Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole doesn’t take even the half time of stuffed cabbage rolls but it is as scrumptious. You won’t bother making cabbage rolls any more once you try this recipe.
Recipe updated with a video in August 2016. Please watch it below.
Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole is a lazy mom’s recipe, I agree. But it is as scrumptious as Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. Some dishes really take a lot of time. Don’t you think it would be great if it’s possible to reduce this time? Here is the solution: Change its form! Stuffed cabbage rolls are one of our favorites, but I don’t always have enough time or energy to make them. So I change their form. Well, it isn’t wrong to say that I deconstructed stuffed cabbage rolls. The result is amazing though and I’m not sure if I will ever bother to stuff cabbage rolls again. Watch the video below and see how easy it is!
Can you imagine that you will have the same taste as stuffed cabbage rolls by spending just half of the time? This Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole is definitely for those who are looking for the easiest and quickest way of making delicate dishes.
My mom is one of the best cooks I know and she never feels lazy for tasty yet laborious dishes if she knows that her family will devour it. She never complains about making Turkish Dumplings for us. I always admire her energy and patience. How I wish I were like her! Sorry mom, I sometimes need shortcuts. Well, maybe often.
This Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole is one of the best shortcuts in my culinary experience. Use exactly the same ingredients of cabbage rolls for this recipe. Cook everything in a large pan adding slightly blanched cabbage into it. Bake this cooked mixture in a casserole pan. It is sliced perfectly when serving.
I made some changes in the recipe when updating to make it even easier and tastier. The former recipe before the update calls for cooked rice, but I used uncooked in this one. So everything cooks in the same pan and you don’t need to cook rice in a separate pan beforehand. Also, after receiving some really helpful comments from you, I decided to increase the amount of tomato paste. It becomes even more delicious this way. Finally I added a little cayenne pepper to add more flavor and color.
You are free to add your favorite spices! Thank you all for helping me develop the recipes on the blog.This is what I love most about blogging! I’m still open to new ideas on this recipe. Please share them in the comments section if you have any!
As you can see in the video, I add the additional tomato paste after it is cooked in the pan, just before transferring it into the casserole pan. I do this because I discovered that it bakes better when there is some wetness in the mixture.
I don’t use any topping as I want exactly the same taste of my favorite cabbage rolls, but you can top your casserole with some cheese if you like.
The best thing to serve with this Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole is a bowl of plain yogurt or a fresh and crisp salad. I love it really tangy, so I squeeze extra lemon on my part when eating as you can see in the video.
More easy cabbage recipes that I’d love to try:
Stuffed Cabbage Bowl on Stinky Kitchen
Cabbage and Noodles on Spicy Southern Kitchen
Corn Cabbage and Zucchini Fritters on The Gastronomic Bong
Asian Beef and Cabbage Salad on Taste and Tell Blog
Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole
The very easy shortcut of stuffed cabbage rolls.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cabbage, roughly chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 and tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup rice, washed and rinsed well
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 lemon, squeezed
- A handful of chopped parsley
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Chop the cabbage roughly and blanch in boiling water, for about 5-10 minutes.
- Heat a pan on medium heat and add ground beef with 1/4 cup water. Cook until it releases water, reduce the heat. Cook it stirring and pressing on the ground beef until there aren’t any blocks left. (See the video above.)
- Cover the pan and cook until there is little water left.
- Add olive oil, onion, garlic and cook stirring for 5-10 minutes.
- Add in 2 tablespoons tomato paste and 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes. Stir well.
- Add in rice and stir.
- Season with salt, black pepper and dried mint.
- Add in the chopped and blanched cabbage in the pan. Pour lemon juice over it. Stir well.
- Add chopped parsley on it, pour 3/4 cup water and cover the pan. Cook it over the lowest heat until water is absorbed and rice is cooked, for 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
- Add cayenne pepper and add 1/2 cup tomato paste into the pan, stir and transfer it to a casserole pan that is lightly brushed with oil.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
Notes
Baking time is 40 minutes but you need to cook it for about 30 minutes in a pan over stove beforehand.
this one looks just like something I would really enjoy
happy weekend
Hi, I am making this right now and so far, looks amazing and tastes great. One question, when do you add the parsley, please?
Thanks.
Lisa, add it to the mixture with cooked rice and chopped cabbage right before putting it into the oven. Hope I’m not too late for the reply. Would love to hear the result!
Hi Zerrin
Thanks so much! That’s pretty much when I added it, and we’ve just finished dinner – it was wonderful, thank you for a great recipe.
Best wishes
Lisa.
