Cabbage Casserole (a.k.a. Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole)

Nikkie_too
Nikkie_too Posts: 495 Member
edited October 2 in Recipes
Cabbage rolls is one of those recipes (like tuna salad) that everyone makes their own special way. I've been making this super-easy slow-cooker version of "unrolled" cabbage rolls for years. I mean, really, who's got time for all that rolling???

I'll tell you how I make it, but you can use your own (your mother's, your grandmother's) cabbage roll recipe instead and just cook it the same easy (lazy) way.

1 green cabbage (about 1.5 lbs)
1 lb lean ground beef (I used sirloin)
1 cup long grain brown rice, uncooked
28 oz can tomato sauce, divided
1 tsp thyme
salt & pepper to taste

This will work in a 4-quart crock pot.

Cut the cabbage in half (then in quarters to cut the core out easily). Cut one half into roughly 1" pieces and break up the layers a bit as you place them in the bottom of the crock pot. If desired, salt the cabbage a bit and toss to mix.

In a mixing bowl, combine the rice, ground beef, about 1 cup of tomato sauce, thyme, salt & pepper. Press into a layer on top of the cabbage in the crock pot.

Cut the remaining half head of cabbage like the first half and salt (if desired), placing it on top of the meat/rice layer.

Top with remaining tomato sauce (try to cover all the cabbage a bit).

Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Makes 4 very generous servings. Nutrition for 1/4 of the recipe:
Cal: 532
Fat: 21 g
Sodium: 1251 (without added salt)
Carbs: 58g
Fiber: 10g
Sugars: 13.5g
Protein: 31g

The fat could totally be reduced with Laura's lean beef or truly lean ground turkey. I'm not sodium sensitive, but it wouldn't be a great dish for those who are.

Enjoy!

Nikkie
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Replies

  • Helenatrandom
    Helenatrandom Posts: 1,166 Member
    Does the brown rice have to be cooked first, or does it cook in the crock pot during the 8 hours?
    Somewhere I have a recipe similar to this, but it never occurred to me to use brown rice.
  • nannyx6
    nannyx6 Posts: 72 Member
    I love the recipe but where does all the sodium come from?I would def change up to leaner beef and use a low sodium crushed tomato and maybe a tomato paste .This is one of my favorite winter crockpot kind of meals! Thanks
  • MzFury
    MzFury Posts: 283 Member
    thanky
  • Nikkie_too
    Nikkie_too Posts: 495 Member
    Thanks for the questions - I'm no recipe author! :)

    The rice is uncooked - the moisture from the cabbage and tomato sauce is enough to cook it completely.

    The sodium is from the tomato sauce I chose from the food DB - I'm sure there's a low-sodium version out there - or you could thin tomato paste to the right consistency. Paste is usually unsalted. Crushed tomatoes might be a bit thin... but you could definitely try it. :)
  • jackiebo
    jackiebo Posts: 115 Member
    maybe a dumb question...but is it 532 for the whole she-bang? I'm thinking yes. That would be only about 133 calories/serving, right? I could go and figure it out, but I'm lazy, too. This sounds good, I love cabbage rolls.
  • rf1170
    rf1170 Posts: 180 Member
    Sounds great! Did you get some cabbage in your CSA box lately? :smile: I hope I get some soon myself, but I'm still working on a pile of kale and some beet greens.

    I don't know if you're a fan of fruit and meat together, but I'd recommend some raisins in there if you are. I love the contrast. And I've made some good cabbage rolls with whatever meat I had on hand - ground pork, lamb, even some sausage that I squeezed out of its casing. It's always good to use what you've got, right?

    Thanks for the recipe! I'll have cabbage on the brain until I get the chance to make some.
  • ajvallance
    ajvallance Posts: 22 Member
    Thanks! I have a huge crockpot but could probably make it work. I would definitely use a low sodium tomato sauce or would reduced crushed tomatoes.
  • Nikkie_too
    Nikkie_too Posts: 495 Member
    jackibo - it's 530 cal per 1/4 of the whole recipe (think 1/4 cup rice, 1/4 lb beef). That's a HUGE portion though (not that I didn't eat that much...). Most people will probably make 6 servings from it. I'll make that clearer on the post. :)

    rf1170 - YES!!! This is the second time I've had cabbage from my CSA. Savoy cabbage a couple of weeks ago (which also went into cabbage casserole... hehehe). This week was a common green cabbage. Raisins sound like an awesome add. I'll have to give that a try! :)
  • wvfrog22
    wvfrog22 Posts: 44
    Sounds yummy!
  • Nikkie_too
    Nikkie_too Posts: 495 Member
    Thanks! I have a huge crockpot but could probably make it work. I would definitely use a low sodium tomato sauce or would reduced crushed tomatoes.

