Description
Runza Casserole brings a hearty Midwestern comfort classic straight to your dinner table, packed with savory ground beef, melted cheese, and a warm, buttery bread base that wraps everything together in pure deliciousness.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1½ lbs ground beef
- ½ head green cabbage
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 8 oz tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
Supporting Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion
- 2 tablespoons butter
Seasoning:
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Stretch one tube of crescent roll dough across the entire bottom of the dish. Bake for exactly 5 minutes to set the base.
- Heat a large skillet and brown 1½ lbs ground beef over medium-high heat. Create a small clearing in the center and melt 2 tbsp butter.
- Add 1 chopped medium onion to the skillet and sauté for 2–3 minutes until translucent. Mix in ½ head shredded green cabbage and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
- Season the beef mixture with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper, stirring thoroughly to combine all ingredients.
- Spread the seasoned beef and cabbage mixture evenly across the partially baked crescent roll base.
- Sprinkle 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese across the entire surface of the meat layer.
- Unroll the second tube of crescent roll dough and carefully drape it over the cheese-topped filling.
- Return the casserole to the 350°F oven and bake uncovered for 22 minutes until the top turns a deep golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow the casserole to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into serving portions.
Notes
- Check the cabbage while cooking to ensure it becomes tender but not mushy, which helps maintain the perfect texture in the casserole.
- Drain excess fat from the ground beef after browning to prevent the dish from becoming greasy and soggy.
- Use fresh cabbage for the best flavor and crunch, chopping it into uniform pieces so it cooks evenly throughout the dish.
- For a lighter version, substitute ground turkey for beef and use low-fat cheese to reduce calories without sacrificing taste.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Casseroles
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 468 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 750 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg