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    Home » Dinner » Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole

    Published: Jan 8, 2020 · Modified: May 24, 2025 by Zerrin & Yusuf

    Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole

    Jump to Recipe

    Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole doesn't take even the half time of cabbage rolls but it is as scrumptious. It is easily made with rice and ground beef, so makes a wonderful main dish. Who bothers stuffing cabbage leaves when you can make equally delicious unstuffed cabbage rolls with the same ingredients in a much shorter time?

    A slice of unstuffed cabbage roll casserole served on a white plate

    This is a lazy mom’s recipe, I know. But isn't it great that it tastes pretty much like your favorite Turkish cabbage rolls? And if you are in the mood for a soup, check out our unstuffed cabbage soup too!

    Can you imagine that you will have the same taste as regular cabbage rolls by spending just half of the time? This cabbage casserole recipe is definitely for those who are looking for the easiest and quickest way of making delicate dishes.

    Cabbage rolls require a lot of effort and time and it is better when we find a shortcut. Hey, I have a shortcut for that laborious dish. Use the same ingredients but change the form! Deconstruct the rolls and serve in the form of unstuffed cabbage rolls.

    Jump to:
    • How To Make
    • Tips
    • With Instant Rice
    • Without Rice
    • With Quinoa
    • Vegetarian Version
    • What To Serve With
    • How To Freeze
    • FAQs
    • Other Cabbage Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    How To Make

    This cabbage roll casserole recipe is one of the best shortcuts in my culinary experience. It has three parts.

    First, blanch the cabbage leaves. Bring a deep pot full of water to boil and leave the roughly chopped cabbage leaves in it carefully. It takes about ten minutes for the chopped cabbage to soften. Transfer them in a bowl using a slotted spoon.

    Second, cook the ingredients in a pan starting with ground beef. Cook it with a little water. Water helps the ground beef to release juice, which makes it easier to get rid of any blocks. Stir and gently press over the ground beef until there aren't any blocks left. Watch the video below to see how.

    Cook it covered over medium low heat for about 10 minutes. When there is little water left, add in olive oil, chopped onion and garlic. Give it a good stir. Then add in tomato paste, tomatoes, rice and the spices except cayenne pepper, stirring each time you add one. Add in the blanched cabbage, lemon juice, parsley and water. Cook covered over the lowest heat until water is absorbed and rice is tender.

    Third, bake it in a casserole pan. But before doing it, add some cayenne pepper and extra tomato paste to the pan, stir well and then transfer in a casserole pan. I don't know why I didn't use it in the video but it's better to use a cast iron pan when cooking the ingredients. No need for a casserole pan then. Just bake it in the same pan. I love it when it's possible reduce the number of dirty dishes! It is sliced perfectly when serving.

    Unstuffed cabbage casserole with ground beef and rice in a baking pan

    Tips

    • Optionally, you can just skip the baking step if you don't have enough time for it. Serve it after everything in the pan is cooked over the stove.
    • As seen in the video below, I add extra tomato paste after everything in the pan is cooked, just before transferring it into the casserole pan. It bakes better when there is some wetness in the mixture as some of you suggested in the comments below.
    • No need for any toppings on this cabbage casserole with ground beef and rice as I want exactly the same taste of my favorite cabbage rolls, but you can top your casserole with some cheese if you like.
    • When updating the recipe, I made some changes with the help of your suggestions in the comments and emails. The former recipe before the update calls for cooked rice, which requires cooking rice in a separate pan before combining it with other ingredients. Some readers suggested cooking it in the same pan with other ingredients so that everything cooks together and it requires less effort. Such a wonderful and helpful suggestion! Thank YOU! That's why, I cooked everything together in this updated version. There is one thing you need to be careful though: Add enough water to cook the rice. ¾ cup water for 1 cup rice was enough for me. Other ingredients like tomatoes, lemon juice and cabbage helped it cook as well.

