How good are the traditional stuffed cabbage rolls? Exceptionally good, I know but the reality is that we don’t always have that time in our hands to roll those beauties and for that reason, only, I make this beef and cabbage casserole dish.
I could easily say that this dish is a D-constructed version of the cabbage rolls or in other words (perhaps not so brutal) never rolled cabbage rolls. Haha. Oh yeaasss!! Bring this cabbage casserole on!
Big time-saving but still soo yummy. I was tempted to call this a lazy version but I will not do this because it’s not lazy at all. I did get into the kitchen, I did get all the veggies chopped so I am not lazy at all. Ahaha
It is just a time-saver and a life saviour which we really need from time to time when we fancy eating something but don’t quite have all that time in our hands.
Stuffed cabbage rolls are one of those dishes that has grown hugely over the years in my family, starting with my children and my husband not being such fans of it initially to nowadays asking for it if I don’t make it in a while.
Lucky for them, I do make them almost, almost whenever we fancy them. Cabbage is not always everybody’s cup of tea but
Convinced’ ish’? Want to give give it a try? Come on, go for it!
Flavour in this cabbage casserole is key
Oh, that added bacon, the smokiness, the fresh herbs added makes this dish such a desirable one. Try and find some bacon or chorizo that are totally nasties-free.
what type of cabbage should I use?
Well, in terms of cabbage type or you can go for a fresh or sour/pickled one like sauerkraut, depending on what you like. Use the one you know best, not to say that you should try it both ways. It’s equally delicious and worth a try to see which one you may like best.
Tips
- I only use oil if the meat is really lean, but if the beef has a fat content of anything more than 5% then I don’t use any oil at all. Lamb, turkey or pork mince are also a great meat option or mushrooms for a vegan version.
- I have mentioned a decent amount of cayenne pepper which is half a teaspoon but you can go for more or a lot less depending on your palette, spiciness tolerance or threshold.
- If you’re using fresh cabbage, squeeze half a lemon or even one lemon over it towards the end, but if you use soured cabbage there is no need for lemon juice.
- Same with the salt- if you are using fresh cabbage you will need to season and add enough salt when cooking the dish and a good amount when blanching the cabbage. If you are using sour cabbage you will probably need to add no salt at all. I generally use a whole soured cabbage that I buy in the shop and most times it's quite salty so I chop the half or however much I am using and put it into cold water for a good 1or 2 h prior to cooking to de-salt it.
- Feel absolutely free to add more vegetables to this dish if you like, anything seasonal, you like or fancy, or have in hand. I sometimes add parsnip, sometimes courgettes/zucchinis or even aubergines that have been shallow fried or grilled priorly. These add a really nice and lovely flavour to the dish, especially if using lamb mince.
I am a big fan of this cabbage casserole and I particularly like it a little on the spicy side. In
Just make it your way, use whatever spices or herbs you have in hand or like. It will be beautiful any way you choose to season it.
I love this cabbage casserole dish any time in the year but on colder season or days is a real warming and comforting meal. We like it served with polenta on the side and a dollop of creme fraiche. Oh, soo good!
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Cabbage casserole with beef mince and fresh herbs
Equipment
- ovenproof dish
- chopping board
- knife
Ingredients
- 1 medium cabbage fresh or sour -roughly chopped
- 400 g minced beef * (14.2oz)
- 200 g lardons or smoked bacon (7oz) optional
- 2 onions
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stick
- 2 tablespoon olive oil * optional
- 2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste dissolved into 150ml lukewarm water
- 120 g rice (4.23oz) well rinsed/washed
- 1 tin chopped tomato
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt *
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ lemon squeezed * optional
- 3-4 tablespoon creme fraîche optional
- 10 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoon fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper *
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or 350F. Prepare a 28x28cm ovenproof ceramic dish.
- If using fresh cabbage start by chopping the cabbage roughly and blanch it in boiling water for about 5 to 10 minutes with 1 tablespoon of salt for extra taste. (please see recipe tips for more tips) * I like it crunchier so I only blanch it for 5 min.
- In a deep pan placed over medium heat add the bacon or lardons (if using), chopped onions, diced carrot, chopped celery, chopped or sliced pepper and the bay leaves. Cook for about 2-3 min.
