Description
Cabbage Roll Casserole delivers hearty comfort straight from Grandma’s kitchen to your dinner table. Packed with ground beef, rice, and tangy tomato sauce, this one-pan meal makes dinner simple and satisfying for your whole family.
Ingredients
Scale
Primary Ingredients:
- 1 head cabbage
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup cooked rice
Flavor Enhancers:
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Liquid Components:
- 2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces each)
- 1 can tomato sauce (8 ounces)
Instructions
- Warm your oven to exactly 350°F and grab a large pot of water.
- Submerge the whole cabbage head into boiling water for 6-7 minutes until leaves become pliable and soft.
- Carefully extract cabbage leaves and place them on a clean kitchen towel to drain excess moisture.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and crumble 1 pound ground beef into the pan.
- Add 1 chopped onion and 2 minced garlic cloves to the beef, sautéing until meat browns completely and onions turn translucent.
- Mix 1 cup cooked rice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon paprika into the beef mixture.
- Arrange half the cabbage leaves across the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish as your first protective layer.
- Spread the entire beef and rice mixture evenly across the cabbage foundation.
- Pour 2 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes and 1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce directly over the beef layer.
- Cover the tomato sauce with remaining cabbage leaves to create a complete seal.
- Wrap the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and slide into the 350°F oven.
- Bake covered for 60 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking for 15 additional minutes until edges crisp slightly.
Notes
- Cabbage becomes super tender when boiled, so drain carefully to keep leaves intact for easier layering.
- Choose lean ground beef to reduce excess grease and create a cleaner, lighter casserole texture.
- For gluten-free adaptation, swap regular rice with cauliflower rice or quinoa to maintain the dish’s hearty profile.
- Vegetarian friends can replace ground beef with lentils or plant-based meat alternatives for a similar protein-packed meal.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 22 minutes
- Category: Casseroles
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 295 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg