Description
Hearty Polish Cabbage Roll Casserole brings layers of comfort and tradition to your dinner table. Savory ground meat, tender cabbage, and rich tomato sauce meld together in a satisfying one-dish meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese (optional topping)
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 1 small head green cabbage, chopped (about 6 cups)
- 1 lb ground beef (or use half ground pork)
- 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) tomato sauce
- 1 can (14.5 oz / 411 g) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional, for richer flavor)
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish, ensuring an even coating for easy removal.
- Meat Base: In a large skillet, brown ground beef with onions over medium heat, carefully draining excess fat to maintain a rich, concentrated flavor.
- Seasoning Fusion: Incorporate garlic, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper into the meat mixture, allowing ingredients to meld together during a gentle 5-7 minute simmer.
- Rice Integration: Fold cooked rice into the seasoned meat mixture, creating a harmonious blend of textures and flavors.
- Layering Technique: Create alternating layers in the casserole dish, starting with chopped cabbage, then spreading the meat and rice mixture, repeating to ensure even distribution of ingredients.
- Baking Process: Cover dish tightly with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes, allowing cabbage to become tender and flavors to intensify.
- Cheese Finale: Remove foil, sprinkle shredded cheese on top, and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes until cheese melts and develops a golden, bubbling surface.
- Resting Period: Allow casserole to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving, enabling flavors to settle and making portioning easier.
Notes
- Slice cabbage leaves thinly and evenly to ensure uniform cooking and prevent tough, undercooked sections.
- Remove all excess fat after browning ground beef to prevent a greasy, heavy casserole and maintain a lighter dish.
- Use day-old or slightly cooled rice to prevent mushy texture and help absorb flavors more effectively during baking.
- Add cheese during the last 10 minutes of baking to achieve perfect golden-brown melting without burning or drying out the top layer.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Eastern European
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg