Beef, rice and cabbage in a tomato sauce tastes just like cabbage rolls with half the work.
Cabbage Rolls Casserole
I have always made cabbage rolls with a recipe my friends mom gave to me. This is a great way to take a short cut and still get the flavor without the work! I use pork sausage with my ground beef when I make the cabbage rolls so that is why you see an addition of sage here. Another name for this recipe is Inside Out Cabbage Rolls. Of course whatever you call it, it’s delicious!
You need to be making this in a deep dish 9 x 13 pan if you have one or bigger. Everyone is having a problem getting it in the pan. I plan to update this recipe next week with the cabbage by weight, I think that will help.
Cabbage Rolls Casserole
Author: Mary Ellen
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 8
Beef, rice and cabbage in a tomato sauce tastes just like cabbage rolls with half the work.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 can tomato soup
- 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 2 pounds chopped cabbage
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups water (may need more)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large skillet, brown beef in oil over medium high heat until redness is gone. Drain off fat.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the onion, tomato sauce, soup, tomato paste cabbage, rice and spices. Add meat and mix all together. Add 3 cups of water. Pour mixture into a 9x13 inch deep baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven, covered, for 1 hour 15 minutes.
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How about?
Crock Pot Cheeseburger Casserole
The Villager’s German Tomato Soup
Spaghetti Pie
Cabbage Rolls
Oh my this does not fit in a 9 x 13, !!!!!!!!!!
I am guessing you used a larger cabbage than I did.
alot for a 9×13 pan
3 pounds of cabbage confuses me….. I tried to make this tonight and it was way more than a 9×13 would hold. Am I missing something?
No I don’t think so. I have a really deep 9 x 13 pan. I use it. If it is more than fits in yours, mix it all together and put what you can in the 9 x 13 pan and add the rest to another casserole dish.
Tried it tonight and it turned out fantastic!!! Better than the recipes Ive tried before that called for Juice. And it’s Father In Law approved
Thanks Jode! I’ve been making them this way for years… Father in law approved is a good thing!
when I make cabbage rolls I only it’s tomatoe soup, lemon juice and brown sugar for the sauce so I’m looking for a recipe that only calls for those ingredients for the sauce because we love it!!! This seems like a long time to bake since cabbage cooks so quickly but I’m gonna give it a try :)
This filled my 9×13 to the brim! I put a cookie sheet under it while baking and it did spill over just a bit. I used two 14-oz bags of shredded cabbage. Next time I’ll use a roasting pan or use two pans. I had to add an additional 20 min baking time in order to get the rice fully cooked. But it was worth it! My husband raved about it!
Glad he loved it! It is so much easier than cabbage rolls.
Mine came out way too liquidy. Cooked it 30 add’l mins uncovered and it was perfect after that. Will definitely add more lean ground beef next time for added protein.
I think without an actual weight for the cabbage we are going to have somewhat different results. I will make this again this month and weight the cabbage this time. Glad you liked it.
a few things happened when I made this, first it really didn’t fit in the 9×13 pan. I had to put a cookie sheet underneath it. I cooked it for the allotted time and the rice wasn’t done. My husband cooked it for another hour and a half and the rice was barely done. Next time I’ll just use cooked rice, LOVED IT! And will definitely make it again!
I plan to make this next week and do the cabbage by weight. I have a deep dish 9 x 13 pan that I use so I wasn’t clear enough on that. I don’t know why the rice took so long to cook. What kind were you using? I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I also cooked it for a total of 2 hours and the rice was still not done. Suggestions to remedy this are welcome. Do I use cooked rice? Do I uncover it for the additional 45 minutes? Do I let it cook in the oven for three hours? Insights welcome because I really loves the easy of this recipe!
I am not sure why you are having this issue. I guess I would cook the rice until it is half done. If you over cook it then it can get mushy and you don’t want that. I use Uncle Ben’s rice in this.
Did you use minute rice for this? I used regular long grain, and I never could get it done all the way. I really wanted to like this recipe.
No, I use regular long grain rice. A couple of people have said this and I don’t understand why it doesn’t get all of the way done. Could you of cooked it a little longer? You could always add a little water if it starts to get to dry.
Can you freeze the cabbage roll casserole? If so at what point would you do it?
I’ve not tried to freeze it but if I was going to I would do it after it is assembled and before it is baked.
I only used 20 oz (1.25 lbs) of cabbage and 1.5 lbs hamburger and it was still too much for my 9×13, but I just put the rest in an 8×8. I’ll just send the extra to work with my boyfriend since they will probably eat anything :). It’s in the oven now and I’m hoping the rice turns out since some people were having issues.
Can this be done in the crock pot?
I don’t see why not, however I’ve not tried it.
Oh wow! This looks so delicious! So warm and comforting, can’t wait to give it a try.
I wonder how this would work in an electric fry pan.
I was really looking forward to this, since I previously used another recipe, but thee wasn’t enough of a tomato flavor. I tried this one because if the additional tomato-based ingredients. However, after the cooking time of 1 hour and 15 minutes, the rice was still crunchy and it was way too watery. I only used the amount indicated in the recipe, so I’m not sure why this happened. I am currently cooking it for another hour, so I’ll see if the liquid reduces and if the rice cooks more.
Okay – one more hour did it! The liquid reduced more and the rice cooked through. So for future reference, I’ll cook this casserole for 2 hours 15 minutes for the best results (for me, at least). Great flavors! My rating changed from 2 stars to 5 stars!