Calling all casserole lovers!! Ok, here we go… Cabbage Roll Casserole = seasoned ground beef, tomato sauce, rice, and cabbage topped with melted mozzarella cheese…oh my love!! Just like my beef enchilada casserole, this is one of the most delicious and comforting casseroles that everyone loves! I’m southern. I love a good casserole. And this casserole is healthy and can be made gluten free! You just don’t typically hear those 4 words together…healthy, casserole, southern, gluten free. But this casserole is just all of THAT. And it’s made in my Crock Pot! Winning! WINNING big time here!!
What is Cabbage Roll Casserole?
Who loves cabbage rolls? If you’ve never had them, a cabbage roll is a boiled cabbage leaf filled with rice and meat and then baked. My recipe is more of an “unstuffed cabbage casserole”. It’s similar to a cabbage roll, just made in a crock pot with the ingredients layered. I like to refer to this dish as “lazy man cabbage roll casserole” because you literally just throw the ingredients together and let the crock pot do all the hard work.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need these ingredients to make this recipe:
ground beefgarlic clovesoniontomato saucecondensed tomato soupdiced tomatoespaprikathymesaltlong grain white ricecabbagemozzarella cheesewater
How To Make Crock Pot Cabbage Roll Casserole
The first thing you’ll do is chop the onion. Then brown the ground beef and add the chopped onion, garlic, paprika, thyme, and salt over medium heat until no pink remains. Make sure you drain the fat. Add 1 cup of the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, 1 cup water, and ½ can of tomato soup to the beef. Stir in rice and mix well until heated through (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat. While your beef mixture is heating on the stove top, chop the cabbage into 4 wedges and remove the core. Chop into large bite sized pieces. Layer ½ of the meat mixture and ½ of the cabbage in the crock pot. Repeat layers by placing half the meat and then half the cabbage in the crock pot. Now, combine the remaining tomato soup, remaining tomato sauce, and ⅓ cup water. Pour over top of cabbage. Place the top on the crock pot and cook on low 4-6 hours or just until rice is cooked. Once done, turn crock pot off, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, and let sit 10 minutes to set and melt the cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Oh, that melted mozzarella cheese on this Cabbage Casserole! Is your mouth watering yet? My friend, Vicky Crowley brought this dish to work for several us to try as a part of a lunch coop. FANTASTIC is all that needs to be said on this one! I had seconds…FOR LUNCH. I never do that. It makes me too sleepy to eat that much at lunch! Yep…it’s THAT good!
Tips for Making Crock Pot Cabbage Casserole
Make sure to follow the instructions on the divided ingredients in the recipe card. It actually does make a difference taste wise.Adding the shredded mozzarella cheese makes this dish.Don’t overcook this recipe. Mushy cabbage is gross. I’ve made this recipe at least 12 times now and the magic hour for the perfect doneness is around 5 hours.If you’re gluten free, make sure you use a gluten free version of tomato soup. I love Amy’s Cream of Tomato soup.If you wanted to use brown rice, you can. I don’t recommend using cauliflower rice in this dish. It will turn to mush.I like keeping this dish lean so I use 96% lean ground beef, but you can use any grade of ground beef you like.
What to Serve with Cabbage Roll Casserole
My Romaine Salad pairs perfectly with this casserole.These Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic and Parmesan are full of flavor. I love green beans with casseroles!This Brussels Sprout Salad with it’s dried cranberries and balsamic vinegar pops the flavor in this casserole.
You are going to love this Cabbage Roll Casserole. It’s pure comfort in every bite with zero guilt! Go get’em casserole lovers! Y’all are gonna just LOVE this one! Enjoy! If you loved this recipe, give this recipe a star review! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #recipesworthrepeating and tagging me @recipesworthrepeating.
