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This easy cabbage roll casserole recipe has all the cozy flavor of cabbage rolls without rice, all in one dish. If you love the flavor of cabbage soup with hamburger or sauteed cabbage, this recipe takes their comforting flavors up a notch for a healthy dinner you can make any night of the week. No rolling needed!
Why You’ll Love This Cabbage Roll Casserole Recipe
- Classic flavor without the work of wrapping each cabbage leaf
- Beefy, cheesy, and loaded with veggies
- Simple grocery store ingredients
- No pre-cooking cauliflower or cabbage, and no layering
- Naturally healthy, gluten-free, & low carb

What Is Cabbage Roll Casserole?
Cabbage roll casserole is a comforting meal that combines the taste of cabbage rolls with the convenience of a casserole. The classic recipe consists of cabbage baked in layers of rich tomato sauce, ground meat, and melty cheese.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for unstuffed cabbage roll casserole, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Avocado Oil – For sauteing. Olive oil or any neutral oil of choice works as well.
- Garlic – I use fresh garlic, but you can use jarred minced garlic for convenience. You can also saute 1/2 an onion along with the garlic if you like. If you don’t have any garlic, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and just add it to the beef instead of sauteing.
- Ground Beef – I use grass-fed 85/15 beef, but any kind works. Ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey are also excellent alternatives. If you use a fatty meat, such as pork or 80/20 beef, If using fatty ground beef, be sure to drain the access grease from the meat before mixing into the other ingredients.
- Seasonings – You will need sea salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning for this cabbage roll casserole recipe.
- Rice Of Your Choice – Traditional cabbage roll casserole recipes usually use rice. I used cauliflower rice as a healthy option, but you could use brown or white rice instead. You won’t need to cook raw cauliflower rice separately — it will cook right inside the casserole, and does so much faster than regular rice. However, if using white or brown rice, it’s best to pre-cook it. Otherwise, the casserole will take too long to cook and the recipe would need to be adjusted to include more wet ingredients (chicken or beef broth is commonly added when using uncooked rice), since dry rice would absorb a lot of the moisture.
- Cabbage – You can chop or shred it yourself, or use a pre-shredded variety. It will cook together with everything else, so no pre-cooking necessary. Any color cabbage works!
- Marinara Sauce – I used homemade marinara sauce, but you can use store-bought to keep this recipe super fast. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use canned diced tomatoes (drain first) or tomato sauce instead, and add more Italian seasoning.
- Mozzarella Cheese – You can substitute other melting cheese like Monterey jack cheese. To make this cabbage roll casserole dairy-free, simply omit the cheese. It’s used on top only, so you can easily skip it if you want to.
VARIATION: Make it spicy!
For extra kick, try some of these ways to add spicy flair to this casserole!
- Add a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning at the same time as the other spices.
- Mix 1-2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes with the beef and marinara sauce.
- Use pepper jack cheese in place of mozzarella cheese.
- Stir in minced jalapeno at the same time as minced garlic.

How To Make Cabbage Roll Casserole
This section shows how to make lazy cabbage roll casserole, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Saute garlic. Heat oil in a large saute pan or large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Brown beef. Increase to medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, until browned.
- Mix cabbage, rice, an seasoning. In a large casserole dish, stir together riced cauliflower (or cooked rice), chopped cabbage, and Italian seasoning.
- Stir in beef and marinara. Add cooked ground beef and marinara sauce to the cabbage mixture. Stir to combine.


- Bake cabbage roll casserole. Cook in a preheated oven until the cabbage is crisp-tender.
- Melt cheese on top. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top of the casserole. Continue baking until cheese is golden brown and the cabbage is completely cooked through. (If the cheese browns before the cabbage is done, remove from the oven, cover with foil, and then continue baking.)

Storage Instructions
- Store: Place the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can keep lazy cabbage roll casserole in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Reheat: Warm individual portions in the microwave, or reheat the entire leftover casserole in the oven at 350 degrees F. From the freezer, you can either thaw first and then place in the oven, or heat from frozen. You’ll want to cover it if heating the frozen casserole, so that the top doesn’t burn.