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Hello Zerrin! Thank you for linking to my stuffed cabbage bowl post. But yours looks more delicious than mine! And I love that you used all healthy ingredients rather than anything processed. Thanks again!
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Thanks so much for your delicious recipes! We have made this, the zucchini casserole, and the quinoa zucchini casserole in the last week and they were all a big hit! When I told my 5 year old that they were recipes from a woman in Turkey he was over the moon about that. We visited Turkey a year and a half ago and he has been wanting to go back ever since – especially for the food. Thank you so much for the wonderfully delicious recipes. Can’t wait to try some more!
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Hi Laura,
I’m very happy to hear that you loved my recipes. It’s great that you boy loved them too! I know kids might be picky sometimes. I love making casseroles, they are really comforting. I’ve been making cauliflower casserole these days. You can search for it on the blog if you like cauliflower. Where did you visit in Turkey? It is said that tourists viiting Turkey gain weight. Our foods are really addictive, aren’t they? Thanks for commenting. Hope you can travel to Turkey soon.
Cheers from Turkey!
Made this for dinner and it was so, so good! I used balsamic vinegar and Italian seasoning instead of lemon and mint because that is what I had on hand and I added red pepper flakes since we like things spicy. Looking forward to another serving tomorrow!
Have this in the oven now. I made it with brown rice and Italian seasoning instead of mint because that’s what I had on hand. Tasted it before it went in the oven, yuumm!
This was really good but i topped it off with cheddar cheese (just spread over top the last 5-7 minutes). Big hit!
Ha-ha-ha! We have a similar dish which we call “tembel dolma” (lazy woman’s dolma, for those who speak neither Greek nor Turkish). Only difference is we cook it in a pot – it’s a lot like pilaf. Greeks think it’s a Turkish recipe. Do you think you may have re-invented a classic? (Although if the recipe were really Turkish, I guess it’d be called “tembel dolmasi.”)
PS. Loved your blog – looking forward to more delicious recipes!
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Silly question but with the rice do you cook 1 3/4 cups rice then add it, or cook rice and measure out 1 3/4 cups?
It is cooked rice so you measure out 1 3/4 cups of cooked rice.
I feel silly asking this. I know you answered but I still am unsure. Cook the rice first, or put uncooked rice into the dish?
Hi Angela,
Not a silly question at all. Put uncooked rice into the pan. They cook altogether over low heat.
I think next time I will cook the rice first. Mine didn’t cook all the way and is a bit crunchy at the end. Otherwise really good!
Made this last night and loved it. My husband had thirds! Very easy. I skipped the mint because I didn’t have any. Once I cooked the meat, onions, garlic, tomatoes and tomato paste, I threw it all in a large mixing bowl and then tossed in the rice, parsley, lemon juice, cabbage to mix up. I also lined the bottom of the dish with cabbage–made clean up so easy.
Next time, I would do things a bit differently. I would rough chop the cabbage before blanching. And I might use 1 cup diced tomatoes. Also, using 95% lean beef, the calories are only 177 per serving (I cut mine into 8 servings)!!
Thank you!!
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I agree…I will add more tomatoes next time. I did use half a can of diced tomatoes, drained, since I had no fresh on hand. I will most likely use a whole can next time and double the paste.
im going to make this tonight! Looks amazing! I bought already shredded cabbage at the store – do I still need to blanch it?
Hi Katie, yes blanch them before you add them into the pan with other ingredients . Otherwise, they might still be crispy when you cook the casserole.
DELICIOUS! Will definitely make again. I loved the lemon juice in the casserole, but it wasn’t a hit with the rest of my family. I did substitute the ground beef (I didn’t have any.) with ground venison. I imagine the beef is just as yummy. Thank you for sharing!!
Hello, I was just wondering what size casserole dish do you use?
in the oven now. Wasn’t sure if the tomatoes were canned or fresh. I used fresh but it seemed dry so I added some canned too. Please clarify.
I use fresh tomatoes too. Could your tomatoes be not juicy enough?
Can you freeze the left over casserole?
Yes Kristine, you can.
This was delicious! I made it with brown rice, added in a parsnip and used italian seasoning instead of dried mint as it was what I had on hand. I also added in a 1/2 cup of tomato sauce as well as the diced tomatoes. Makes a ton and was awesome! Thanks for the great recipe!
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Hi Leslie, thank you for sharing the changes you made. Brown rice, parsnip and more tomatoes are great things to add. It sounds like you ended up with a much better recipe.
I left out the mint, added more tomatoes, a small can of tomatoe sauce, along with some brown sugar and Worcestershire to add another level of flavor. Was a big hit, thanks!
