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Kalyn’s Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

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This Stuffed Cabbage Casserole is basically a deconstructed version of stuffed cabbage layered with shredded cabbage, ground beef and brown rice cooked in tomatoes then topped with melted cheese. It’s SO good!

This Stuffed Cabbage Casserole is basically a deconstructed version of stuffed cabbage layered with shredded cabbage, ground beef and brown rice cooked in tomatoes then topped with melted cheese. It's SO good!
Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

I’m always looking for ways to use up ground beef and love this stuffed cabbage casserole! I grew up eating stuffed cabbage and always loved when my Mom made it for dinner. This casserole version of the classic is so darn delicious! You may also like this lazy stuffed cabbage bowl! And check out my other ground beef recipes here!

This Stuffed Cabbage Casserole is basically a deconstructed version of stuffed cabbage layered with shredded cabbage, ground beef and brown rice cooked in tomatoes then topped with melted cheese. It's SO good!

I first tried this back in 2011 browsing other blogs’ Top Dishes for that year (I always love those posts). I came across this recipe on Kalyn’s Kitchen and I knew I HAD to try it!

This turned out great, and easily serves 10 people. Although stuffed cabbage doesn’t usually have cheese, I loved the addition of it in this recipe. Of course you can make it without the cheese if you prefer to keep it dairy free.

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole Tips

  • Leftover can be frozen and reheated for another day. Freeze up to 3 months. Refrigerate up to 3 to 4 days.
  • To make it dairy-free omit the cheese.
  • To make it keto or low-carb, swap the rice out and add more meat.
  • Freezer directions: Let the casserole cool then freeze in portions in freezer safe containers. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then either microwave until hot or heat in the oven in an oven-safe dish covered with foil.
  • Split it among 2 smaller casseroles and freeze one for later, this always comes out great.

chopped cabbage for a casseroleFilling for stuffed cabbage casserole.This Stuffed Cabbage Casserole is basically a deconstructed version of stuffed cabbage layered with shredded cabbage, ground beef and brown rice cooked in tomatoes then topped with melted cheese. It's SO good!This Stuffed Cabbage Casserole is basically a deconstructed version of stuffed cabbage layered with shredded cabbage, ground beef and brown rice cooked in tomatoes then topped with melted cheese

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Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

4.87 from 113 votes
6
Cals:251
Protein:17
Carbs:24
Fat:11.5
This Stuffed Cabbage Casserole is basically a deconstructed version of stuffed cabbage layered with shredded cabbage, ground beef and brown rice cooked in tomatoes then topped with melted cheese. It's SO good!
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
This Stuffed Cabbage Casserole is basically a deconstructed version of stuffed cabbage layered with shredded cabbage, ground beef and brown rice cooked in tomatoes then topped with melted cheese. It's SO good!
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total: 2 hours
Yield: 10 servings
Serving Size: 1 slice

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 lb. 95% lean ground beef
  • 1 large onion, chopped fine
  • 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1 tsp sweet Hungarian Paprika
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 heads green cabbage, coarsely chopped
  • 1 14.5 ounce can petite dice tomatoes with juice
  • 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 2 cups part skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. (My dish was 13" x 10")
  • Heat a large frying pan on medium heat; add ground beef and cook until it's browned and cooked through, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove ground beef and set aside.
  • In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil, chopped onion and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and ground beef.
  • Add water to the pan. Simmer until it's hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
  • While it simmers, cut cabbage in half, cut out the core, and remove any wilted outer leaves; chop the cabbage coarsely into 1 inch pieces.
  • Heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven; add the cabbage and cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
  • When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit, stir in the 2 cups of cooked rice and gently combine.
  • Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray and the layer half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture.
  • Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges.
  • Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese (if using.) Bake uncovered an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Cut into 10 slices and serve hot.

Last Step:

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Notes

Freezer friendly note: if you have leftovers. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then either microwave until hot or heat in the oven in a glass dish covered with foil.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice, Calories: 251 kcal, Carbohydrates: 24 g, Protein: 17 g, Fat: 11.5 g, Sodium: 459 mg, Fiber: 5.5 g, Sugar: 2 g

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520 comments on “Kalyn’s Stuffed Cabbage Casserole”

  1. Just made this tonight, had it with fried cornbread. We really liked it and it makes a big casserole.

  2. This was soooo good! I tweaked it a bit by using 1 1/2 lbs. of hamburger and a 28 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (Italian Style) and 4 cups of mozzarella cheese – 2 cups on top and 2 cups between the first two layers and the last two. Will definitely make it again.

