Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole With Ground Beef

Why It’s Yummy

• Easy family favorite recipe. Stuffed Cabbage Casserole is a hearty and fulfilling meal that the whole family will love. It’s a great freezer meal too.
• Simple to make and requires cheap ingredients but is incredibly flavorful.
• It's gluten-free, or can be made suitable for keto or low-carb by removing the rice entirely or substituting it with quinoa or cauliflower rice.
• Cabbage is highly nutritious, it's high in beta-carotene, vitamin C, and fiber. 

• Cabbage - there is no right cabbage for layered cabbage casserole. All the following options are great: green cabbage, savoy cabbage (sweetest leaves), napa cabbage, and if necessary, red cabbage as well.
• However, be careful if using red cabbage as it will likely leach color into the rest of your dish. I prefer green cabbage in most of my cabbage recipes, such as cheesy Cabbage Pie or one skillet Cabbage with Sausage.
• Lean ground beef - use lean ground meat whenever possible so you don’t have lots of meat fat in the pot to drain. To make it healthier, choose lean meat which helps to cut back on saturated fat. For an, even more, leaner version, lean ground turkey is your best bet. 
• Sugar - many chefs in restaurants use some type of sweetener, mostly it is just plain white sugar. We need it her to offset the acidity that comes from tomatoes. For a healthier choice, you can leave it out completely, or use less processed alternatives such as honey or maple syrup. Yes, it will affect the flavor but it is fine without sweetener too. I don't recommend using artificial sweeteners as they are not the healthiest in my opinion and there has been no proper research done on them.
• Minced garlic and onion - both fresh not canned. In theory, you can make this recipe without garlic, but you have to use onions in this case. These aromatics are the foundation of great flavor in a casserole. Onion and garlic powder can be used but these will simply lack the needed flavor.

Tips

• I added the cheese just on top but feel free to make it extra hearty by adding more cheese layers inside the casserole. 
• I prefer to cut cabbage larger, about 1 ½ inches cubes. It just tastes more juicy this way. This being said, the casserole will bake perfectly with thinner and ‘’coleslaw’’ style cabbage too. 
• Once the cabbage casserole is baked it will have some liquid in the bottom, which is normal. You can either leave it as it is or remove the liquid by slowly tilting the dish into the sink to remove the juices.
• I like to use tomato sauce and chopped tomatoes together here but if you have only one of those, you can use beef broth instead of one. In this case, I also recommend adding 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste in addition.

What to eat with cabbage casserole? We love to serve it with a lighter side dishes such as:

• Greek salad or healthy cucumber salad
• crusty bread
• glazed carrots
• cauliflower
• air fryer potatoes
• roasted asparagus
• Air fryer roasted Brussels sprouts
•  or for an extra hearty meal creamy mashed potatoes

Variations

• Dairy free option - I like casseroles as you can add a thick layer of cheese that will melt beautifully in the oven. However, for nondairy cabbage casserole, omit the cheese or use vegan cheese instead. It won’t change the flavor as such and the casserole will still be very tasty.
• For a low carb version omit the rice or use cauliflower rice or quinoa instead.
• I used ground beef but you can use any ground meat (turkey, pork, chicken) or breakfast sausages or mild Italian sausages. For vegan modification, use vegan ''beef'' crumbles.
• Experiment with different spices - thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, and various spices (cajun, red pepper flakes, chili powder, cayenne pepper, or ground chipotle powder) will add more depth and make your casserole more flavorful. I like to use dried herbs in the casserole and garnish with more fresh herbs. 
• Like it spicy? Add chopped jalapenos or green chilies for an extra burst of hot flavor or use Ro-tel tomatoes with green chilies in place of chopped tomatoes. Hot sauces such as Valentina or Frank’s red hot sauce are one of our favorites too.
• I love using mozzarella cheese as it is milder and won’t overpower the ground beef and cabbage flavor.
• If you want to try something different, smoky or regular cheddar, gouda, or Mexican cheese blends will add more savory and different flavor combinations.
• Add more veggies - this casserole can be made with more vegetables or completely vegetarian with no meat. What veggies to add? Corn, bell peppers, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, kale. All fresh if possible.
• For vegetarian modification, omit the beef and use canned beans and/or lentils and quinoa instead. Add cooked green, or black lentils (but not red, as they will become too mushy in the casserole).
• For beans, I highly recommend white butter beans, red kidney beans, black-eyed peas, or black beans.
• How to make it taste even better? A dash of gluten-free soy sauce, coconut aminos or tamari, and Worcestershire sauce.