This lazy cabbage roll casserole has it all - easy and budget-friendly ingredients, it's cheesy, fulfilling, and has all the flavors of cabbage rolls.
The difference is that it is a simplified version that requires no fuss or rolling mess in the kitchen.
This recipe is similar to my one-pot unstuffed cabbage rolls but the beauty of oven baked cabbage casserole is that you can top it up with tons of melty cheese.
Cabbage recipes are highly requested in our family, especially this one-pot meal Ground Beef and Cabbage, which has become pretty popular among readers too. It's even more ''lazy'' than this recipe.
There is a skip-to-recipe button in the top left corner along with a clickable table of contents list (just below) that will quickly take you to the part you are more interested in. Enjoy!
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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 low in calories, is highly nutritious, it's high in beta-carotene, fiber, vitamin C, and has anti-inflammatory properties. It can have plenty of health benefits for those who consume it in moderation and don’t overeat.
- Cabbage casserole is a great dish to make in large batches, and leftovers can be enjoyed for several days. It’s easy to make ahead when you need something quick to feed a crowd.
Ingredients
My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
- 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 (or sub with leeks, and shallots). 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.
- Rice - acts as a filler and you can double it up if you wish. For a lighter meal and texture, you can use quinoa. Both of these are gluten-free. Other popular choices you can use are bulgur, buckwheat, barley, and farro (these contain gluten). Or omit all of these altogether for a low carb cabbage casserole.
- Cheese - yup, casseroles are big on cheese however this doesn’t mean you can make a healthier version. You can totally use half less cheese (non-dairy cheese works too) than instructed in my recipe. Or for a vegan option, serve this recipe with nutritional flakes instead.
- Spices - feel free to switch up some seasonings here if you like. In addition or in place of spices mentioned in the recipe we also like to use chili powder, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram.
📋 JULIA'S TIP To make it healthier, choose lean meat which helps to cut back on saturated fat. For even more leaner, go for ground chicken or turkey.
How Do You Make Cabbage Roll Casserole
In 3 easy steps:
- Brown the beef with onions and carrots.
- Saute cabbage.
- Throw it all together in a casserole dish and bake it.
Instructions
In a medium skillet or dutch oven pot, over medium-high heat add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Once oil is hot, saute onion for about 1 minute before adding carrot. Cook the mixture for 1 minute.
Add the beef breaking it apart with a spatula. Cook until meat is browned and no longer pink. Stir in garlic and saute for a minute.
I prefer using lean meat but if you have lots of liquid, drain it first before moving to the next step.
Into the same skillet add black pepper, sugar, salt, sweet paprika, cajun, tomato sauce, and chopped tomatoes.
Stir until combined. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
While the mixture is simmering, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8x11 inches or 2 quart baking dish with cooking oil.
Remove the skillet from heat and transfer the beef mixture to a deep pot or large dutch oven.
Stir in cooked rice and taste for salt and black pepper. Set aside.
Cook the cabbage. Wipe the skillet or pot (same as what you used for beef) clean with paper towels and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
Add the chopped cabbage, and ¼ cup water. Simmer until cabbage softened and water evaporated.
Once cooked, transfer half of the cabbage into the baking dish.
Top with beef rice mixture. Repeat with one more cabbage and beef layer.
Blend/even out the top layer and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes until the cheese is nicely melted.
If you want, you can use the broil setting (towards the end, 1-2 minutes) in your oven to brown the cheese slightly.
Serve with fresh dill, parsley, and a dollop of sour cream on top of the cabbage casserole.
📋 JULIA'S TIP Great time-saver tip - instead of cutting the cabbage, feel free to use a bag of coleslaw mix instead. It may just come out cheaper too.
Make It Healthier
- Use lean ground meat, such as turkey which is considered to be less in saturated fat and is leaner than red meat and chicken.
- Leave the cheese out, use less, or use low-fat options.
- Add more veggies or increase the amount of cabbage and use less meat. It will still be yummy!