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Hi Sandra, thanks for commenting! Your version sounds so good! Can’t wait to try it with brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce next time!
I am afraid I have nothing good to say about the unstuffed cabbage recipe. It took quite a bit of time, sautéing the meat, separating, blanching and chopping the cabbage and cutting the onions. The big problem with the recipe is that none of the ingredients came together. The recipe calls for one teaspoon of tomato paste as a binder. One did not even taste the paste and there was nothing to bind the ingredients together. Others suggested adding tomato sauce for this purpose and more tomatoes, most likely since there was no binder. I guess I would say this tasted like a tasteless hash. Sorry, about the bad review, but it is an honest one. My man agreed with me 100 percent. Interestingly a lot of people who reviewed the recipe had not made it yet.
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Not correct, all 8 of the reviews had made the dish first.
Thanks for replying before me! This is one of recipes our readers love most and I know they make it.
I have to agree with you! I guess I was expecting it to taste at least a little like cabbage rolls, which it didn’t. The cayenne pepper made it way too spicy for me. My husband and 1 of my 3 boys thought it was ok. Not a keeper for us.
This is delicous!!! I tried making it last night, slightly different, using salsa instead of the diced tomatoe and it was great!!! Thank you very much for this recipe. It can be played around with. Awesome! Thank you.
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Hi Agnes, it’s great to hear that you loved it! Using salsa sounds like a great substitute.
Thank you for sharing your opinion here!
Cheers from Turkey!
Making this week sounds good and easy
I have an alternative that uses a lot of the same ingredients and gives the same taste as stuffed cabbage….It’ a thick stew made on top of the stove. Brown beef, put in 5 cans of stewed tomatoes, one small head of cabbage chopped into bite size pieces, juice one lemon, and a 1/3 cup brown sugar, salt and pepper. Let the mixture stew and bubble until the cabbage gets soft and nice, add 2 cups water, and 2/3 cup rice, let bowl again, and voila! Cabbage stew….so great!
Sounds like a great alternative to cabbage rolls. Sounds easy too. Thanks for sharing your recipe here.
I made this a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. I loved the flavor the mint, lemon, and parsley added to the dish. I used red cabbage because it was what I had in my fridge. This recipe is definitely in my “Make Again” folder! Thank you for sharing!
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Can anyone give me the Nutrition on this meal? Thanks in advance!
made this last night. Dropped the onions, didn’t have mint or parsley, so put in some cilantro. Left out the oil as it wasn’t needed. Cut the cabbage before blanching for 2 minutes, and added 2 cups cooked rice. Was very yummy, and my teenager had thirds. I had it for breakfast and lunch today. Definitely one we’ll add to our repertoir, though it was somewhat labor intensive for a weeknight.
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Hi Lynn,
Glad to hear that you are happy with the result. And thank you so much for sharing what you changed. Cilantro would be a perfect addition! Will have to use it next time.
I’ve made this at least once and making it again tonight. Love this recipe!
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I have never made cabbage rolls before, as it seemed like way too much work. I tried this recipe and what a hit it was in my house! I added a bit more red pepper flakes, a bit of Worcestershire sauce and salsa as another reader suggested. I liked a bit more “sauce” than the original recipe seemed to have. LOVE IT. I’m so happy to discover this blog, as well. I LOVE TURKEY, it’s PEOPLE and it’s FOOD! We will visit in less than 2 months and I can’t wait! Thanks so much for your time and efforts on this blog.
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Hi Angela, so happy to hear that you loved the recipe. Much easier than cabbage rolls but as tasty, isn’t it? Maybe I should try it with more sauce next time 🙂
Where in Turkey are you planning to visit? Enjoy the places and foods here!
Cheers from Turkey!
This needed something but not sure what. Didn’t taste anything like my stuffed cabbage but then again I add sauerkraut to mine.
That is the secret ingredient that makes it taste so good. Also the meat. It should be half beef and half pork mixed together.
i also add sauerkraut
Great idea!
WOW! This was one of the most delicious meals I have ever made. I added more tomato paste (1 TBS), and one jar of marinara sauce, some turmeric (for health benefits) and some red pepper flakes. I made it with ground turkey instead of the beef. My kids who hate cabbage, ate an entire bowl! My hubby (who’s mother was a chef) says it is one of his favourite meals to date! Will make time and time again! Thanks for this incredible recipe!
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Hi Aga, I’m so happy to hear that your family and you love this casserole! I’m even more motivated to cook when kids and husbands love my recipes. I’m sure it becomes tastier with more sauce. And adding turmeric is a great idea!