  3. Great healthy dish. Thyme is not my favorite herb may try another herb next time. I’ve always made cabbage rolls with sauerkraut, I’ll be adding that as well next time

  4. I had so much fun making this. My alterations: added 1 LB raw loose chorizzo, used 2 med onions, 1 med cabbage, 1/2 tsp cajun spices, 1/2 tsp Greek spice blend. I completely steamed the cabbage in a cup of chicken broth before blending together with the meat mixture. baked uncovered for half an hour and cheesed it up, continued to bake until melted (10 minutes).

  5. Avatar photo
    Stephanie Weaver

    Gina, this was fantastic! I used ground turkey because we aren’t really eating beef and it was a great way to use up some canned sauerkraut I’d bought for another recipe. YUM!

  6. Another fantastic recipe! A cold and rainy night and this was absolutely delish! I needed a cabbage recipe to use my CSA cabbage and this fit the bill! Skinny Taste recipes are so reliable!

  7. I’ve made this so many times and it’s one of my favorite recipes on here. Whenever I’m eating better, it becomes a regular part of our dinner rotation. I will always come back to it!

  8. Delicious & so easy. Like it even better than traditional stuffed cabbage (which I love) because you get a better blend of flavors! Definitely a new part of the meal rotation.

  9. I have made this recipe many many times. It is delicious and everyone I’ve made it for asks for it again! It is labor intensive but worth all the effort!

  10. I loved it, the flavor is really good. I was looking for healthy one dish meal recipes, and this is just what I needed. It does take some time to make it, but I’ll put half of it in the freezer to enjoy later.

  11. Delicious! My family loved it. It’s a little time consuming for the first time, but well worth it!!

  12. I plan to make this using a bag of slaw mix instead of cut up cabbage. Also will share recipe with my out-of-state daughter. It looks wonderful.

  13. This makes a fabulous winter meal. My husband went back for seconds, something he rarely does. I love all of the ingredients and flavors!

    I steamed the cabbage for 8 minutes in the microwave in a big mixing bowl and it was perfect.

  14. Absolutely delicious! This makes a great freezer dinner for a new mom. layer all the ingredients into a disposable aluminum foil pan like caterers use with the lids.( You can get them at BJs.) Use a sharpie marker to label the lid and provide instructions to reheat.

    1. Love this.
      Added salt to taste, for sure.
      Used Za’atar as my spice because I had it on hand.
      Broiled the cheese to melt it.
      Only note for the chef: Cabbage quantity-needs to be ___ cups! I have no clue if I did that correctly.

  15. Very Good recipe, made it last night for dinner. Something tells me it will be even better at lunch today! I thought the sauce was a bit sweet when I taste tested it, but once it was in with the cabbage, the flavors evened themselves out. On a side note… I don’t know what “the sauce thickens up a bit” means just as I don’t know when cabbage is “about half cooked”. Maybe you could include an estimated time on medium heat to help out a new cook? I knew what you meant, but I’ve been cooking for a long long time. That’s it for my comments! Bon Appeitet’

  16. This is one of my favorite skinny taste recipes! My husband also loves it. The combination of flavors is perfect and it’s very satisfying. I have this in my regular rotation! Love it!

  17. Avatar photo
    Margie Sommer

    I also made changes. More seasonings. 1 head of cabbage. Layered the cabbage on the bottom of pan. Everything else I combined and layered on cabbage. Thought 40 minutes was plenty of cooking time for everything. Also did not use as much tomato sauce and little more water. I just don’t like a strong tomato taste. Very good. 

  18. Another winner! This is wonderful. I shared extra servings with friends, and they loved it, too. (I ended up dividing into eight servings just to make things easier for myself and recalculated the calorie count.) Didn’t need a side, just ate it by itself. Thanks!

  19. The cabbage was so tender and the sauce was very savory. I would only make two changes next time – use fresh mozzarella to shred and not prepackaged shredded cheese (it formed more of a cheese crust and wasn’t that melty) and add raisins for a touch of sweet to balance the savory notes. 

