Cabbage Roll Casserole is a quick and easy way to enjoy all the flavors of our very popular stuffed cabbage recipe featured here on Platter Talk.
With hundreds of thousands of views on our original recipe, I wanted to simplify the process without losing out on any of the deliciousness of the original version.
This lazy golumpki hits the mark, perfectly.
What is this?
I think that people are drawn to our golumpki partly because of its unusual name and also because of its Polish origin.
However, I do have to admit, the original recipe is a bit tedious with many different steps. Although it is not hard to make, it is very time-consuming.
With that in mind, I wanted to make a version of this dish that is quick and easy. Enter lazy golumpki.
What’s in it?
Other than the cabbage, the main ingredients for cabbage roll casserole include:
- Cream of Tomato Soup – This helps keep it simple and I prefer Campbell’s, for the flavor.
- Rice – This helps hold it together and gives some texture. Use whatever kind of rice you have on hand. Even rice in a bag!
- Ground Beef – In this version, I used only lean ground beef, 90/10. I did this because most of us have hamburger sitting in the freezer unused, and this makes great use for it.
Substitutions
Traditionally, golumpki is made with different meats. This was done years ago to keep the dish economical. People bought what was affordable and on sale to feed your family.
You can easily use different meat combinations for this, such as ground beef, Italian ground sausage, and even veal.
My grandmother would use primarily beef in her lazy golumpki because she had a family of 9 to feed. My point is, use what you have in your freezer. It makes it that much more convenient.
How to make this
The nice thing about this Lazy Man Cabbage Rolls recipe is how fast and versatile it is.
There are many short cuts that can be taken without sacrificing taste.
1. I used oven-fried bacon in this recipe for a cripsy finish without a greasy mess.
2. Seasoned breadcrumbs are added to the ground beef mixture for added flavor and to help hold it together.
3. I use a “boil in the bag” type of rice which is mixed in a bowl with the ground beef mixture.
4. Instead of boiling the cabbage and pulling apart every leaf so that you can roll the meat mixture into them, I shredded the cabbage into big long pieces.
This reduces the necessary time of assembling this deconstructed “stuffed cabbage” recipe to mere minutes.
I have to admit, I feel like that I am cheating my grandmother’s recipe by taking these shortcuts.
However, that feeling was quickly gone after how fast this went together.
5. Then I layer it.
6. Like a lasagna.
7. I use a family-size can of tomato soup to go over the stuffed cabbage casserole before it bakes in the oven.
8. Finally, to help keep the cabbage roll casserole from drying out while baking, I top it off with a regular size can of tomato soup midway through the baking process.
After putting this lazy golumpki together and allowing it to spend some time in the hot oven, our house quickly filled with the familiar aroma. Then came the memories of the golumpki the I grew up with, without all the work.
With just one bite, you will agree that this is a winning recipe. The cabbage still retains a little crisp to it, and the meat is moist and delicious.
If you are one of the many people that have looked at the original Polish cabbage rolls recipe but shied away from it because it seemed too daunting, then this is the recipe for you.
I threw this cabbage roll casserole together as a weekday meal but it would make a great sit-down Sunday Supper for your family. I know that you will enjoy this family favorite.
For a more detailed look, see my YouTube video for how to make lazy golumpki.
Common Cooking Questions
Keep it simple when choosing a side dish for this recipe. Soft dinner rolls with butter, green salad, and mashed potatoes are all good side dishes for cabbage rolls.
You can freeze this lazy golumpki but bake it first.
- Allow it to cool completely and then wrap it air-tight with plastic wrap.
- You can freeze lazy golumpki for up to 6 weeks.
- When ready to use, let it thaw in the fridge and then reheat for 45 minutes at 300° F.
- Top with a regular-size can of tomato soup, half-way through reheating.