    With Instant Rice

    You can definitely use instant rice to make this recipe even easier and quicker. You don't need to worry about how much water you will need. Also, you can easily decide how much rice you'd like in your meal. Add some, give it a stir and add more if you think it's not enough. Unlike uncooked rice, the amount of rice will not double as it's pre-cooked.

    Unstuffed cabbage roll casserole with rice and beef served on a white plate

    Without Rice

    It is possible to make this recipe either with or without rice. If you are on a diet or want to reduce the carb in your meal, make it without rice. I've tried it and it's as tasty and filling as beef and cabbage stew, so I'm sure you will be satisfied with it as well. There is no need to add water in the pan if you decide to leave the rice out.

    With Quinoa

    Yes, you can. If you are a fan of quinoa, feel free to substitute quinoa for rice. Make sure you add enough water when cooking it though. ¾ cup water for ½ cup quinoa should be fine. Also, simmer it over the lowest heat to give it enough time to cook.

    Vegetarian Version

    If you want a lighter version, leave the ground beef out and make it vegetarian. I love both versions. Making it meatless is better when serving it as a side dish. To make it even tastier, drizzle extra olive oil and lemon juice on it when serving. One of our readers suggested some cheese topping when baking, so I think it's a great idea when you turn it into a vegetarian dinner.

    What To Serve With

    The best thing to serve with this casserole recipe is a bowl of plain yogurt or Turkish ezme. I love it really tangy, so I squeeze extra lemon on my part when eating as you can see in the video.

    We love to pair it with our homemade dinner rolls too.

    As this casserole recipe is a perfect main course you can make for your family, serve their favorite sides or salads with it.

    How To Freeze

    This is a freezer-friendly recipe. You can freeze it either after it is cooked over the stove or after it is baked. Just make sure it cools completely before freezing. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven when you need a quick meal.

    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!

    If you like this cabbage recipe, you should check Cabbage and Noodles from Spicy Southern Kitchen and Asian Beef and Cabbage Salad from Taste and Tell Blog too.

    Unstuffed cabbage rolls with beef and rice in a casserole pan right from oven

    FAQs

    Do you have to wash cabbage before eating?

    You don’t need to wash the inside of a cabbage head, especially when it is tight. Just remove the outer leaves and wash the head under water. On the other hand, some types of cabbage consist of really loose leaves, so there might be dirt between the leaves. It is better to remove the leaves from the stem and wash them.

    How do you chop cabbage?

    Remove the leaves that cover the outer part of the cabbage head. Wash it under water, not removing the other leaves. First, cut it into two and then depending on the size of the cabbage head, cut each half into two or four quarters. Next, chop them roughly for this recipe. You need to chop them thinly when making salads like coleslaw.

    How do you blanch cabbage leaves?

    It is a very easy step that helps the cabbage leaves cook faster. Bring a pot of water to boil and throw the leaves into it. Cook them for 5-10 minutes in the simmering water. The duration might differ depending on the thickness of the leaves. If they are too thick, cook them for 10 minutes and if they are thin, cook them less. Then transfer the leaves into a bowl using a slotted spoon.

    Can you freeze a bag of shredded cabbage?

    Yes, you can. When you end up with a large amount of shredded cabbage, freezing it for a later use is a great solution. Put it in freezer bags in portions, seal them and keep in the freezer.

    Can you cook cabbage ahead of time?

    Yes, you can.You can cook chopped or shredded cabbage and keep it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 1-2 days.

    What meat goes with cooked cabbage?

    Well, cabbage is such a versatile vegetable that can go well with any meat. Our choice is almost always ground beef, but it is great with lamb, chicken or pork as well. You can use whichever is your favorite.

    What vegetable goes with cabbage?

    If you want to enrich your casserole with other vegetables, go ahead and add them into your pan when combining cooked cabbage with ground beef. Root vegetables like potatoes and celery would make a great addition. Also, celery, leek or spinach would work fine as well.

