Best Cabbage Roll Casserole
Deconstructed cabbage rolls — all the comfort, none of the rolling. Juicy, tangy, family-approved.
Ingredients
- Meat & Rice Layer:
- 1½ lbs 680 g ground beef (80/20) or half beef + half pork
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup 185 g uncooked long-grain white rice (or cauliflower rice for low-carb)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried dill or 1 tbsp fresh
- 1 large egg helps bind
- Cabbage & Sauce:
- 1 medium head green cabbage ≈2½ lbs, roughly chopped into 1–2 inch pieces
- 2 cans 28 oz each crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
- 1 can 14 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
- ¼ cup 50 g brown sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt + ½ tsp pepper
- For Topping:
- Fresh dill or parsley
- Sour cream optional but classic
Instructions
- Brown beef + onion + garlic.
- Mix in uncooked rice + seasonings + egg.
- Layer: half cabbage → meat mix → rest cabbage → pour sauce.
- Cover tightly → 350 °F 1½ hrs.
- Uncover, stir, bake 20–30 min more.
- Rest 15 min → serve with sour cream.
Notes
- Raw rice cooks perfectly in the casserole
- Sauce should taste sweet-tangy before baking
- Freezes & reheats beautifully
- Day 2 leftovers = even better
- Low-carb: sub cauliflower rice