    1. love the raisin comment Liz! I also use raisins in my meatloafs. Try it, that splash of sweetness when you bite into it is incredible!

  20. I made this using Old World seasoning from Penzeys in addition to the Hungarian paprika, about 1 tsp of each. I also seasoned EVERYTHING with kosher salt to taste. The cabbage, the meat, and the rice. I think maybe the people who complained it was bland didn’t season it, and with an entire head of cabbage (my cabbage was big so I just used one), a pound of meat, and two cups of rice, you’re going to need some salt. It’s delicious!! I grew up in PA eating halupki, and this is the same flavors without the work! 

  21. I made this several years ago, and wanted to make it again today… I used ground turkey instead of beef.
    For some reason, I thought that when I made it before, It was just a one dish meal…combine everything together in a casserole dish and bake, without cooking first. It looks as if I was very wrong.

    Update: I ended up putting 2 cups of uncooked brown rice in a large casserole, with ground turkey, chopped onion, seasonings, diced tomatoes, a few cups of water, and mixed that all together, then topped it with chopped cabbage and baked it for about 45 minutes. it was boiling at that point. I turned the oven off and let it set, and the rice continue to absorb water for a while, then topped the whole thing with cheese.
    It came out okay, and much easier, with less mess than cooking the whole thing separately.

  22. Excellent recipe. I however used ingredients I had on hand to substitute some things 
    Ground turkey instead of beef. 
    I used 26 ounces of diced tomatoes and a small can of tomato paste and spiced with some Italian seasonings to make my own sauce. 
    I also used vegetable broth instead of water. 
    I will definitely make it again. 
    Even the pickiest eater in my household liked it. 

  23. I love this recipe. But I think the proportions of cabbage v. Meat mixture needs to be 1.5 lbs or beef and just one head of cabbage. I always have leftover cabbage and feel like I’m stretching the meat mixture.

  24. I revised the recipe and used Beyond Meat ground beef and substitued cauliflower for the rice…delish!!!

  25. Delicious. Followed the recipe exactly. Sent around go to my bro. All 💯    Growing up polish heritage, my mom made the best Golumpki.    Time consuming   This version brought the same taste. A Keeper 

  26. Avatar photo
    Donna Drummond

    The only thing that I would add is salt during cooking and salt before the cheese goes on top.  It was a bit dry so I added more sauce.

  27. Hey! First of all, I LOVE this recipe and have made it many times. This time around, I’m interested in making it to freeze. Doing a lot of food prepping bc we are expecting a baby soon!! Any suggestions on making it it freeze and eat later? 

  28. I made this and you were right. It is SO good and will add it to our regular rotation. I haunt your site and bought a couple of your books and so far I haven’t been disappointed in any recipe. Thanks!

  29. If you are a fan of cabbage rolls, this is your dish. My kids had reservations about it but I was determined to try it. This was delicious, comforting, and very filling. My only hack was that I added 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to the meat mixture. My mom always made a slightly sweet sauce for her cabbage rolls, so I had to do it. So good!!!

  30. Great recipe! My entire family loves it. Instead of wasting a half head of cabbage, I use two heads of cabbage, slightly increase the spices, and increase the amount of sauce for the recipe, so it isn’t dry.

  31. Made this tonight for dinner it was excellent! Gina your recipes are delicious my daughter also is cooking your recipes now. My husband likes things spicy so used Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies, ground turkey and Italian seasoning blend on mozzarella on top. I will definitely add to rotation and I will try ground beef but turkey is what I had in fridge. Thank you Gina! I do not even put your cookbooks away they are on my desktop.

  32. I also grew up with my Mom making stuffed cabbage on a regular basis. This definitely filled my stuffed cabbage fix without all the labor intensive work! The only change I made was subbing quinoa for the rice because I had some leftover in the fridge. I will definitely make it again. Thanks Gina!

  33. I made this last night and it was so good! Lots left over to share with my family! Thanks again, Gina!

  34. Avatar photo
    Shannon in Texas

    EXCELLENT! We loved it. My husband said, “Be sure and tell Skinnytaste how awesome this is!” LOL. I’ve been cooking your recipes for years now. He loves your recipes the best. I am allergic to beef so I subbed ground chicken and it turned out perfect. I am excited about the leftovers. Thank you!