- Powerful spices - many spices can enhance our digestion. You only need a little. In this cabbage casserole, I like to add fennel, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, cumin, coriander, and ground oregano. And lots of fresh dill on top.
- Leave the sugar out.
- Use brown rice and not white rice whenever possible. You will not taste the difference!
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.
- Ideas for leftovers - Us leftovers as a base for breakfast hash and top it up with a fried egg. Or mix the leftovers in an omelet. Or use leftover cabbage casserole for bagel or baguette sandwich filling.
⭐ Looking for more ground beef recipes? Try our quick Instant Pot Beef Soup, hearty Hamburger Casserole, and Taco Salad next!
Serving Suggestions
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
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- To store. Let it cool first and any leftover casserole can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- To freeze this casserole, follow the same steps and for 2-3 months.
- To reheat, thaw first if frozen and reheat individual portions in a pot over the stovetop, microwave or in the oven at 375 F until warmed through. Add more cheese on top.
You may need to add some extra water or stock/broth to thin it out.
I don’t recommend reheating this in the microwave as the cabbage will or may become too soggy.
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.
FAQs
Make this casserole on the stovetop as I did with my unstuffed cabbage roll recipe.
You can, but I prefer green cabbage for its flavor (although both of these taste very similar) and ‘’clean’’ look.
Purple/red cabbage will dye all your food with reddish-purple tone.
It is not necessary at all and I love this dish with all the cabbage juices and flavor too.
But if you have enough time, it is better to cook the cabbage ahead, as it sure helps with drawing the extra moisture out of the cabbage before mixing it with the filling.
Even with cooking the cabbage before, once baked, the casserole will still have plenty of juices in the bottom of the casserole, it is normal.
Easy Cabbage Recipes
💗 I hope you'll enjoy this cabbage roll casserole recipe, please leave a rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo of your food and tag me on Instagram @theyummy_bowl. I love seeing your creations! 💗
Thank you for reading,
Love,
Julia
Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole With Ground Beef
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound ground beef (or mixed ground meat)
- 1 medium brown onion (diced)
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh garlic (minced)
- ¼ teaspoon cajun spice
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon white sugar (or brown sugar or substitute with ½ tablespoon liquid sweetener of choice)
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce or puree, (or tomato soup)
- 1 can (15 oz) chopped tomatoes (in liquid)
- 1 ½ cup cooked brown ( or white rice)
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 cups green cabbage (cut into 1 or 1 ½ inches cubes)
- 1 cup carrot (medium grated)
- 1 cup mozzarella (grated)
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Dill or parsley for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium skillet or dutch oven pot, over medium-high heat add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once oil is hot, saute onion for about 1 minute before adding carrot. Cook the mixture for 1 minute.
- Add the beef breaking it apart with a spatula. Cook until meat is browned and no longer pink. Stir in garlic and saute for extra minute. I prefer using lean meat but if you have lots of liquid, drain it first before moving to the next step.
- Into the same skillet add black pepper, sugar, salt, sweet paprika, cajun, tomato sauce, and chopped tomatoes. Stir until combined. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- While the mixture is simmering, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8x11 inches or 2 quart baking dish with cooking oil.
- Remove the skillet from heat and transfer the beef mixture to a deep pot or large dutch oven. Stir in cooked rice and taste for salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Cook the cabbage. Wipe the skillet or pot (same as what you used for beef) clean with paper towels and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
- Once cooked, transfer half of the cabbage into the baking dish. Top with beef rice mixture. Repeat with one more cabbage and beef layer. Blend/even out the top layer and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes until the cheese is nicely melted.
- If you want, you can use the broil setting (towards the end, 1-2 minutes) in your oven to brown the cheese slightly. Serve with fresh dill, parsley, and a dollop of sour cream on top of the cabbage casserole.
Video
NOTES
- I prefer my cabbage larger, about 1 ½ inches cubes. It just tastes 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, it 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 extra liquid.
- Store. Let it cool first and any leftover casserole can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- To freeze this casserole, follow the same steps and for 2-3 months.
