This easy casserole recipe contains all the delicious flavors of traditional stuffed cabbage rolls without the hassle of preparing them. Best of all, it can be made in one pot using a dutch oven. It’s the ultimate comfort food.
Growing up with Polish grandparents, stuffed cabbage aka halupki was a family favorite on our kitchen table.
And while I’ll always have a special place in my heart for stuffed cabbage, I’ll be honest–it is pretty time consuming to prepare.
Enter unstuffed cabbage casserole: it contains all the flavors of cabbage rolls–ground meat, rice, cabbage, and tomatoes–in a convenient casserole form.
I’ve tried a couple variations on this recipe, and some of them required a lot of prep work like precooking the rice, or frying the cabbage and browning the meat in separate pans then combining them in baking dish.
The beauty of this recipe is that if you’ve got a dutch oven, everything can be prepared in a single pot.
Ingredients and Equipment
To make this casserole you’ll need:
- Ground beef: you’ll want to use lean ground beef with no more than 15% fat.
- Ground pork: I like to add ground pork for some added flavor and texture. You can just substitute with more ground beef if you prefer.
- Green cabbage: you’ll need one small head of cabbage, roughly 2 to 2.5 pounds, or about 12 cups of chopped cabbage.
- White rice: 1 cup of uncooked long grain rice. Jasmine or basmati are good options.
- Diced tomatoes: one 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, undrained. I like to use fire roasted diced tomatoes for some additional flavor.
- Tomato juice: 2.5 cups or 20 ounces of tomato juice.
- Yellow onion: one large yellow onion, or roughly 2 cups diced.
- Garlic: 3-4 fresh garlic cloves or roughly one tablespoon of minced garlic. You can also substitute with garlic powder.
- Dried dill
- Dried thyme
- Paprika
- Mozzarella cheese: I like the flavor and texture of mozzarella, but you can substitute with pretty much any shredded cheese that you prefer. Plant-based cheese shreds can also work for a dairy-free option.
- Fresh parsley: it’s mainly for garnish and is totally optional.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
For equipment you will need a 7-quart dutch oven and some aluminum foil.
A large, sharp knife, cutting board, large mixing bowl and a pair of kitchen tongs will come in handy too.
How to Make Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F and adjust a rack to the lower-third position.
Rinse your head of cabbage, then cut it into quarters. Cut out the core, then roughly chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces.
Next you will need to wilt the cabbage. This step helps remove some liquid from the cabbage and ensures that the cabbage will be completely cooked when the casserole is done.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in the dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chopped cabbage to the pot along with a teaspoon of salt.
Cook the cabbage, tossing it often, until it has softened a released liquid, about 5-6 minutes.
Transfer the cabbage to a large bowl and set it aside.
Wipe the dutch oven clean and return it to medium-high heat, then add the ground beef and pork, breaking it up with a spoon.
Cook the meat until it starts to brown and is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook until the onion has softened, an additional 5-6 minutes or so.
Stir in the undrained can of tomatoes, rinsed rice, dill, thyme, paprika and some more salt and black pepper.
Return the cabbage to the pot, pour in the tomato juice, and give everything a good stir.
Remove the pot from heat, then use the back of a spoon to scrape down the sides of the pot and smooth everything out into an even layer.
Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of the cabbage mixture, then tightly cover the pot with aluminum foil (use multiple pieces if necessary), then place the lid on.
Transfer the pot to the oven and bake for 60 minutes.
Remove the lid and foil and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Take the pot out of the oven and allow the casserole to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with the chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Storage and Leftovers
Store any leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
To freeze: once the casserole has completely cooled, wrap portions in foil; then place them in a freezer bag or container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can prepare this casserole using a 9×13 baking dish. Just grease the baking dish and layer the wilted cabbage and meat mixture in the dish, top with cheese, cover, and cook as directed.
Try experimenting with other ground meat combinations: ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground bison all work well.
To make this recipe dairy-free you can omit the cheese completely or use nut-based cheese shreds (I’ve used Trader Joe’s Almond Mozzarella Style Cheese Shreds with great success).
For a low carb version of this recipe, you can substitute cauliflower rice for the white rice. Reduce the cooking time to 30 minutes before removing the foil.
More Casserole Recipes
One Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 small head green cabbage about 2 pounds
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup long grain white rice rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups tomato juice
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust a rack to the lower-third position.
- Rinse the cabbage, then cut it into quarters. Remove the core and roughly chop it into 1-inch pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a 7-quart dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage along with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, tossing often, until the cabbage has softened and release some liquid, about 6-7 minutes. Transfer the cabbage to a large bowl and set it aside.
- Wipe the dutch oven clean, then return it to medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and ground pork. Cook the meat until it starts to brown and is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Add the diced onion and garlic to the pot and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
- Stir in the undrained can of tomatoes, rice, dill, thyme, paprika, black pepper, and remaining teaspoon of salt. Add the cabbage back to the pot, then pour in the tomato juice. Stir until everything is well combined, then remove the pot from heat.
- Scrape down the sides of the pot and smooth the mixture into an even layer. Top with cheese. Tightly cover the pot with aluminum foil, then place the lid on. Transfer the pot to the oven and bake for 60 minutes. Remove the lid and foil, then continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove the pot from the oven and allow the casserole to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Nutrition
Equipment
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