  35. I made this today and it was just delicious! Of course I love traditional stuffed cabbage so I couldn’t pass up giving this a try. All I can say is yum-o! Next time I might try adding some red pepper flakes for alittle kick and I added more cheese than it needed. I will make this over and over again!

  36. Hi I’m sorry if you already answered this but do you measure the 2 cups or rice before or after it is cooked? Thanks!

    1. I wondered the same, then I re-read the recipe. It indicates 2 cups cooked rice, so I measured 2 cups after it was cooked. It came out great!

  37. Delicious and much easier than stuffing individual cabbage leaves! I added crushed red pepper flakes, used 1 large head of cabbage (was plenty), and par-cooked the cabbage (in two batches) in the microwave – was easier than sauteing. Leftovers are perfect too.

  38. I’m so glad I found this recipe because it is a keeper. Now I did make several changes, but only because I didn’t have some of the ingredients on hand.  I used Valdalia onion, can of Rotel Tomatoes (it added just the right amount of heat), uncle Ben’s wild rice, Italian seasoning and sage instead of thyme and white cheddar. It is so good!! Many recipes have to have a  very specific taste profile but this one seems you can make many variations and it still shines. 

  39. I was skeptical because it was a lot of cabbage. But it is delicious and definitely good for you. And it was even better as leftovers. We will definitely make again!!

  40. This is coming up 6 points on WW calculator. Not sure how you are calculating for your recipes.. can you explain. They all look good, but all seem to be higher points when i put them through their calculator!

  41. Delicious, made it with Beyond Meat ..great recipe .This time of the year cabbage is so tender and sweet .Keeper👌

  42. This recipe is wonderful. HH loved it. I’ll be making it again soon. The only change I made was I substituted ground turkey for the beef.  Loved it! Another winner from you. Thanks!

  43. Avatar photo
    Antonia revuelta Revuelta

    Thank you so much! This cabbage casserole was a hit in my house! There was suppose to be leftovers for the kids when they got back home from visiting their dad over the weekend. NOPE!!!!! MY HUSBAND ATE IT ALL !!!!!❤❤❤❤❤😂😂

  44. Avatar photo
    Annetta M Diedrich

    I have made this two times and my family and friends love it. The most difficult for me is to get the cabbage tender before it goes into the casserole.
    I will make it again!
    Thank you for
    the recipe

    1. Try rough chopping the cabbage, then microwaving it in two batches (in a large, 2 qt. glass pyrex) while beef, onions and tomatoes are cooking. Was much easier for me to do it this way.

  45. I added a cup of black raisins. I cooked Uncle Bens rice in the sauce . I used 4 ounces vegetable broth instead of water. It was delicious. Everyone went back for seconds.

  46. Love, love, LOVE this dish! Took me back to my Mom’s cabbage rollups, only this is much easier!
    Only 2 of us to eat it, so we have lunch tomorrow and lots in the freezer. Thanks for the great recipe!

  47. I want to make this today, but could only find the petite diced tomatoes in olive oil and garlic! Should I cut back on the olive oil and garlic that are in the ingredients list? Awaiting reply cause want to make today! Thanks!

    1. sue, i didn’t see a reply but as an avid cook i wouldn’t cut back on the olive oil and garlic because you need both for sauteing and for the base of the flavor for the dish! however, if you are on ww, that can of tomato sauce might be a tad higher in points. i’m going to make this dish this week also, i make one super similar to this that is my own recipe and it is delish! enjoy 🙂

  48. This was so seriously tasty & comforting. My husband cooked it for me & substituted a short pasta (spiralli) as no brown rice was at hand. Definitely a keeper (husband & recipe!) & will be on high rotation in our household as we approach the southern hemisphere’s winter. (Greetings from Melbourne, Australia). Thanks to Kalyn & to you Gina for reposting this recipe.

  49. As always, Gina came up with a yummy family dinner. We’re vegetarians, so I followed another user advice and used riced cauliflower in place of ground beef. I also chopped up a pepper I needed to get rid of and it complemented the flavors nicely. I cooked my rice in the instant pot, then cooked everything else in one pan. Cooked cauliflower, reserved in bowl – cooked cabbage, reserved in bowl, then I made the sauce and it came out so yummy. Was filling without being bloated. Huge hit!