Related recipes
- Cabbage roll soup
- Cabbage enchiladas (low carb enchiladas)
- Pierogoi
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📖 Recipe
Cabbage Roll Casserole
Ingredients
- Medium size head of cabbage
- 2 ½ lbs lean ground beef 90/10
- ½ lbs cooked bacon coarsely chopped
- 1 med white onion
- ½ cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
- ½ -¾ cup cooked white rice
- 1-2 eggs
- 1 family sized and 1 10 oz can of tomato soup
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- See video above to watch this quick and easy recipe come together.
- Preheat oven 375 degrees.
- Coarsely shred the cabbage it thick long pieces and set aside.
- Cook bacon in the oven, allow to cool, coarsely chop and set aside.
- Dice onion and set aside.
- Cook rice and allow to cool and set aside. For convenience, I used a boil in the bag type of rice.
- In a large bowl, add meat, bread crumbs, onion, bacon, rice, egg and salt and pepper. Start by only using one egg. If the mixture seems too dry, then add the second egg.
- In a 9X9 pan, place a layer of the shredded cabbage so that the bottom of the pan is completely covered.
- Add the meat mixture on top of the cabbage and press into the shape of the pan.
- Add another layer of cabbage to cover the meat mixture.
- Pour the family sized can of tomato soup over the top of the cabbage to cover completely. Reserve the smaller can to add additional soup while baking in the oven.
- Add salt and pepper over the top.
- Cover with aluminum foil.
- Place pan on top of a cookie sheet and put in a 375 preheated oven.
- Cook for approximately 1 hour 45 minutes-2 hours.
Video
Notes
- See instructions for freezing and reheating lazy golumpki, above the recipe.
Jon says
This was a life-changing recipe. We love stuffed cabbage, but I lack the fortitude to make it often. I followed this recipe to the letter, and it was a big, big hit. Cheers!
Dan from Platter Talk says
Jon,
Thanks so much for the great comments! We are happy you love this lazy golumpki and hope you will try the other varieties (soup and cabbage rolls) as well. Thank you again for taking the time to drop us a note!
Bobbi says
This is delicious. I do use a mix of pork and veal for this. I also sprinkle some sugar on the cabbage as I’m layering. Great with a salad and french bread. Next time I’ll make a batch of dill pickle soup to go with it.
Kat says
Best I’ve made yet. Thanks for this recip, Scott!
Debra says
Great
Margaret says
I grew up in Hamtramck, I know how good Polish food taste. It was healthy, low in calories, but the flavors were absolutely delicious! The neighborhood knew what you were having for dinner. Thanks!
Margaret says
If you have any other recipies for soup, poppy seed rolls, sever sister sponge cake, etc. Please forward them on. Your presentation was superb! Keep up the traditions.
Bobbi Parent says
This is the best recipe. Normally I absolutely hate cabbage but I couldn’t get enough. I did make just a couple little tweeks. Sprinkled both layers of cabbage with some sugar and poured a small amount of water after adding the first can of soup. Next time I will be making with ground veal and pork. Surely it will be just as fantastic.
Dan from Platter Talk says
Thank for the feedback, Bobbi. This golumpki is a family favorite!
Candace says
This was perfect. I went to an international food festival and tried golabki for the first time, and for months I craved it. I made this recipe tonight and I am in heaven! Thanks for the recipe 😊
Dan from Platter Talk says
Thanks, Candace and lucky you to be able to go to such a food festival! We’re happy that you like our lazy golumpki recipe and we hope you will try some of our other Polish recipes as well.
Christine says
This was absolutely delicious! The only thing I did differently was to add a can of crushed tomatoes over the cabbage before topping off with the tomato soup. I only had 1 1/4 pounds of ground beef, so I cut the entire recipe in half … and still ended up with 8 servings! I highly recommend this recipe.
Diane says
Made this today for my husbands birthday dinner. He loves stuffed cabbage! On a work day it is much easier and less time consuming than steaming the cabbage then rolling up the stuffed cabbage. We both enjoyed it! He gave it a ten on flavor and enjoyed it. The one thing we missed was actually cutting into a roll and getting both the cabbage and meat together. The shredded gives it the flavor but is different than what we are use to. I would definitely make it again! Thanks for a great recipe.
Dan from Platter Talk says
Thanks for the great feedback, Diane! Next, try the Golumpki Soup!
Alan says
What is the feasibility of mixing everything then freezing to cook a few days later? Going out of town but want to come back and have a meal ready
Dan from Platter Talk says
Alan, thanks for the question. You can try this however there may be a little excess water as a result of freezing and thawing the cabbage. If you experience this, you may want to remove the foil from the baking dish, 15 minutes or so before taking it out of the oven. This should help to reduce it, if necessary.
Krista says
This looks so good! I have to make this for dinner this week!
Dee says
This would make a perfect meal for when I am short on time! I can’t wait to try it out!
Carrie R says
Ooooooo… I am just loving this lazy version! My kind of recipe. 😉
Dan from Platter Talk says
Thanks so much, Carrie!
Katerina @ diethood .com says
Stuffed cabbage is a family favorite!! I can’t wait to try this! It looks SO delicious!!
Chrissie Baker says
Great recipe. I like all the ingredients in it. This is perfect for me. thank you.
Cathy says
This is such a classic favorite!
Dan from Platter Talk says
Yes, it is, we love golumpki in our family!
Kim Hutko says
Ok I was a bit skeptical, been eating stuffed cabbage many years and husband is Russian ! He’s the final yes or no in this home = he LOVED it ! Said it reminded him of his grandmother !! He has never spoken of his grandmother , what a blessing shareing a wonderful meal can be . Thank you SO MUCH for posting this . Mrs . Hutko
Dan from Platter Talk says
Thanks for the wonderful comments, Mrs. Hutko. We are happy that you enjoyed our easy golumpki recipe!
Jacque Hastert says
A great and delicious way to get cabbage into your diet. This sounds amazing!
Johnathan says
I just finished a slice of this dish and it is phenomenal! My grandmother used to make kapusta (Hungarian stuffed cabbage), every time she visited and this reminds me of her recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Dan from Platter Talk says
Thanks so much for the great feedback. We love that you tried this lazy golumpki and that you enjoyed it!
Sherri says
I made this yesterday, and it was great! I left it, covered, in the oven for three hours (I actually could have even left it in a little longer). I used the ground been/sausage mixture. It was so easy to assemble, and I liked the fact that tomato soup was part of the recipe because this is how my mom (and her mom) always made it. Lots of recipes out there call for tomato sauce and even spaghetti sauce which I don’t care for. Anyway, I will definitely make this one again. It’s a keeper, and I cannot wait for leftovers later today!
Dan from Platter Talk says
Sounds wonderful, thanks for the feedback!
Heather @Boston Girl Bakes says
Yes yes yes! Can’t wait to make this..I love stufffed cabbage but the prep going into it I never make it! Thank you for adding this to my life 🙂
Aish Das-Padihari says
Really yum recipe. We eat alot of cabbage dishes and I should try this one as well.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
This stuffed cabbage looks so easy! Can’t wait to try it!!
Mandy says
Can this be made in a crock pot? If so, on what temperature and how long?
Dan from Platter Talk says
Mandy, yours is a terrific question. We have not tried that technique. My initial guess is that a slow cooker would turn this into a soup, which would not be the biggest tragedy in the world. In the mean time, we are going to research this into greater detail and will do our best to showcase a slow cooker-made golumpki, sometime soon!
Dan from Platter Talk says
Mandy, this is such a great question and one that we need to explore further. My initial thought is a slow cooker would turn this recipe into a soup. We will be looking into this possibility and you can bet we will be responding with a new post, when we find the answer!
Sherri says
I’ve always made the traditional version (rolled cabbage) in the crock pot. It comes out fantastically well. I keep them in the crock for about six hours on medium. However, I don’t think I would do the Lazy Man’s version in the crock.
Dan from Platter Talk says
I love your idea, if you care to share the recipe that you use we would love to feature it. Thanks?
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says
This looks like a quick and hearty dish for Autumn/Winter! Need to make this soon
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
How simple and delicious is that!
