Easy Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole

This easy lazy cabbage roll casserole recipe is a real mom-saver and ideal for feeding a crowd. With minimal prep, you can have this ridiculously easy-to-prepare lazy cabbage roll casserole recipe in the oven for dinner. It makes a considerable amount and is super filling for a hearty casserole that satisfies the whole family.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I need an easy weeknight dinner that is so basic it practically makes itself. This is a make-it-and-forget-it meal; you wouldn’t want to forget it, though, because burnt cabbage is gross. But I do love that this recipe uses simple ingredients and is fairly inexpensive. It’s a great fall/winter dish for your family while watching your pennies on the grocery budget.

My partner is Ukrainian, and this is one of his favorite dishes aside from classic cabbage rolls. Plus, if you are a cabbage fan, it uses a whole green cabbage! This time of year, cabbage is ridiculously cheap as it is in season, reducing the overall cost of this tasty family meal.

Love delicious recipes that use ground beef? Be sure to try our BBQ or baked classic garlic parmesan meatballs. Either is another delicious family favorite.

Why You Will Love This Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole

It’s super easy. This recipe requires minimal prep time and makes an easy weeknight dinner. Actual cabbage rolls take a lot of work, but this hearty casserole is a lot less work and has all the same great flavor.

Super flavorful. The casserole captures all the delicious flavors of traditional cabbage rolls but without the effort of rolling each one. Rich tomato-sauced cabbage casserole makes a terrific leftover for work lunches the next day, too.

Inexpensive. Green cabbage is a cheap winter vegetable, and rice is also fairly cheap to purchase. The only expensive thing in this recipe is ground beef, which you can customize with less expensive meat like ground turkey or chicken.

The History of Cabbage Rolls in Ukraine and Their Journey to Canada

Cabbage rolls, known as holubtsi in Ukraine, have a rich history deeply rooted in Eastern European cuisine. This beloved comfort food dates back centuries and was traditionally made with tender cabbage leaves stuffed with a mixture of ground meat (often a combination of ground pork and ground beef), rice, and spices, then simmered in a flavorful tomato sauce. In Ukraine, holubtsi were a staple at family gatherings and celebrations, symbolizing warmth, hospitality, and resourcefulness, as they made use of affordable, seasonal ingredients like green cabbage and pantry staples.

When Ukrainian immigrants began settling in Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they brought their cherished culinary traditions with them. Cabbage rolls quickly became a favorite in Canadian households, especially in the Prairie provinces, where many Ukrainians made their new home. Over time, the dish evolved to suit local tastes and ingredients, leading to creative variations like this unstuffed cabbage roll casserole, a deconstructed version that captures all the classic flavors with less effort. Today, cabbage rolls remain a beloved dish in both Ukrainian and Canadian cultures, celebrated for their hearty, comforting nature and ability to bring people together.

Let’s Get Cooking This Easy, Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole

For this recipe, we are making a large casserole dish full; however, you could easily cut it in half for a smaller amount. I love making extra for dinner to reuse as work lunches the next day, so I tend to have large batches. Alternatively, you can freeze this unstuffed cabbage roll casserole, although the quality will differ when you reheat it, as rice can become mushier when frozen.

Start by grabbing your large frying pan. If it’s non-stick, you can begin browning lean ground beef with fresh garlic cloves on medium heat.. If it’s non-stick, you can begin browning lean ground beef with fresh garlic cloves on medium heat. (If you don’t have non-stick, you may want to add a little olive oil to keep the ground meat from sticking at first.) Be sure to break the ground beef into smaller pieces as it cooks. 

While the meat is browning, prepare the cabbage by removing the outer worn layers of cabbage leaves. Rinse the whole green cabbage and cut it into chunks about one inch in size. Rinse the chopped cabbage under water again in a large colander, then transfer it to a very large bowl and break it apart as much as possible, removing any tough core pieces and tossing them.

Once the ground meat is well broken up and browned, add it directly to the raw chopped cabbage, and then add the uncooked white rice. Now, open those big jars of basic pasta sauce. Traditional cabbage rolls use tomato juice, but we are using jarred pasta sauce because it has more flavor for this unstuffed cabbage roll casserole. Pour the sauce into the bowl with the meat mixture and mix everything together well. Transfer the rice mixture to your largest deep baking dish—mine is a three-quart (120oz)—and fill it with the unstuffed cabbage roll casserole mixture.

Cover your casserole dish with tin foil and put it in a preheated 350°F oven for 2 hours or until cooked. The cooking time takes this long because you have dry rice and raw cabbage. Don’t worry about moisture for the rice, as it draws it from the pasta sauce and the steam from the cooking cabbage. When fully cooked, this recipe makes a delicious, simple meal that can feed a crowd—up to ten people!

Ingredients:

Lean Ground Beef: I used lean ground beef because I prefer cooking it in casseroles to reduce the overall oil content. You can also purchase cheaper regular ground beef and drain the excess fat as it browns. Traditional cabbage rolls are a mixture of ground beef and ground pork, but we used straight beef for this casserole.

Green Cabbage: A cheap winter vegetable, you only need a smaller-sized green cabbage for this recipe.

Plain Pasta Sauce: This lower-cost can of tomato sauce is often less thick than more expensive varieties, lending itself well to creating the rich tomato base of the dish while also cooking the rice.

Jasmine Rice : This recipe uses a full cup of white rice. Any white rice will work, as cabbage rolls are traditionally made with white rice.

Fresh Garlic: Adds flavor depth to the dish’s ground beef. Plus, as any good Ukrainian will tell you, fresh garlic is a must in all recipes.

Substitutions And Add-Ins For This Easy Cabbage Roll Casserole.

Lean Ground Beef: You may mix ground beef and ground pork instead of straight ground beef. You could also use ground chicken as a leaner option, which would be a lighter version of this dish.

Green Cabbage: If green cabbage isn’t in your pantry, you can use red cabbage. Although the casserole may have a bit of a lurid coloration, the cabbage has much the same texture and flavor.

Pasta Sauce: Plainer tomato sauce will keep your flavors closer to authentic cabbage rolls. In this instance, we used a Catelli brand sauce as it’s inexpensive, less thick than other expensive brands, and was the plainest we could see further than no name. No-name pasta sauce would also work. You can even get away with using a canned condensed tomato soup just be sure to add the water required to thin it.

White Rice: This recipe uses a full cup of white rice. Any white rice will work, as cabbage rolls are traditionally made with white rice.

Fresh Garlic: You can use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. You may need to adjust the amount to flavor the meat properly.

Expert Tips, Serving And Storing Suggestions For The Dish

Tip #1: Break Up The Meat: When browning the ground beef, break it into smaller pieces. This will allow the meat to be more evenly distributed throughout the casserole.

Tip #2: Cover The Dish. Thoroughly cover the casserole when baking so that the steam won’t escape. The steam helps to cook the raw cabbage and the uncooked rice.

Tip #3: Freezer Friendly Reminder. Freeze uneaten portions right after the casserole has thoroughly cooled. Freezing while still warm will create condensation in a storage container. Too much water will reduce overall quality when thawing and reheating.

Serve this large casserole with its hearty and filling flavors for your next family get-together or take it to the next church potluck. It’s a great casserole that tastes just like unstuffed cabbage rolls. You can’t go wrong with classic Ukrainian flavors. 

If you have leftover casserole, it will keep in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months.  

Have you tried this easy, lazy cabbage roll recipe for your family? I would love to hear what you liked the most about the recipe. Please rate and comment below so others can see your thoughts as well. Your feedback helps me improve my content, and as always, happy cooking!