Can You Freeze Cabbage Roll Casserole?
Yes, you can freeze cabbage roll casserole. It’s best to freeze it after baking. The cooking process will hinder the enzymes in the cabbage, which preserves its texture.

More Cheesy Casserole Recipes
Enjoy more classic and comforting flavors with these easy casseroles!
Tools To Make Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole
- Saute Pan – The larger surface area makes this pan ideal for cooking chicken, searing meats, or breaking up ground beef for this low carb cabbage roll casserole.
- Baking Dish – This standard 9×13 baking dish is perfect for sheet cakes, roast chickens, and casseroles.
Easy Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole Recipe
Cabbage Roll Casserole (Healthy Comfort Food)
This cabbage roll casserole recipe with ground beef has all the flavor of cabbage rolls, without the effort. An easy, healthy dinner!
Recipe Video
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for up to a minute, until fragrant.
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Increase heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, until browned, about 10 minutes. Drain if needed.
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Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
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In a 9×13 in (23×33 cm) baking dish, stir together the rice cauliflower, chopped cabbage, and Italian seasoning.
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When the ground beef is cooked through, stir that in. Stir in marinara sauce.
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Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cabbage is crisp-tender.
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Top with shredded mozzarella, if using. (If not, just continue baking without it.) Continue baking for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and the cabbage is completely cooked through.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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143 Comments
Pat
0Can you use Regular rice in the unstuffed cabbage casserole? If so how much rice?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Pat, I am sure you could use regular rice, but the recipe would not longer be low carb. Best of luck!
Jodi
0I tried this the other night and love it and am enjoying the leftovers! I did go light on cheese and like it with a dallop of sour cream.
Thanks
Justine
0I was hoping for the best, but not expecting it to be this good. I’m very glad I tried this recipe. Very tasty and satisfying.
Amanda Counts
0Wow!!! This is going on my regular meal rotation. How yummy is this!
Full disclosure — I didn’t use cauliflower at all in this recipe. My husband doesn’t usually like casseroles at all and he devoured it. Keep up the great work on the meal plans!
Bibi
0I am viewing your recipes online from Trinidad and Tobago love all your recipes thanks for sharing.
Leslie
0Hi Maya, I am trying this casserole for the first time. It looks so yummy. I was wondering can I substitute the ground beef for ground chicken.
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Leslie, that should work fine!
Connie Haworth
0Have not had a bite of it yet, in the oven as I type but my kitchen is smelling soooooo good!
Cathy Kucher
0Thank you! I’ve been craving cabbage rolls for months but haven’t gone there because of carbs and time limits. I love this recipe, it’s delicious and I didn’t even notice that there’s no rice. I used ground pork instead of beef and added my own sauerkraut and some cheddar as well on top and it was absolutely delicious!
Louanne Campbell
0Delish as per usual
Beck
0If you don’t mind me asking how did you add sauerkraut?? Was it during or after cooking?
Cat
0There’s no sauerkraut…
April
0Made this tonight, it was tasty. I added a can of rotel and used pizza sauce instead of marinara. It was just like eating lasagna!
Tracy
0I decided to make this recipe vegetarian by replacing the beef with tofu. I crumbled the pressed tofu and seasoned the heck out of it with spices and browned it in the frying pan with avocado oil and used it exactly as the beef would have been used. The recipe was delicious and a big hit in my house!
Ginger Garrity
0Can you use frozen califlower rice
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ginger, You can, but it would probably be better to cook it first (I recommend stir frying) because it might have more moisture than fresh.
Tracy
0I made mine with Trader Joe’s Frozen Riced Cauliflower and it turned out great. I thawed and removed some of the excess moisture by tossing it in a frying pan over med – low heat until it seemed dry enough.
Stephanie
0Cover or uncover to cook?? Takes way longer than 45 mins….but it smells awesome!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Stephanie, Cook it uncovered. However, if the cheese starts to brown too much before the inside is done, you can tent the top with foil.