- To reheat, thaw first if frozen and reheat in a pot over the stovetop. You may need to add some extra water or stock/broth to thin it out. I don’t recommend reheating this in the microwave as the cabbage will or may become too soggy.
PRIVATE NOTES
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
A simple lazy cabbage roll casserole made with green cabbage, ground beef, pork or chicken. Or make it vegetarian! It has plenty of customization options and it always turns out extremely tasty!
Holly
Can you recommend an alternative for the rice?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Holly, rice adds bulk and nutrition to the dish. But you can leave it out completely. Add more cabbage instead or serve the casserole over your favorite grains or mashed potatoes. For rice alternative inside the casserole: non GF - orzo, barley or GF small pasta, quinoa, cauliflower rice, more veg.
Benny
One of my favorite best lazy cabbage casseroles to make. It freezes beautifully!
Barbara Timms
??? I believe the recipe isn’t written correctly. Lol! It doesn’t make sense.But the ingredients seem to be in point but won’t follow directions. ❤️
Barbara Timms
Why are you adding shredded carrots first and then add the hamburger??? That makes no sense. Carrots do release sweetness only when cooking low and slow but with hamburger and first ingredient??? Confused??❤️
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Barbara, this way is more flavorful. Since I remember, my grandma also cooked like this. For soup and sauces, we like to cook onion, celery, and carrot (similar to mirepox mix) separately on the skillet so it releases lots of flavors. And then once the mixture is becoming slightly golden brown we will add it to the dish. Try it and you'll know the difference
Kathy Arcaro
When do you add the garlic? I don't see it in the recipe directions.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thanks Kathy, I add garlic when cooking the beef, I've adjusted in the instructions.
Mary Coleman
This is not a lazy casserole. 15 min prep time is off. I chopped garlic, onion, carrots, tomatoes and cabbage. Took 30-35 min.
Then cooking the onion carrots and adding the sauce and spices. Add beef to cook. First pan.
Transferring beef to “another” pan and adding the cooked rice. Brown rice takes 20-25 minutes to cook in another pan. Then back to the “first pan”, cook the cabbage in stages.
Then using some of the cabbage layer cabbage into “baking dish” then the beef mix.
Pans used: #1 cook onions, beef etc
Pan # 2 pan to cook rice
Pan #3 baking dish to bake
Not much liquid in the casserole. Very thick. Added 2 cups beef broth before baking.
Needed to cook at 365 degrees for 30 min.
Brown 10 minutes until cheese and casserole bubbles.
Will not make again.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Hello Mary, Thank you for feedback! I think why this recipe didn't work for you is rushing through the process and not reading the instructions and ingredients properly.
I think you have made some mistakes in the recipe. For example with the timing issue, please take the time to read the recipe, in the ingredients it is written COOKED rice, which means you start to make the recipe with cooked rice already. How long you cut the vegetables, is up to you, but I'm very, very confused why it took you 30-35 minutes? I hope you read the recipe instructions and ingredients next time and make this again.
Donald
I love this, but I skip the cheese. There's no cheese in regular stuffed cabbage. Otherwise... delicious!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thanks, we love cheese!
Sara Welch
Enjoyed this for dinner tonight and it was a savory success! Easy, delicious and perfect for busy weeknights; my whole family loved it!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you Sara, glad you liked it!
dina and bruce miller
We loved this. Made it for the family. Reminded me of a dish my mom used to make. The addition of cheese was nice. Thank you.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you Dina and Bruce! You made my day!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
This was a delicious family dinner with no need for any other veg or potatoes. Will definitely make again.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Oh yes, this cabbage casserole has it all! Thank you Amanda!
Dannii
Such a great way to use ground beef. These cabbage rolls were amazing.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thank you Dannii!
Seema Sriram
This is honestly the yummiest casserole this winter. It is simple to make an I am so glad to come across this recipe.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you so much for your kind words!
MaryJane St Onge
Wonderful easy recipe!!!
A lot easier than rolling cabbage rolls!
Sorry for some of the mean comments.
Thank you Julia
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you, you are such a beautiful kind soul MaryJane!