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine says
So much stuffed cabbage going on. Is it a fall thing? Whatever it is, these look amazing.
Tiffany says
I love this! Stuffed cabbage is my favorite and I’m always all about “lazy man” anything – hehe. Thank you for sharing 🙂
kathi @ laughingspatula says
Anything with beef, bacon and the word Lazy and I’m in! Looks like comfort food to me!
Lisa | Garlic + Zest says
Wow, this looks really hearty! I’ve never made stuffed cabbage before, but now I want some!
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
This looks like perfect cold weather comfort food! Yum!
Amanda says
This is so much easier than the traditional. I love cabbage rolls, but hate the time it takes to make. Thank you for giving us the flavor in less time!
Florentina says
This is fabulous, I make a variation for my hubby with rice and chicken! Perfect for a weeknight meal.
Dave Wygonowski says
Stay away from the Campbell soup. Take some home made stock and add some tomato paste. An alternate to the tomato base sauce is mushroom sauce.
Adam says
Thanks for including the correct spelling, GOŁĄBKI!
Evi says
I’ve never heard of this recipe, but it looks delicious. I love how easy it comes together.
Derek | Dad With A Pan says
Very awesome weeknight meal – I love comfort food like this during the fall!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
I like being a lazy cook! 😀
Sarah says
Oh yum! I’ve never had anything like this before, looks great!!
Georgina Ingham | Culinary Travels says
I love how quick and easy this delicious looking meal is. Definitely going to give it a try.
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says
I do love short cut hacks to traditional recipes – it really makes I far more likely that I’ll cook new things, and have the confidence that it will taste like the original is meant to.
Dan from Platter Talk says
Thanks, Helen. Some days we need all the help we can get in the kitchen; this recipe is indeed an abbreviated but delicious alternative to our golumpki. Our family loves both versions!
Brian Jones says
Great take on a classic, Stuffed Cabbage or töltött káposzta is a Hungarian institution but I can never be bothered to make it, way too much effort considering every restaurant has it on the menu and it is done so well and so cheap… This on the other hand I can get my head around!
Dan from Platter Talk says
Thanks, Brian. We all enjoy this one!
Jennifer Evans says
Looks yummy!
[email protected] says
This looks like a delicious and comforting dish and I would need some bread to mop up this delicious sauce.
Hanady says
This seems so easy!! Wow! Definitely going to try this out. Do you think I can omit the bacon or use turkey bacon instead?
Dan from Platter Talk says
Yes, absolutely!
Melissa says
I just made this last night. My only issue was the cabbage on top. After 2 hours of cooking it was still crunchy! It was covered the entire time. Any thoughts?
Scott from Platter Talk says
If you wanted, you could dilute the tomato soup with some water and use that instead of the full strength tomato soup. Make sure to cover it with aluminum foil. This will help it to steam and soften the cabbage. I hope that this helps. -Scott
Beeta @ Mon Petit Four says
Wow, I’ve never heard of golumpki but it looks so yummy! When there’s bacon, count me in! 😉 Great recipe and video, Scott! P.S. your dog is so cute!
Scott from Platter Talk says
Thanks! I hope that you will give this recipe a try. Buddy is our dog. He wants to break into show biz, so he thought he would walk in the background :).
Kevin | keviniscooking says
This one seems super easy peasey and even though Dave is not a tomato fan, I could make a small batch for myself. THis sounds so good, thanks for this one Scott!
Scott from Platter Talk says
Thanks Kevin. Make a small batch for yourself and enjoy. Congrats to you and Dave, BTW. We love the Supreme Court!
LydiaF says
I love how quickly this comes together. Great use of canned tomato soup, too. The color of the sauce is perfect!
Dan from Platter Talk says
Thanks Lydia; you’re right, on all accounts!
Patty Haxton Anderson says
I like this version too, you can have it any weeknight!
Dan from Platter Talk says
Thanks so much, Patty. Like everything that Scott puts together, this was really, really good!