Rhonda
0I made just as the recipe says. mine was great. we all loved it. I added onions. so great. this will make a lot!!!
Sherry
0This really sounds yummy, can you make it in a slow cooker?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sherry, I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker yet.
Jessica
0While the recipe definitely was tasty, I’m not a fan of Italian seasoning so it was quite strong for me and didn’t resemble cabbage rolls, but rather a lasagna dish. I was expecting one thing and got another…just a little surprising.
Tan
0I made this and followed the recipe except I switched the oil for butter and added onions. I grated the cauliflower. I used the same dish I browned the ground beef with on the stove to bake in the oven. With that, I was able to mix the cauliflower with the beef onions and garlic (after I drained it). then I added the cabbage on top and the sauce over everything. I did add a teaspoon of stevia to my tomato sauce since I am accustomed to the store bought marinara sauce that usually has sugar in it. That seemed to help offset the strong tomato taste. This turned out awesome.
Joni
0Not in love with this. Made exactly as the recipe stated… Husband didn’t care for it. Never will make it again… Sorry. I guess everyone’s taste buds are different.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Joni, Sorry to hear it wasn’t for you or your husband. Do you normally like cabbage rolls? It’s pretty similar to that. If you had any trouble with the recipe or a particular aspect you didn’t like, let me know and I’m happy to help.
Kim
0This is so delicious!!! I did not have a head of cauliflower. But I did have frozen riced cauliflower just cooked in microwave and added to the dish. My family loved it. To me it tastes a lot like lasagna added a little sour cream on top. Will definitely be making again! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Sophia Gilsdorf
0I tried using frozen riced cauliflower. I did thaw and squeeze out excess liquid but still too watery. However, my daughter said we could use the crockpot next time and make it a soup! I’ll definitely use raw and fresh next time. I used a “coleslaw” mix from Sam’s with shredded cabbage, radicchio, and carrots. Flavor was great, but I would add a little diced onion next time. We also found the 3c of cheese to be too much, mostly because it was a layer on top. We’re going to mix it in next time. Overall, great. Even the kids ate it up.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sophia, It could be that the frozen riced cauliflower was still too watery. You could try pre-cooking it first if using frozen riced cauliflower. I’m glad you and the kids liked it overall!
Molly
0I used frozen (thawed) riced cauliflower as well and didn’t have any issues. I am used to using it though, so I did simmer my marinara (homemade) longer to compensate for the extra moisture. I did not wring out the water like I would usually do. I let it thaw at room temp. I absolutely love this recipe, even though I’m not usually a marinara or cabbage roll fan!
Grama Muffy
0This looks amazing and I want to make it tonight.
I can’t seem to be able to find the serving size.
I’m sure I just skipped it somehow.
Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0The serving size is on the recipe card – 1 cup.
Marisa
0It was delicious! I added a small diced onion to the meat. I also cooked it on the stove in a skillet. I added the cheese in the end. Will definitely be making this again!
Thank you!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy to hear that, Marisa! Thanks for stopping by!
Myrna
0This was delicious and my family liked it too. They mixed in rice with theirs, lol, but they still ate it. I found that I needed to bake it for 60 min, though, to get the cabbage tender. Super yummy dish!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you and your family liked it, Myrna! Please come back soon!
Barbara
0Do you know how many weight watchers points per serving?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Barbara, Sorry, I don’t have that info. There are calculators online where you can enter the ingredients and check.
Sarai
0This looks amazing! I really love tomato sauce but lately it has been upsetting my stomach 🙁 Do you recommend a different sauce? Perhaps Alfredo or pesto?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sarai, Yes, you can use a difference sauce if you’d like.
Helen
0Thanks for the recipe. I made it exactly to the recipe and yum! I added red capsicum and mushrooms to the leftovers……double yum.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I ma so happy you liked it, Helen!
ecbound
0Where do the 6 grams of sugar come from?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0It comes from the cauliflower, cabbage, and mostly the marinara sauce (which has no sugar added, but tomatoes have natural sugar).
