Crock Pot Cabbage Roll Casserole is a filling and hearty casserole full of ground beef, rice, and tomato sauce with melted mozzarella cheese on top. It has all the flavor of stuffed cabbage but is much easier to make.
If you’re like me, you think everything tastes better in casserole form. There’s just something so comforting about a warm casserole, especially during the fall and winter months. Cabbage Rolls are one of my favorite winter comfort foods, but they are a little time-consuming to make. This recipe for Crock Pot Cabbage Roll Casserole is so much easier.
Note: This recipe can be made gluten-free if you use a gluten-free condensed tomato soup. Leave out the rice to make it low carb.
A layer of gooey, melted mozzarella cheese on top of the casserole makes it taste extra good.
I like to use lean ground beef, but you can use a ground beef with more fat and drain the fat off after you brown it. Or you can use ground turkey.
No need to cook the rice first. It gets fully cooked in the crockpot.
This recipe does take a little prep work. First brown the ground beef in a pan and make a meaty tomato sauce. (The sauce can be made a day in advance.)
It gets layered in the crock pot along with coarsley chopped green cabbage. You’ll need at least a 6-quart crock pot for this recipe because cabbage takes up so much room when it is raw.
Cooking this casserole on LOW for 5 hours is just the right amount of time to get the cabbage so that it is cooked but still has some texture. Cook it too long and it will get mushy.
More Hearty Crock Pot Recipes:
- Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers
- Crock Pot Chicken and Gravy
- Easy Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Slow Cooker Brisket
Crock Pot Cabbage Roll Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (14-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 can condensed tomato soup
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 beef bouillon cube, crumbled
- 3/4 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
- 1 medium head cabbage, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Place a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Crumble the beef. When there is almost no pink left, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add diced tomatoes, half the tomato sauce, half the tomato soup, and all of the Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, thyme, and bouillon cube. Stir to mix.
- Mix in the rice and remove from heat.
- Transfer half of the meat mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker. Layer half the cabbage on top. Repeat layers.
- Mix the remaining tomato sauce and tomato soup together with the water. Pour over cabbage.
- Place lid on crock pot and set to cook on LOW for 5 hours.
- Remove lid and sprinkle cheese on top. Place lid back on for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
Nutrition
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I made this today and followed the ingredients an instructions exactly. I cooked it on low for three hours not 4 as my appliance rents to run slightly hot. When I stirred it upon completion it was total mush and couldn’t be saved. If you give it a try, be sure to check it frequently beginning at, say, 90 minutes. Had I not overcooked it, I think the flavor would have merited three stars.
Could you substitute brown rice for the long grain white rice?
Calories for this is 544 per serving and recipe says it serve 6. How big is each serving??
I omitted a few ingredients because I didn’t have them on hand. I’m sure it’ll turn out great anyway 😉 This is a much easier version of stuffed cabbage rolls! Thank you for your recipe.
Approximately how many cups of cabbage is used in this recipe?
Excellent. Just had this on Wednesday as a birthday dinner yummy
I am of Polish and German and Slovak descent. Never ever add mozzarella or any cheese to stuffed cabbage. It is an abomination. Otherwise, the recipe seems just okay, except for thyme, which is another ridiculous and unnecessary addition.
No where did I read that this is an authentic Polish, German or Slovakia dish. If it taste good with cheese or thyme to someone then who are you to police what ingredients should be added or omitted? Get your own site and post authentic recipes!!!
I am also a Polish German and Czech descent and all you got to do is eliminate what you don’t like why get mad about it I think it’s a great recipe
Totally agree with what you said concerning the …
Get Your Own Web Site…. absolutely agree with you on this one. What a snobbish thing to say in this kind of recipe setting …… aha what a nerve!
This looks delicious! And it’s different! Will be trying it soon.
This recipe is worthy of an alternative meat substitute to keep the taste and make cruelty free.
This is approved by PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals), what’s wrong with that?
Recipe looks really delicious! However it would really helpful if carbs n sodium levels were posted too.
I am going to try this recipe,it looks so good.
Looks so delicious! My husband and I were just saying that its been a while since we’ve had stuffed cabbage. I’m taking this recipe as a sign to pull out the slow cooker and make it.