauté until the meat is no longer pink and the onion is tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Drain off the excess grease.
- Stir tomato soup, beef broth, cooked rice, and cooked bacon into the skillet.
- Add the drained cabbage to the beef mixture. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer the cabbage mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle cheese over top.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, or until the filling is hot and bubbly.
Notes
- Condensed tomato soup is one of the “secret” ingredients in my grandmother’s stuffed cabbage rolls, so of course I’ve included it in this recipe as well. The tomato soup is thicker than tomato sauce, and adds a sweet flavor that’s hard to replicate with sauce alone. If you prefer to use tomato sauce, see my notes in the Recipe Variations section below.
- Use any variety of cooked rice that you prefer. Long grain white rice, basmati rice, brown rice, or even wild rice will work. For a shortcut, pick up a packet of 90-second microwaveable rice. Just make sure that you cook the rice in the microwave according the package instructions before adding the rice to this casserole. You can also use leftover rice from a previous meal.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/8 of the casseroleCalories: 340kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 21gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 556mgPotassium: 674mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 541IUVitamin C: 49mgCalcium: 162mgIron: 2mg
Recipe Variations
- Substitute an equal amount of ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, or ground chicken for the meatloaf mix.
- Tomato sauce will work as a substitute for the tomato soup; however, the tomato sauce has a much thinner consistency and isn’t nearly as sweet. You might want to add some brown sugar to balance the acidity in the tomatoes, as well as some extra salt, pepper, or other seasoning. You can also simmer the tomato sauce for a little while on the stovetop to get it to thicken up and reduce.
- Want a cabbage casserole with no rice? Try substituting with an equal amount of riced cauliflower for a low carb option. The cauliflower rice will release some extra liquid in the dish as it cooks, so the sauce will be thinner, but it should still work fine.
- Try other types of cheese instead of cheddar. Good options include Monterey Jack cheese, Colby, Colby Jack, Swiss, mozzarella cheese, American, and pepper jack cheeses.
- To feed a smaller family, cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch or 9-inch square dish. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
- Crock Pot: After cooking and draining the cabbage and preparing the meat and rice mixture, combine everything in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 1-2 hours, or just until heated through and the cheese melts.
This recipe was originally published in February, 2019. It was updated in August, 2024.
We dislike tomato soup. what else could I use please? Thank you. xx
Hi, Julie! If you like the cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, or cream of celery condensed soups, then you could try any of those flavors for a creamy base to your casserole. If you want more of a tomato base, then you could use canned tomato sauce. The tomato sauce isn’t as thick as the condensed tomato soup, though, so you’ll likely need less of it. Also, the tomato soup is slightly sweet and has some seasoning in it. If you’re using canned tomato sauce, I would suggest adding some sugar, salt and pepper (and any other seasonings that you like). Hope that helps!
I use tomato sauce, no soup, ever, and you are right on! A bit of sugar reduces the raw tasting acidity and of course salt and pepper. You can also add some garlic powder or minced garlic, which my husband likes, but not me! The spice cabinet is always open for additions to Any casserole, Yum.
I use a can of tomatoes in my recipee. I brown my ground beef, seasoning & onions. Add can of tomatoes & add raw cabbage
& uncooked rice with a little water. Cook all together in one pot or skillet.
Brenda, that is the way I’ve cooked the dish as well. I like to use wild rice for a little added flavor. It’s really good.
I only have cans of diced tomatoes on hand. Do you think I could substitute these for the cans of tomato soup? Thanks!
Hey, Kristin! The tomatoes won’t be a great substitute for a few reasons. The soup is thick (since it’s condensed), so you don’t end up with a watery casserole. The soup is also sweet, seasoned, and has a smooth texture (unlike the diced tomatoes). If you’re looking for a substitute, a jar of spaghetti sauce would be a better bet. Do you have any of that in your pantry? It still won’t be as thick as the tomato soup, but it would be closer in flavor and texture. Hope that helps!