- And the ground/mince beef and cook for a further 2 minutes stirring occasionally until the beef is no longer pink. Add the rice and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add some water or stock as needed, approximately 250ml/1 cup).
- Add the garlic tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, ½ of the fresh or dry thyme, season well and cook covered for a further 4-5 minutes.
- Mix in the blanched cabbage, cayenne pepper, parsley and remaining thyme, mix well and transfer it into the oven dish. Try and fish out the bay leaves now. They would have given their bit of flavour by now. Of course, you can leave them in too if you wish.
- Bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes at 180°C /350F. When you’re ready take out and enjoy with a drizzle of lemon juice over or some crème fraîche/yoghurt. Enjoy!
Notes
Gloria says
As a Ukrainian, I do love cabbage. This reminds me of an "unrolled" cabbage roll. Perfect for dinner any night of the week.
Ramona says
Thank you dear Gloria
Alexis says
This dish looks amazing and sounds delicious. I'm looking forward to trying it, it'll be going on my menu plan for next week.
Kacey Perez says
This looks fabulous Romona! Such a good recipe to have on hand for those weekday meals! Can't wait to try it out on the family.
Jenni LeBaron says
Yum! This cabbage casserole looks right up our alley. There's so much delicious texture here and this is one of those dishes that will also work really well for portioned out leftovers too! I love the addition of lardons too. So much tastiness here!
Sondra Barker says
Wow this looks like such a great dish! I definitely want to try this out soon.
Amy Liu Dong says
This is such a mouthwatering dish, it so easy to prepare and it looks really delicious. I will make this at our home, thank you for the recipe.
Jacqui DeBono says
I love this. We make this quite often at home but without quite as many lovely ingredients. Looking forward to using your recipe to supercharge mine!
Stine Mari says
I do have some leftover cabbage I was wondering what to make of, but not anymore. I am going to make this really soon and I almost can't wait!
Lesli Schwartz says
I just love this alternative to stuffed cabbage! My mother-in-law would be so jealous! Need to make this for her.
Ramona says
Ha ha. Thank you Lesli. Make her a little jealous then ??
Colleen says
We adore cabbage rolls in our house, and I love this idea of a casserole. So simple, but with all the same delicious flavors. Can't wait to make this!
Betsy says
A friend of mine doesn’t eat meat. I made the recipe with soy crumbles.
Omg, it came great!
The other guy who ate with us didn’t even notice!
Ramona says
Hi Betsy,
Thank you so much for the feedback. What a great idea indeed for a vegetarian/vegan option. I did not think of soy crumbles. What I have tried this was beans, red kidney beans and it was a treat. I will definitely have to try the soya version. Great and thank you so much for stopping by and giving this recipe a try 😉
Amanda says
I love this idea. It looks really comforting for the cold evenings and a great new way to eat minced beef.
Ramona says
Thank you Amanda, I totally agree. We love the cabbage and beef mince this way so much, it is just so delicious. Merry Christmas to you and your family! xx
Geetha Priyanka says
Like this time saving version recipe. I will try this recipe sometime soon. Lovely dish to enjoy this holidays.
Ramona says
Thanks Geetha, it’s a really tasty and healthy recipe you should definitely try ??
Caroline says
Looks tasty, and agree much easier than stuffing cabbage leaves. Cabbage is one of those ingredients I like in the odd things but not so much otherwise. I feel like this is one I'd like!
Ramona says
Thank you Caroline,
I’m 100% sure you’ll love it. Let me know how you liked it when you give it a try ??
Mayuri Patel says
I like the way you've used chopped cabbage for this dish as opposed to whole leaves. A good idea and I too love a bit of crunch in the cabbage.
Ramona says
Thanks Mayuri,
That’s right, a little twist to the ordinary ??
Beth says
What a fantastic idea to deconstruct stuffed cabbage! It's one of our favorites, but I rarely make it because of the time factor, so this recipe is perfect for me!
Ramona says
Hi Beth, thank you so much for your feedback. I remember when I was in my teens, I used to hate rolling the cabbage rolls, so one day I made this and said to my mum I have made cabbage rolls but they are a little deconstructed.My mum was so amused by the fact that I found a solution to my ‘laziness” lol. Adapting and improvising helps sometimes especially with our time running shorter and shorter. Thanks again and have a wonderful Christmas and a fab New Year!! 😉