    Other Cabbage Recipes

    • Cheesy Cabbage Casserole
    • Low Calorie Cabbage Soup
    • Cabbage Stew
    • Quick Pickled Cabbage
    • Greek Yogurt Coleslaw

    You might also like:

    • Baked rolls in a baking tray.
      Homemade Bread Rolls with Yeast
    • Cheesy cabbage casserole with fresh dill in a baking pan.
      Cheesy Cabbage Casserole
    • Cabbage roll soup in a bowl garnished with parsley and a little yogurt.
      Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup
    • Turkish cabbage rolls with tomato sauce in a white pan.
      Lahana Sarma (Turkish Cabbage Rolls)

    As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!

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    📖 Recipe

    Unstuffed cabbage roll casserole with rice and beef served on a white plate
    4.55 from 35 votes

    Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole

    By Zerrin & Yusuf
    The shortcut recipe for stuffed cabbage rolls.
    Yields: 6 servings
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    PREP 10 minutes mins
    COOK 40 minutes mins
    TOTAL 50 minutes mins

    INGREDIENTS
      

    • 2 pounds cabbage roughly chopped
    • 1 pound ground beef
    • ¼ cup water
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 onion chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic
    • 2½ tablespoons tomato paste
    • ½ cup tomatoes diced
    • 1 cup rice washed and rinsed well
    • 1½ salt
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon dried mint
    • 1 lemon squeezed
    • ¼ cup parsley chopped
    • ¾ 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 ¼ 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 ½ 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 ¾ 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 ½ cup tomato paste into the pan, stir and transfer it to a casserole pan that is lightly brushed with oil.
    • Bake for 40 minutes.

    Video

    NOTES

    Baking time is 40 minutes but you need to cook it for about 30 minutes in a pan over stove beforehand.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 380kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 19gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 234mgPotassium: 699mgFiber: 6gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 718IUVitamin C: 74mgCalcium: 105mgIron: 3mg

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

    ADDITIONAL INFO

    Course Dinner
    Cuisine American, Turkish
    Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.55 from 35 votes

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kathryn says

      August 13, 2020 at 4:27 pm

      4 stars
      Good basic recipe. I doubled the meat for my meat eating husband and added a bit more seasoning to taste. I also used brown rice and just cooked longer in the pan. Turned out well.

      Reply
    2. Amanda McCready says

      May 27, 2020 at 1:58 am

      4 stars
      You can always use minute rice (it's called hacks..Ha!) You can always tweak recipes to your preference, ie; I used beef consummé in mine , whole peeled tomatoes etc, just make it your own!! Also as far as ads go just hit close lol!

      Reply
    3. Whitney says

      March 26, 2020 at 6:40 pm

      4 stars
      Maybe correct the Prep/Cooktime? I love this recipe but it realistically takes way longer than 50 minutes! When I first found this recipe I was excited to put together a quick casserole dinner...HA! Blanching the cabbage-10 minutes. Browning the meat-10 minutes. Rice-20 minutes. Then overall cooking-40 minutes! People need to know upfront that the prep/cooktime is closer to 2 hours! I will say this is definitely in our top 5 meals though! Making it tonight for my in-laws!

      Reply
    4. Janet says

      March 23, 2020 at 3:18 pm

      I'm sorry but this is just awful. Takes hours and is bland and odd tasting. We followed the directions to a t. I'm so disappointed because it looks great in the photos. No idea how this got 4 stars. Sorry just angry that I wasted so much time and ingredients.

      Reply
    5. Gayle says

      January 29, 2020 at 10:01 pm

      I am frustrated with this site. The ads pop up covering part of the recipe directions and I can’t get rid of them. This looks so good but who has time to mess around with an ad you have no interest I just want to read the recipe.

      Reply
    6. Linda says

      January 24, 2020 at 7:28 am

      Can this be made in the Instant Pot or crockpot?

      Reply
    7. Sophia says

      January 21, 2020 at 12:19 pm

      Excellent recipe! However, I was looking for a similar one wirh added leek and celery root you had posted some time ago! I can't find it anymore. It was even better I think!