Made this and it was excellent. I don’t know how anyone can say this isn’t good. They definitely don’t know how to cook then or improvise. I also added stewed tomatoes and it was very tasty. My family says I can make it anytime.
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Thank you for your comment Cheryl! Happy to hear that your family loved it!
I cannot have tomatoes at all so is there a substitute I can use.
Making right now and I followed your recipe precisely with a few additions/modifications: Sautéed 1diced yellow pepper along w/the onion & garlic; used Boca veggie crumbles in place of beef; added a full 14.5 oz can of tomatos; 1 tbls. of chicken “better than bullion”; BROWN rice – only 1 cup; and, as lame as it may sound, a generous squirt of Heinz ketchup! I’m going to place it in a casserole dish (sprayed w/cooking spray), top w/panko crumbs and refrigerate it for now. I’ll bake it in the oven an hour before my hungry husband gets home…….I’ll submit the feedback. -Thanks, Angmia
Hi Angela,
Your additions to the recipe sound great! I’m sure your casserole will become even tastier than this one 🙂 Enjoy!
can you leave out the rice?
Well, I wouldn’t. I guess it becomes more like a stew that way. You can use quinoa or bulgur instead if you don’t like rice.
HI Zerrin,
I plan on making this tomorrow (hoping this gets to you. My question is can I used minced garlic, or does it need to be four whole cloves? Thanks!
Hi Sarah, sorry for my late reply. It really doesn’t matter. Put it minced, roughly chopped or whole 🙂
I made it tonite, loved it. I used brown rice and didn’t have mint. Does anyone know the serving size and calories ?
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Can I use fresh mint?
Definitely. It gives even a better flavor.
This is just like my stuffed cabbage roll recipe thanks for thinking of a casserole, this soooo much easier. Lemon makes this recipe. I like pork sausage too which is a nice change.
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Happy to hear that you love it. I even squeeze extra lemon on it when eating. Isn’t it just great that we can add anything we like in the recipe? You can go either vegetarian or add your favorite sausage.
I love cabbage rolls but don’t have the time to always do. Gonna try this recipe tonight. Thanks for the recipe . I’ll let you know how we like it.
Being a polish girl who sometimes is short of time I’ve been making lazy glumpkis fir years. I use packaged coleslaw mix to save time and now substitute the rice with cauliflower rice
Thanks Bonni for sharing the idea here! Never heard of cauliflower rice, must search for it.
Where’s the fricken recipe?
Hi Connie! Sorry, there was a technical problem yesterday. Now you can see the recipe.
It would be nice if you told us what to do with the 1/4 cup of parsley I chopped up. I stored it in last and hope it works.
Hi Ginny! I just forgot to say “add the parsley together with cooked rice”. I’m correcting the recipe right now. Thanks!
Hello I am making this now and can someone please advise
What does “cook until it releases mean?”
When cooking the meat? I am assuming it means until completely cooked, but I am not sure.. Thanks
Hi, I’ve just corrected that sentence. It should have been “cook until it releases water”. You know when you cook ground beef over medium heat, it releases some juice. Hope this helps.
Great way to use up cabbage. Everyone loved it.
This was a very good recipe. I used a Tbsp of tomato paste instead of a teaspoon and cut the oil in half for my calorie needs. This is the first time that I have had a recipe with mint, so not sure about it. I will definitely make it again without the mint and maybe double the parsley. Thank you!
I have made a Similar dish as this for years and just called it a Cabbag Casserole. Not using the Rice, parsley, mint nor lemon juice. Added Cheese at the end as another reader did. Always an awesome meal. I do love the cabbage rolls and this sounds a lot easier to make with all the ingredients in them. I’m not sure on the mint though. Not something I’ve used often, yet will try. Thanks And Sounds Great.
Definitely should say cooked rice in the directions, as I added in long grain rice uncooked. Hopefully it tastes ok. Smells yummy!
Hi Stephanie, I use rice uncooked in this recipe. If your rice doesn’t cook, just add a little water and cook for a few minutes over the lowest heat. If you use cooked rice, you don’t need to add water.
I am excited to have found your site and equally excited to make this recipe! I am just curious – what does the dried mint add to the recipe…just never cook with mint so I am intrigued if it add something to the cabbage or how you came up with adding the mint? Thank you!
Hi Melissa, welcome to our blog! Hope you find our recipes helpful. As for your question, dried mint gives a subtle refreshing flavor and it matches perfectly with the other spices in this recipe. It is my favorite spice and use it quite often. If you feel doubtful, add just half of the given measurement.
WHat size casserole pan did you use to bake in oven. Was it 9 by 12?
