Our family loves the taste of stuffed cabbage as well as a family-favorite “porcupine” ball recipe.
Something about those beef, cabbage, and tomato soup flavors blend so beautifully.
However, both of those recipes are a little too time-consuming for my liking. (Really, if it takes longer than 15 minutes to prep, I’m out!).
Fortunately, this unstuffed cabbage casserole gives us all of the flavor without the fuss.
Tips for Making Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls As a Casserole Instead
To make this a true pantry recipe, we make it with dehydrated cabbage and a pint of canned beef—either ground venison or ground beef.
However, you can certainly use their fresh counterparts. If you’re using fresh beef, you’ll want to brown it first, then drain off the grease before adding the other meat mix ingredients.
I originally made this with just two cans of condensed tomato soup, but we’ve switched to three as it makes the meat mixture extra saucy … which we likey.
Feel free to pare it down if needed.
If you prefer video, there is a video tutorial at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!
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Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole
This unstuffed cabbage roll recipe is a family favorite, and one of the primary reasons we grow cabbage! If you like stuffed cabbage, this just might be your new favorite casserole.
- Total Time: 1 hours
Ingredients
- 1 quart dehydrated, shredded cabbage (or 1/2 head of fresh cabbage, shredded)
- 1 pint ground beef (or 1 lb fresh ground beef, turkey, or venison)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cans condensed tomato soup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 teaspoons beef broth powder
- 1 tablespoon bacon grease for frying (or oil of choice)
Instructions
- Cook your rice using your preferred method. Optional: Add 2 tsps beef broth powder. I use my pressure cooker – 2 cups rice, 2 cups water, 1 Tbs butter, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsps beef broth powder and pressure cook for 6 minutes. Allow for a natural release.
- If using fresh cabbage, shred it. If using dehydrated cabbage, rehydrate it at least an hour before cooking. Heat a tablespoon of bacon grease (or oil) over medium heat, and fry the cabbage with a little salt and pepper. Optional: Add a dash of dried minced onion.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a skillet, start your meat mixture. If you're using fresh ground beef, brown it and drain. If using a pint of canned beef, just pour it directly in the skillet.
- To that, add the diced onion, minced garlic, 2 tsps salt, 3 cans of tomato soup, Worcestershire, and brown sugar. Bring to a light boil and cook for 5 minutes.
- When everything is done (rice, cabbage, and meat mixture), layer in a 9×13 casserole dish. Layer the rice on the bottom, pour the meat mixture on top, then top with the fried cabbage.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
To rehydrate dehydrated cabbage, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Pour the dehydrated cabbage into the water, place the lid on, remove from heat, and turn off the eye. Allow the cabbage to soak in the water for at least an hour.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Additional Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