      Reply
    8. Jenny says

      January 17, 2020 at 7:46 pm

      The calories seem really off when I enter this recipe into MyFitnessPal meals. I even changed the meat to lean ground turkey and it’s coming out to a little over 300 calories if split into 6 servings. Maybe I’m wrong but since I’m dieting I like to know exactly how many calories I’m putting in my body. Please let me know if I’m wrong.

      Reply
      • Yusuf says

        January 17, 2020 at 9:11 pm

        Hi Jenny! Thank you for asking this! I checked the nutritions and noticed that there were some errors. Corrected it now. Sorry for the confusion.

        Reply
    9. Trina says

      September 27, 2019 at 6:51 am

      I don’t understand how 3/4 C of water was ever supposed to cook 1 cup of rice?

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        September 27, 2019 at 4:54 pm

        Hi Trina! The juice of tomatoes, lemon juice and the wetness of cabbage leaves help the rice cook. I cook it over the lowest heat with no issues at all. If you end up with uncooked rice at the end of the cooking, you can pour an extra 1/4 cup hot water and keep cooking until it is absorbed. Then transfer it to a baking pan and bake. Hope this helps.

        Reply
        • Brandy Eaves says

          November 12, 2019 at 11:31 pm

          5 stars
          If using brown rice, it helps tremendously to pre-soak it.

    10. Phoenix White says

      May 16, 2019 at 9:21 pm

      Save the liquid from the cooked cabbage and use that some of it instead of plain water.

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        May 16, 2019 at 10:56 pm

        Brilliant idea! Thanks Phoenix!

        Reply
    11. JOANN PATLEWICZ says

      April 07, 2019 at 11:25 pm

      5 stars
      I LOVED this recipe!! I will never go back to making stuffed cabbage the traditional way after making this. I wanted my meal meatier, so I added 1/2 lb of ground pork. I probably used about 8 cups of chopped cabbage (I had a big head of cabbage and didn't know what the weight was, so I just went with it) and cooked it in salted water, which gave it more flavor. I drained the liquid from cooked meat when it was cooked through instead of letting it evaporate. I also added some beef seasoning and instead of 3/4 cup of water, I used 1 cup of hot and spicy V8 juice. I always make my stuffed cabbage a little spicy and the flavor from the V8 juice isn't really too spicy but adds so much flavor. I cooked this for 1 hr. uncovered instead of 20 min. It was PERFECT!!

      Reply
    12. Trish says

      April 01, 2019 at 3:28 am

      5 stars
      We loved this recipe! We cooked the rice and then added the cooked rice to the hamburger mixture so there was no problem with uncooked rice. We also used a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes and juice (basil flavored), and basil flavored tomato paste as well. We used half the Cayenne called for and it was still quite spicy--maybe a touch less next time. And finally, we poured 1/4 cup of water over the casserole before baking for a little extra moisture. Delicious!

      Reply
    13. Gregory says

      November 17, 2018 at 9:01 pm

      What does ANY of your drivel have to do with the taste of the meal? Take your sad-sack comments elsewhere

      Reply
    14. Michelle says

      October 14, 2018 at 5:02 am

      I let the (basmati) rice boil while the meat was cooking (I used 1/2 lb Turkey, 1/2 lb beef and 3 turkey Italian sausage links) and added the rice without adding extra water to the dish. As I prefer to use tomatoe sauce instead of paste so the rice would soak up some of that flavor as it finished cooking. I also used a can of fire roasted tomatoes instead of fresh.

      Sprinkled some cheese when I took it out of the oven.

      I think this is a great recipe idea and just incorporated some of my own traditions and health choices.

      I forgot the Cheyenne pepper.

      But It was good! Thanks for the idea!

      Reply
    15. Andi says

      October 05, 2018 at 1:32 am

      Where do you get dried mint?

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        October 05, 2018 at 12:36 pm

        Hi Andi, you can find it at online markets.

        Reply
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    Zerrin & Yusuf

    Meet Zerrin and Yusuf Gunaydin: The couple behind this blog. We bring Turkish food into your kitchen! From kebabs to desserts, everything you crave is here.

    More about us→

    POPULAR RECIPES

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