Can you buy cole slaw instead of a whole cabbage?
Yes, that will work too, Courtney! 🙂
You can’t use COLESLAW, as it is mixed with other ingredients, like mayo. You can use the cabbage mix sold in a bag , raw chopped, sold in the vegetable section of the grocery store in a pinch, but I do not like smell it emits when the bag is opened so I still buy the head. Extra leftover cabbage I just steam/fry and eat as a dinner side dish!
They meant cole slaw mix in a bag from the produce department. It has no sauce.
That’s correct!
Would a can of tomato soup and a can of drained diced tomatoes work? Also what about adding saute onions, diced bacon and diced carrots, cooked in the bacon fat?
Hey, Molly! I think using the diced tomatoes would work — it just won’t be as “saucy” as it would with the extra can of soup. If that’s what you’ve got, though, I say go for it! Adding the onion, bacon and carrots sounds absolutely delicious. Enjoy!
I am a single , Male , Senior , always trying to reduce the size of these dishes .
Could you offer a system for the change of serving sizes down to 2 – 3 ?
I enjoy cooking , eating , even clean-up , but alone , with no hungry neighbors,
strains my storage capacity.
Any recipes that can be reduced , in any way , or tips ,would be a huge help .
Hi, Jim! Yes, you can do that in the recipe card itself on my site. If you’re looking at the recipe box, there is a place where it lists the number of servings. You can change the serving size for the amount that you’d like to prepare, and then the program will automatically re-calculate the measurements for each of the ingredients accordingly. For instance, if you click on the “10” in this recipe and change it to “5,” the recipe will adjust by cutting all of the ingredients in half. I hope that makes sense!
Also, this is a great meal to freeze, so if you cut it in half and still have extras, you can save them for another meal and then just reheat them later. Enjoy!
Hi Jim, cooking for one person can be hard. Have you seen the website called onedishkitchen? Single serving recipes. You might want to check it out if you haven’t already. This cabbage casserole recipe sounds really yummy. I can’t wait to try it. Hope it works out for you.
Hi! So happy this came into my email this morning. I happen to have a head of cabbage that needs cooked. Do I core and slice the head before I boil it? A great big thank you!
Hi, Kris! Yes, ma’am! I find that it’s easiest to core and thinly slice the cabbage before boiling. Hope you enjoy the meal! 🙂
Hubby grew 12 heads of cabbage for us to use this summer/fall. I’m so glad this receipt calls for a lot of cabbage! I’ve made a double batch, twice now, freezing 1 each time. SO GOOD. I didn’t buy soup, but made some thick tomato goop-like slush from fresh garden tomatoes and some corn starch and a tiny bit of salt and sugar, worked super well! My husband is so excited about this dish! Fantastic recipe!
Great!!!!!!
Thank you, Katrina!
Why on earth would you put cheese(of any kind) on this? A cabbage roll would never have cheese in it or on top of it. Leave it off and save yourselves the grief(calories).
We love cheese on top of a casserole, but you’re right — you can certainly omit that ingredient if you prefer. Hope you enjoy the recipe, Kay!
As my gram used to say “to each their own” . Instead of bad-mouthing the contributor, just leave it off. I don’t like the crumbly tops like crackers or chips so I replace them with plain cheese! FYI, those crumbly toppings have a lot of carbohydrates and fat (if they are sauteed in butter) whereas the cheese only really has fat, which the cook can control the amount anyways.
No need for the cheese. Just adds to the fat and gives a greasy taste. Not a really healthy meal unless you drain the fat. Freezes well though.
I second the “no cheese” recommendation.
Thank you for the feedback, Cindy!
We like ours with more soup, so we use 3 cans instead of 2. This recipe is the closest flavor to what my Polish grandmother used to make (she passed in the 1990s), so I call it 10 stars!!
Thank you so much, Cindy! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.