Full of spiced ground beef and covered in tangy tomato sauce, cabbage roll casserole is a hearty stick-to-your-ribs meal. With all the flavor of the more labor-intensive Cabbage Rolls and a minimum of effort, this is a dinner time win.
You know those meals that are never pretty, but they are always tasty? The meals that your family requests and you cringe because you never really can get excited about “just a casserole” for dinner? This is one of them.
Layered Cabbage Rolls may not be the prettiest meal I make but it is nonetheless often requested by my husband.
Cabbage Rolls are one of my Sean’s favorite foods. This recipe simplifies the traditional rolled version down to just a couple of steps and despite appearances, they really are tasty! I’ve been making this version of cabbage rolls for years.
Along with how easy it is to put together, I also really like that I never have to worry about what side dishes to serve. This is an “all-in-one” meal that’s filling, hearty and completely satisfying.
That’s more than worth the trade-off of not having the most aesthetically pleasing dinner every so often.
Cabbage Roll Casserole
This method of making cabbage rolls is a little simpler than the traditional version that involves rolling tons of individual cabbage leaves.
Ground beef and onions are cooked with herbs and spices in the skillet, then layered on top of cabbage leaves in a casserole dish along with uncooked rice.
After mixing together a simple tomato sauce and pouring it over the cabbage rolls, the whole thing bakes in the oven in one dish. The flavors of the meat and sauce shine against the simple backdrop of tender cabbage and fluffy grains of rice.
Layered Cabbage Rolls
Layered Cabbage Roll Casserole is a very quick meal to put together and then it cooks in the oven through the busiest part of the day.
I usually prep two smaller pans and freeze one to cook on another day. If I have extra time on the weekend before a busy week, I might even prep a couple of pans of this casserole to pop in the freezer and have on hand for those hectic weekday nights.
This casserole freezes extremely well with little extra effort. Simply thaw the casserole completely prior to placing the frozen one in the oven and then bake as directed below.
Cabbage Casserole Recipe
My whole family loves cabbage rolls of all kinds but I typically don’t have the time or patience to stuff and roll cabbage leaf after cabbage leaf.
Over the years, I’ve found plenty of alternative ways to eat our favorite cabbage rolls without spending hours in the kitchen and I’m happy to share them with you.
The method I use that most closely resembles traditional rolled cabbage leaves stuffed with sausage or beef is the recipe I’m sharing below.
Instead of being rolled, cabbage leaves are layered for a casserole that slightly messier in appearance but just as delicious in taste as the rolled version.
This Stuffed Cabbage Casserole from Aggie’s Kitchen and this Twice-Cooked Bacon Cabbage Casserole from Kayln’s Kitchen are more great methods for whipping up a tasty cabbage casserole.
This Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Skillet is basically a cheater version of a cabbage roll casserole, requiring no rolling or baking and using cooked rice for a quick cooking time. I love making that dish whenever we’re craving cabbage rolls but are short on time.
My friend Holly’s Crock-Pot Cabbage Roll Soup is another great way to enjoy these flavors in an easy dinner option.
If you enjoy this Layered Cabbage Rolls recipe (or any kind of cabbage casserole), you’re also bound to go nuts for my 20 Minute Kielbasa, Cabbage and Potato Skillet meal and this easy Cabbage and Sausage Skillet.
And when it comes to hearty breakfasts, you can’t go wrong with Sausage Hash with Cabbage and Potatoes.
{originally published 11/8/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 3/23/20}
Monica says
Sounds great, Mary and much less tedious than making rolls. Do you think it would work with quinoa instead of rice?
Mary Younkin says
I’m guessing it would, Monica. However, I have not tried that myself.
carol kluth says
cannot get this recipe to print a printer friendly version. When I hit go to recipe, then print it jumps back to recipe. Then is you manage to get it to print it prints 11 pages. ugg1 help! I would like to print & and make this
Mary Younkin says
Hi Carol, I’m not sure what’s going wrong there. I just printed it using the print button in the recipe card it is printed a standard recipe page.
Val says
It sugary not savory.
Mary Younkin says
Sorry to hear that it wasn’t your thing, feel free to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe if you try it again, Val.
Diane Castonguay says
OMG this was delicious and SO easy. I’m never rolling another cabbage leaf again!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. The seasoning is perfect!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that you loved it, Diane!
Jolee says
I love this recipe! Growing up, making cabbage rolls was always such a labor intensive thing. This makes it easy and just as delicious! To make it a little closer to my childhood recipe, I substituted 1 can of condensed tomato soup for the tomato sauce and reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup. I also added a little sriracha to the sauce, but Hungarian hot paprika would also be yummy! Thanks for a great recipe!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like the recipe, Jolee!
Michael B says
A wonderful recipe. I used ground pork instead of beef and canned tomato soup instead of the sauce. Also plain vinegar. Turned out almost exactly like mama’s “holubtsi” or cabbage rolls. Oh, as Ukrainians love to include dill on almost everything, I added some chopped fresh dill into the casserole dish. I reduced the sugar as well. Stupendous!
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you are enjoying the cabbage rolls, Michael.