Patricia Picard
0Hi there, I am new to this Keto diet. I have a question, how do I rice cauliflower?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Patricia, Simply run the cauliflower florets through a food processor with grating blade. Alternatively, you can also pulse using a knife blade (just don’t keep it running with a knife blade, pulse only).
Jessica Vieths
0Could you use shredded cabbage slaw (like I use for eggroll in a bowl)?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jessica, Yes, you definitely can!
Maryjane heady
0This was fabulous!!! I actually put 3/4 of cheese in it and topped with rest at last 15 min
Loved it!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Oooh, that sounds delicious, Maryjane! Thanks for stopping by!
Breanna Connor
0Do you think I would need to add more oil if I use ground chicken instead of beef? Just curious. I live where beef is not available. Thanks.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Breanna, I haven’t tried it with ground chicken but I’m sure it would work. You could add some oil or not, up to you!
Janelle
0Hi, I love the look of this recipe and thought I’d make it for a family dinner. Could I add other veggies such as carrot or sweet pototo to make it go further? Can’t wait to give it a go. Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Janelle, Harder veggies like carrot or sweet potato probably wouldn’t cook to soften enough in the amount of time that the rest of the recipe is ready. So if you’re using those, pre-cook them first, and after that you can add them into the casserole before baking.
Lisa
0I made this…and it was delicious..I will be making it again. I love anything that you can throw together and bake. Thank you so much for sharing.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you for stopping by, Lisa!
oodles_or
0This has to be one of the easiest and tastiest dishes we have had in a long time. Trying to go lower carbs and this was absolutely delicious. The only thing I added was a dash of worcestershire sauce. I had a neighbor that loved it and asked for the recipe right off the bat. Thank you for sharing. We are going to try ground turkey next time.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I love to hear that! Have a great day!
Katie
0Hi! Does the dish come out watery? I am making it tonight and my cheeky husband said “won’t that get watery??!” Lol. Thought I’d ask. Can’t wait to try this yumminess!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Katie, Not really, maybe just a little bit. You can see how much in the pictures. Hope you liked it!
Karen L Phillips
0I made this delicious recipe tonight and my husband had positive comments even though he didn’t think he’d like the combination of ingredients when he saw the list. He is not a cauliflower rice fan. We both had a second helping of the casserole and plan to take some leftovers for lunch at work this week. Thank you for a tasty recipe to add to my low carb menu!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Karen! I am so happy you and your husband liked the casserole! Thanks for stopping by!
Cambri Jones
0Could I make this ahead of time and put in the freezer?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cambri, Yes, you can! I recommend baking it first, then freeze. Reheat in the oven at 350 (straight from the freezer) until hot.
Melissa Ann
0Hi, quick question, is this really all supposed to fit in a 13×9 pan??? Mixing everything together was a huge mess. I had 600g of cabbage which supposedly is 6 cups, and had the 4 cups of cauliflower. Also didn’t seem like enough sauce, but I had the required amount. Am I possibly doing something wrong?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Melissa, Yes, it’s a 13×9 pan. I decided to stir everything in the pan to use less dishes. If that’s challenging, feel free to mix everything in a large bowl first. It ended up being enough sauce for me after baking, but if you want to use more, feel free. It’s a pretty flexible recipe. I hope you liked it!
prplcws
0I ended up using two pans for mine! One 13 x 9 and another casserole dish. I mixed it all in a huge bowl as I saw there was no way to mix all this in the pan!
I put the cabbage and cauliflower mix in the bottom, then poured the meat sauce over top… super easy!
Delish!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thanks for sharing with us!
Edith
0What could you use instead of the avocado oil? Can’t have anything avocado. (Cheese either, but I know I can leave that out.)
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Edith, Olive oil would also work fine. Preferably not extra virgin, because that has too low of a smoke point for the oven temperature.
Michelle
0Hi there!
I love when your recipes include videos, would you mind uploading one for this?
Michelle
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Michelle! It’s on my list to add one for this recipe.
