This cabbage roll casserole is wholesome, filling, and so easy to make. It’s a year-round family favorite made with layers of seasoned ground beef, rice, and shredded cabbage in a tangy tomato sauce base for a cozy meal.
The Easy Cabbage Roll Shortcut
- Flavor: Savory, cozy, and deeply comforting, this casserole combines tender green cabbage, seasoned ground beef, rice, and a tangy-sweet tomato sauce.
- Why Make It: This no-fuss unstuffed cabbage casserole requires zero wrapping, rolling, or precooking of the cabbage.
- Make Ahead: It’s a great prep-ahead dish. Just assemble, chill, and bake for the perfect meal on busy weeknights, for last-minute guests, or to take to a potluck.
- Serving Suggestion: Serve with a hunk of no-knead bread, homemade honey butter, and perhaps a crispy carrot salad or red leaf salad.
What’s in Cabbage Roll Casserole?
- Cabbage: Opt for green cabbage and slice it thin so it turns tender in the oven. Replace with purple cabbage for a similar flavor but a deeper color.
- Beef: Use lean ground beef or ground pork for a rich, hearty flavor. Drain off the grease after browning so the casserole stays saucy, not oily.
- Rice: For the most reliable bake time, use uncooked converted rice. If using long-grain white rice, it may require more liquid and a longer cooking time.
- Sauce: Pasta sauce adds built-in seasoning for more flavor. Tomato sauce is milder, so use a bolder Worcestershire or a pinch of paprika for more depth. Add some oregano, garlic powder, or some chili powder for added flavor.
How to Make Cabbage Roll Casserole
- Cook the beef mixture in a skillet, stir in the rice, and set aside.
- Mix the sauce ingredients in a separate bowl.
- In a casserole dish, layer shredded cabbage, the meat mixture, and the sauce (full recipe below).
- Cover and bake until the rice is tender, uncovering for the final 15-30 minutes.
Let the finished dish stand about 5 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips for Perfect Layers
- For Even Cooking: Shred cabbage thinly and evenly so it turns tender at the same time as the rice.
- For Softer Cabbage: Add 10 to 15 minutes to the covered bake.
- For a Saucier Casserole: Add an extra ½ to 1 cup tomato sauce (or a splash of broth) before baking.
- To Prevent Crunchy Rice: Keep the casserole tightly covered while baking so the steam stays trapped.
- Make-Ahead: Assemble the whole casserole, cover, refrigerate overnight, then bake the next day (add a few extra minutes to the bake time if it’s cold from the fridge).
- Prevent a Dry Top: If the top starts drying out during the uncovered bake, drizzle a few spoonfuls of sauce over the top and continue baking.
Storing Leftovers
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, cover and warm in the oven at 300°F until hot throughout. Or microwave portions with a loose cover. Add a spoonful of sauce or water if it looks dry.
Cozy Classics for Busy Nights
Did you enjoy this Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Cabbage Roll Casserole
Make this unstuffed cabbage rolls recipe and enjoy all the delicious flavors found in the classic version but with minimal work!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups onion chopped, about 1 medium onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup uncooked converted rice like Minute Rice
- 2½ cups tomato pasta sauce or tomato sauce, (spicy, or your favorite flavor)
- 3 Tablespoons vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 to 9 cups cabbage shredded, about ½ large head of cabbage
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- In a medium skillet, add beef, onion, and garlic. Cook until browned, and break up meat with a meat chopper or a wooden spoon, about 5-6 minutes. Add rice, stir, and set aside.
- In a large measuring cup or medium bowl, combine pasta sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper.
- Layer bottom of baking dish with ⅓ of the cabbage. Spoon ½ of the rice mixture on top and drizzle with ⅓ of the tomato sauce mixture. Layer ⅓ of the cabbage, the remaining ½ of the rice mixture, and drizzle with ⅓ of tomato sauce mixture. Layer remaining ⅓ of the cabbage and ⅓ of the tomato sauce mixture. (See notes below for layer details.)
- Cover and bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, continue to bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender, rice is cooked, and casserole is bubbling.
- Gently stir and serve.
