Cabbage Roll Casserole

My mom, Marilyn, wrote out this recipe for me in 1992, on the back of a church donation envelope.

The quantities she gave are for the smaller, meatier casserole at the end of this recipe. I adapted it so it has more rice and cabbage. Scroll down if you want the original.

This casserole tastes like cabbage rolls, without the work involved in steaming a head of cabbage to remove the leaves, and rolling the individual cabbage rolls.

Start two hours before you need to serve dinner, or make a day ahead, refrigerate and reheat.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a very large casserole dish, place:

• 6 cups coarsely chopped washed, raw cabbage

Cabbage should half-fill the casserole dish.

In a large pot or deep frying pan, heat:

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 lb. medium (regular) ground beef or a combination of lean ground beef and pork.

Cook, stirring with a fork, until the meat loses its reddish color. Stir in:

• 1 medium-size onion, chopped
• 3 grinds of the black pepper grinder
• 12 Tbsp. (about 1 cup) uncooked white rice

Cook the meat mixture 3-5 minutes more, stirring often. Next, mix in:

• 2 10-oz. cans Campbells condensed tomato soup 
• 2 10-oz. cans of water

Heat through.

Don't go do something else at this stage because if you leave the mixture on the stove too long the rice will stick to the bottom and the mixture will dry out. If it's not burned, you can "save" it by mixing in another can of tomato soup and another can of water.

Spoon the hot meat and rice mixture over the raw cabbage in the casserole dish. Do not stir.

Cover the casserole dish and bake at 325 degrees for 1-1/2 hours. 

If dinner is delayed, keep it covered in the oven at 200 degrees till you are ready to serve.

Marilyn's Original Meatier Cabbage Roll Casserole Recipe

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 lb. medium ground beef
• 1 medium-size onion chopped,
• pinch of black pepper
• 3 Tbsp white rice
• 1 10 oz. can condensed Campbells tomato soup AND 1 can of water
• 3 cups coarsely chopped raw cabbage

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat oil in pan. Add meat.

Cook, stirring with fork until it loses its red colour.

Stir in onion, pepper and rice.

Cook 3-5 minutes. Stir often.

Mix in soup and water and heat through.

Place cabbage in casserole and pour meat mixture over it. Don't stir.

Cover, bake 1-1/2 hours.

Makes 4 generous servings.