Grace Hall
0This looks so delish. I live alone and would make it for 4 and freeze, but when reduced down the amounts become mind boggling to measure. I mean what is 0.33 of a teaspoon? Is there any way you could put in metric measurements for us Brits?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Grace, I usually freeze extras, too. I agree that not every recipe divides well to any number of servings we want. I do plan to add metric measurements soon and hope that will help!
Sara
0If using frozen rice cauliflower should I cook it first?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sara, No, you don’t need to cook it separately. But, you would need to defrost it and squeeze out any excess water from any ice crystals that may have been on it.
Sara
0This was fantastic and even my pickiest eaters ate this. I’m glad I was able to get them to eat some different vegetables other than corn or potatoes.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Sara!
Eva
0Delicious!!! My family loved it. I only added green olives and we did not use cheese because my daughters are allergic to dairy.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy the whole family liked it, Eva!
Sami
0This was so good, so simple and I’ll make it again for sure! I used chicken because I had it on hand and I didn’t have mozzarella, so I used sharp cheddar cheese and it turned out great! Next time I will use ground beef and mozzarella and there will be many next times! Yummy!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I love all your substitutions, Sami! I am glad you liked it!
Melba Bradley
0What is riced cauliflower?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Melba, Riced cauliflower is cauliflower florets that has been grated to the size of rice. You can use a food processor with a grating attachment, or a box grater, to make it from cauliflower florets.
John
0Was good. Needed more salt. But better to salt your own portion than add too much. Tasty. You would swear the cauliflower was rice. Will make again!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, John! I always use Julia Child’s recommended salt ratio for meat (1 tsp per pound of meat). I didn’t add extra salt aside from the meat since my marinara sauce was salty enough, but I’m sure that varies depending on which marinara sauce you use. You can definitely add more salt to the cabbage and cauliflower if you want to. I’m so glad you liked it!
Jenniffer
0I wonder how it would be without the riced cauliflower? I’m not a huge fan of it. Usually the rice in cabbage rolls is meant to bind the meat together. At least that’s what I thought! My grandma was from Poland and this was definitely her best dish! looking forward to the memories!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jenniffer, Sure, you can make it without the riced cauliflower!
Katherine
0You list the ingredients but not the amounts.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Katherine, the amounts and instructions are right on the recipe card above.
Kayley
0This was a good recipe. My 4 year old even ate it without complaint!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I love to hear that, Kayley! Thanks for stopping by!
Cheryl
0Any suggestions for replacing the marinara sauce? I have an allergy to tomatoes. Thanks.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cheryl, The flavor would be different without tomatoes, of course, but personally I think it would also be delicious with Alfredo sauce like this.
Connie
0Thank you for sharing this recipe. I plan to make it today. I appreciate you sharing recipes for wonderful main dishes and side dishes instead of mainly desserts.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Connie! Let me know how you like it!
Marguerite Lindemann
0Do you think that shirataki rice would work in this, as I can’t stand the smell of cooked cauliflower.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Marguerite, I haven’t tried it but it might work. I don’t like the smell of steamed cauliflower either but in this case since we aren’t steaming it, I didn’t detect any. The marinara covers it up quite well.
Stace
0Ok, silly question. You are using fresh riced cauliflower? I have only cooked with the frozen riced cauliflower. I know with it I have to squeeze all of the excess water out of it before adding to my recipes.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Stace, Not silly at all! Yes, I used fresh cauliflower rice and didn’t squeeze it. With the way the recipe is written, you can’t squeeze it, since it goes in raw. I haven’t tried it with frozen and am not sure if it would work or be too watery. I’m not positive if frozen cauliflower rice has more moisture or not, but know that putting it in frozen probably wouldn’t get it to cook through. So, if using frozen, you could try thawing it first and then squeeze any moisture out to be on the safe side. I liked the convenience of not having too many extra steps in this recipe.
Lori
0I use frozen riced cauliflower all the time. I just pop it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes and then just add it to my recipe. Never comes out watery. Gonna make this for my parents tomorrow!!