Hi Will, the exact size of the rectangular pan I use is 24x17x6cm.
I just made this but tweaked it to use a lot of the same ingredients I used in my stuffed cabbage. I also added shredded carrots, parsnips and turnips to the mix. On top of that I used a bit more tomatoe paste, purée and diced tomatoes to make it a bit less dry. So excited for it!
Thanks for the recipe! This dish was superb and tasted even better the next day for lunch. I used brown rice, and instead of the extra tomato paste at the end, I added a half cup or so of White Linen marinara sauce (from Costco – so delish!). When I popped the recipe into myfitnesspal, the nutrition numbers came out as follows:
Cals: 291
Carbs: 26g
Fat: 13g
Protein: 20g
Sodium: 470mg
Sugar: 9g
This does not sound like a Paleo recipe if it has rice.
Hi Maria, I didn’t say it is a Paleo recipe.
Hi Zarrin, do you use 5 minute rice or long grain? I glanced through the comments but didn’t notice if anyone else had this question.
Hi Nikki, I use long grain.
Can you use quinoa instead of rice?
Haven’t tried it in this recipe, but I guess it will be a great alternative.
Thanks! Do you think I should put it in cooked or uncooked?
I’d put it uncooked. Just don’t forget to rinse it well.
There is no way that it can taste the same. there is one ingredient missing and that is sauerkraut.
Instead of parsley …which would have been good, I added Kale. Lets just say yumm…eee..
Nice idea Charla! Thanks for sharing it here.
Hi; I made this last night 🙂 I am Syrian and we make stuffed grape leaves, stuffed cabbage, and stuffed squash very similarly. I knew it would taste close to what I’m used to because of the mint and lemon ingredients! I have become a vegetarian now, so I used frozen veggie crumbles in place of the meat. My oven door broke in the middle of making this, and it was already too heated up to fix at the time, so I had to put it in my toaster oven to finish cooking. The lid wouldn’t fit, so it got a little burned on top. When I tried the finished product last night, it tasted too much like tomato paste. But I am happy to say, today the dish is very good as leftovers. I feel like the flavors have blended really well overnight. I might include some melted butter next time because that is how I make grapeleaves, and it would add some more wetness. Thank you for the recipe! I’m excited to eat my leftovers 🙂
Hi Christin! We have several common foods, don’t we? I think you had a bad luck that night 🙂 Happy to hear that you’re pleased with the taste after all the things you experienced. Adding melted butter is such a great idea. I love the leftovers even more than the fresh meal. Enjoy!
Nothing new here. My family has been doing this for at least 70 years.
Good to hear that!
You should say cooked rice in the ingredients.
I didn’t use cooked rice in this recipe. It cooks with all the other ingredients.
Thanks so much for sharing! I was afraid to use the amounts of mint & cayenne suggested so I scaled those way back – just out of personal preference. Maybe next time I make it though, I will give it a try without changing anything. We did really enjoy it! Even my husband who initially turned his nose up at the idea! Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear that you loved it!
I haven’t eaten it yet . I’m currently waiting by the stove for my brown rice to cook through . It’s been well over 30 minutes and after adding more water to get the rice softer it still isn’t cooking correctly . I definitely think you should cook the rice before hand and save yourself the trouble of doing it with everything else .
I encountered the same thing, trying to get my rice done all the way through. It seems like everything has kind of turned to mush cooking it all beforehand like this. I have it all prepared and ready to go in the oven in a bit. I’m hoping the baking process will somehow firm things up a bit? I’m skeptical, but hope to be pleasantly surprised. I’ve made a few skillet UN cabbage roll dishes, with basically the same ingredients, that you can just toss everything in all at once, including uncooked rice, and it cooks up nicely on the stove.
Hi! I added thyme, oregano, a touch of cinnamon and a 14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes- delicious! Thanks for the inspiration!😀
Hi Donna! Thank you for sharing your additions with us. I love to make changes in my regular recipes when a reader suggests.
I don’t understand how this dish has so many rave reviews. I followed the recipe exactly as written. First, the rice did not cook all the way through. I was expecting the mint, cayenne and lemon juice to really add a robust flavor. Instead it was just off. Overly spicy but not enough salt so a bland dish that’s too spicy for the average pallet. (Unless cayenne is a regular occurrence with your meals, one Teaspoon is way way too much. You’ll be drinking a quart of milk with every bite. My husband and children agree wholeheartedly. We will not be making this again. Sorry.
Thanks for the recipe! I’m baking it now! Should I cover the casserole dish in the oven? Or should it be uncovered? Thanks!
Hi Sarah, you don’t need to cover it.