Notes
Layer in this order:
- ⅓ cabbage
- ½ rice mixture
- ⅓ tomato sauce mixture
- ⅓ cabbage
- ½ rice mixture
- ⅓ tomato sauce mixture
- ⅓ cabbage
- ⅓ tomato sauce mixture
Nutrition Information
Calories: 182 | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 590mg | Potassium: 632mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 403IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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Easy dish and delish! Candace’s Husband
Such a nice recipe! I use to shy back from making the classical rolls due to e effort. This is a perfect alternative! ❤️😊
This is absolutely delicious. We made it for dinner last night and I can’t wait to have it again.
Yay Karen, I’m so happy to hear that!
Do I drain the beef mixture?
Hi Kari, we did not but you can drain the beef mixture if preferred!
Definitely yummy. I did only use 1 tblsp sugar with the jarred pasta sauce. I also added crushed chili peppers to the meat/rice (used brown minute rice) which gave a nice spice. Otherwise I followed recipe. Perhaps next time I’d use plain tomato sauce and not pasta sauce in a jar to cut the sweetness a bit. All in all a very yummy easy (inexpensive) meal.
It’s an easy recipe to change to suit your taste Nadine, so glad you enjoyed it!
Tried this recipe tonight and unfortunately did not work out for me. 2 hrs in oven and cabbage still hard as rock. Followed the measurements and had to add 3 times the sauce as it was almost none dry. Needs more garlic as well.
I’m so sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t work for you Livia. We have not had it happen where the cabbage would remain hard as a rock. Did you shred it as shown in the recipe and measure 8-9 cups as listed? It should definitely cook after 2 hours.
Hi,
Is instant white rice the same as converted rice? If not, can I use instant white rice in this recipe?
Converted rice is not the same, and takes 20-25 minutes to cook typically. Minute Rice, or converted rice, will equate to about 1 ½ cups of cooked rice. While I haven’t tried it, you could try to cook ½ cup the converted rice about two thirds of the way, and add it in that way.
How the hell can I print this recipe in a few pages…… NOT 30 or more pages?????!!!!!
Hi Gina,
There is a print button right near above the full recipe ingredients and instructions. Clicking that will allow you to print a nicely formatted recipe!
I was excited about this recipe until I saw that it makes 8 servings. So many families are 2 – 4 people. Please have recipes adjusted accordingly. I won’t make it because it’s too much time and waste if we don’t like it.
You can adjust the number of servings on the PRINT page once you click print (find the print button just above the full recipe ingredients and instructons). Please note that adjusting the servings will adjust only the amounts on the ingredients list (and not the written directions).
Made this for supper tonight and was delicious!! Will be added to my regular menu rotation.
So glad to hear that Shauna! It’s so easy and so good!
Can this be done in a large frypan?
Hi Joy, I have not tried this in a frying pan, but I think it’d work. Perhaps follow directions similar to the Egg Roll in a Bowl. Let us know if you try it!
I can’t rate this yet because I haven’t made it, but the recipe looks great! I too wondered about using brown rice. I know it takes awhile to cook brown rice, so I may try this recipe with partially cooked brown rice. I can even make the rice a day ahead of time. Thanks for the recipe!!!
You’re welcome Janet! I haven’t used brown rice yet, but partially cooked is a great idea. It’d taste awesome in this casserole.
Great recipe
Thank you 🙂
Made this for a potluck dinner. I put some chopped up kielbasa into the casserole. This turned out okay, I think it would be better with stewed tomatoes instead of the sauce. This sauce was a bit on the sweet side.
Kielbasa sounds like an amazing addition to this recipe Kim! Stewed tomatoes would be delicious too! Perhaps the sauce you used had a little added sugar. That could be something to check.
Love stuffed cabbage….but what a time saver…definitely on the dinner menu this week Candace’s mom
Yes, definitely a much quicker way to enjoy the same delicious flavors Irene. Enjoy!
Easy to do in a slow cooker too!
Sure is Mary!
How can I make this without the minute rice (I can’t get that in my country)? I can get white, whole wheat, black and red but no converted. Would love to make this.
Minute Rice, or converted rice, will equate to about 1 ½ cups of cooked rice. While I haven’t tried it, you could try to cook ½ cup regular white rice about two thirds of the way cooked, and add it in that way. Let us know if you try it Sherri!