    ajvallance - I've also got a 7 quart crock pot ('cause I'm a little crazy that way...) I just add more stuff! Especially cabbage! It'll freeze just fine if you think that's too much for your family.
  • sallykath60
    sallykath60 Posts: 9
    i love cabbage rolls to, but to make them lower in calories, take your ground beef and mix with 1 cup of diced onion and in the bottom of pan put 8-10 peeled carrots. when you roll your cabbage rolls put them on top of the carrots then pour 2 large cans of tomatoes that have been blended on top of all. cook in a slow cooker or a reg. pan and season with curry powder and garlic powder and salt and pepper. the carrots taste so good and no rice to add extra calories:happy:
  • abby459
    abby459 Posts: 694 Member
    I am making this today!!! I used the no salt added tomato sauce (1 small can) and 1 small can of diced tomatoes with no salt added.....it greatly reduced the sodium- only 62mg per serving!! Also...when I put my recipe into the recipe tool on here it came out to about 451 cals per serving??? I used 97% lean beef.....is that what you used?? Oh and I used white rice but still 1 cup......not sure why I got a cal difference??

    Either way....its in the crock pot for tonight!!! Looks great....thanks for sharing, I love stuffed cabbage but never have time to make it!!! This only took me about 15mins to prepare...then it will cook while I work....love the recipe already!!!
  • horsiegall
    horsiegall Posts: 70
    Bump
  • chubby_checkers
    chubby_checkers Posts: 2,352 Member
    this sounds delicious. i'm definitely going to try it in the near future.
  • pbl1966
    pbl1966 Posts: 207 Member
    Thanks, plan to try it this week!:happy:
  • Wendyma1
    Wendyma1 Posts: 289 Member
    OK, can I ask a dumb question??? Does the meat need to be cooked before adding it into the crockpot????? I will be using ground turkey.

    Thanks,
    Wendy
  • Nikkie_too
    Nikkie_too Posts: 495 Member
    No, put it in raw - mixed with the uncooked rice, etc. Hope you enjoy it! :)
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
    Bump!
  • Nikkie_too
    Nikkie_too Posts: 495 Member
    OK, can I ask a dumb question??? Does the meat need to be cooked before adding it into the crockpot????? I will be using ground turkey.

    Thanks,
    Wendy
    No, the meat goes in raw - mixed with the uncooked rice, etc. Hope you enjoy it! :)
  • RAQUELINATOVAR
    RAQUELINATOVAR Posts: 221 Member
    that sounds super good and easy. i copied so i can try it later. thanks
  • Nikkie_too
    Nikkie_too Posts: 495 Member
    I am making this today!!! I used the no salt added tomato sauce (1 small can) and 1 small can of diced tomatoes with no salt added.....it greatly reduced the sodium- only 62mg per serving!! Also...when I put my recipe into the recipe tool on here it came out to about 451 cals per serving??? I used 97% lean beef.....is that what you used?? Oh and I used white rice but still 1 cup......not sure why I got a cal difference??

    Either way....its in the crock pot for tonight!!! Looks great....thanks for sharing, I love stuffed cabbage but never have time to make it!!! This only took me about 15mins to prepare...then it will cook while I work....love the recipe already!!!

    That's quite a difference! I think I used ground round, not sirloin. That could make the difference, I think. I don't use the recipe tool here - I find it awkward. I've owned another piece of calorie-counting software called DietPower for a while, and it's great at recipes! I just took the nutrition info per serving from there and added it as a "food" here. :)
  • fireman300
    fireman300 Posts: 38 Member
    sounds great bump bump
  • dawnmichelea
    dawnmichelea Posts: 112 Member
    On my menu for next week! Thanks!
  • BeeMarieG
    BeeMarieG Posts: 61 Member
    bump
  • cdstadt
    cdstadt Posts: 311 Member
    I'm debating on whether or not to make a cabbage casserole in the oven or suck it up and roll the buggers.

    Can't someone just come over and make them for me?
  • Jim54B
    Jim54B Posts: 1
    Hi, just joined this site. Might be a bit late to ask this question since I plan to make this tomorrow. What percentage lean did you use? I have 90% lean.
  • lambjoo
    lambjoo Posts: 60 Member
    Sounds yummy....bump
  • luvsunshine1
    luvsunshine1 Posts: 878 Member
    Sounds great!
  • llgisme711
    llgisme711 Posts: 17
    Bump!
  • poundis
    poundis Posts: 93 Member
    sounds yummy- thanks for posting.
This discussion has been closed.

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