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Forget about cooking and rolling each cabbage leaf! Making Cabbage Roll Casserole is way easier and faster. Chopped cabbage, rice, beef, and tomato sauce are layered in a baking dish for ease and the results are mouthwatering!

Can I Make This Casserole With Ground Chicken Instead?

Absolutely! The traditional recipe calls for ground beef, but if you want to save some calories, you can use ground chicken or turkey instead. Also, use chicken broth instead of beef broth.

What If I Don’t Have Fresh Thyme?

You can use dried thyme if you don’t have it fresh. Dried herbs are more potent in flavor than fresh ones, so use ½ tsp instead of 2.

I Don’t Have Lean Ground Beef, What Can I Do?

Don’t worry, just drain the fat rendered after browning the ground beef. This way you eliminate some of the extra fat.

20-Minute Prep-Time Cabbage Roll Casserole

Forget about cooking and rolling each cabbage leaf! Making Cabbage Roll Casserole is way easier and faster!

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1 20

Total Time: 1 40

Servings: SERVINGS

Calories: 231kcal

Author: Kathy

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
½ cup onion, chopped
1 medium cabbage, chopped (around 10 cups)
¾ cup white long-grain rice
1- 28 oz can tomato sauce
2 cups beef broth
1 ½ tsp salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

Instructions

Spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 F.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and brown the ground beef with the chopped onion until no pink is left in the meat. Season with ½ tsp salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, mix the cabbage, rice, and tomato sauce until well combined. Season with 1 tsp salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer half of the cabbage mixture to the baking dish.
Spoon the ground beef evenly over the cabbage mixture.
Top with the remaining half of the cabbage mixture
Pour the beef broth evenly over the casserole sprinkle the fresh thyme and place the bay leaves on top.
Cover with foil and bake for 1 hr 20 minutes. At the 50-minute mark, remove the casserole from the oven, take off the foil, stir everything to ensure proper cooking, cover with foil again, and continue cooking until the rice is cooked through.