  50. I have never commented on a recipe before but I feel this is a MUST! I have made this countless times using pork, beef, ground turkey, tofu, and quinoa….Evey time it’s amazing! It freezes so well and reheats even better! Thank you so much for sharing ❤️

  51. Avatar photo
    JimLuvs2Cook

    I made this for dinner tonight, with a few minor tweaks and a couple of comments directed to other reviewers. I grew up eating stuffed cabbage. In the northern New Jersey, southeastern Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania-Dutch) region we called them pigs-in-a-blanket.

    To those who commented that the dish was under-seasoned, you need to taste, taste, taste your food as you’re cooking and adjust the seasoning to your taste. To those who commented that they cooked the beef/tomato mixture as instructed and it was too loose or too dry – you didn’t follow the instructions properly. The recipe says to “Simmer until it’s hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes”. If you cooked the sauce for 15-20 minutes and it was too tight or too loose, you overcooked it or undercooked it. Most likely the burner was too hot or too cold.

    Oh yeah, there were some comments regarding the non-standard measurements – how much is a cabbage or an onion in cups? In my case, the cabbage filled a 10″ skillet to a depth of about 2″ when raw so about 10 cups of cabbage. I cooked it completely through on the stove-top, about 25 minutes on medium-low heat covered. I used a portion of a leftover onion that was in the fridge. I’d say about 3/4 cup.

    I noticed a few people commented that they wish it had some chopped bell pepper or Italian seasoning; you should always (except when baking pastries and such) feel free to doctor the ingredients to what you prefer. I make an awesome mustard dill potato salad. My sister doesn’t like dill so when she makes potato salad she leaves out the dill.

    That said, this recipe is an excellent starting place. I made 1/2 the recipe as I live alone and didn’t want 8 or 9 portions leftover (my freezer’s pretty well stocked). I swapped out the brown rice for hulled barley – more protein, more fiber, and fewer carbs. My grandmothers always took their stuffed cabbage in that slightly sweet and sour direction so I added a heavy pinch of sucralose and a couple of tsp of white vinegar.

    1. I honestly thought this recipe looked like a bit of a hassle and I almost went ahead and made a one pan version of this I’ve had before but I am so glad I put the work into this meal. It was delicious!! My 6 year old ate a full portion without stopping. Every single bite. I had seconds and my husband loved it too. We have plenty leftover for another meal. Can’t wait to make this again. Also I subbed cheddar cheese and I’m glad I did- I think it brings more flavor than mozzarella would, though I may try it that way next time to compare. 

    2. Your comments are spot on Jim. But I find a lot of people need baby steps & hand holding in the kitchen, & I supposed I did too until I became bolder & not afraid to fail. As I said in my comment we substituted short pasta for brown rice as we didn’t have any. People shouldn’t be afraid to substitute ingredients to their liking. And yes, taste, taste, taste!!

  52. Avatar photo
    Candace Glenney

    This is sooo yummy! I used ground turkey and sharp cheddar. Make sure to cook the cabbage well before baking so it’s not tough.

  53. Wow!  This was great!  I added some hot pepper flakes because I love the heat. I will definitely make this again. Thanks GINA!

  54. This was really yummy! It took a bit longer than I expected to put together, but there is enough to last a few nights now so the effort was worth it. I used one big head of green cabbage and it was plenty. I also used ground turkey because that’s what I had on hand. I read some of the comments and decided to serve it with sour cream… SO good! Really elevates the flavor.

  55. Amazing!!!! Even if you leave the cheese off it is just simply full of flavor  and makes you feel like your eating something unhealthy! A def repeat coming at this house and for my parents!

  56. Wow…not bad…not bad at all. My 5year old ate it! Thank you, Skinnytaste! Season your food, y’all!

  57. Avatar photo
    Marion wyllie

    This is an excellent casserole and ai have made it several times. I used cauliflower crumble instead of ground beef as I am a vegetarian and several members of my family are too. It was delicious, full of flavour and It made 10 generous portions. Love your recipes and have tried several of them. Keep up the good work. Many thanks.

  58. Avatar photo
    kirsten bentley

    I made this recipe hoping that it would mirror something my mom made growing up and my brother and I called Lazy Cabbage Rolls. After originally looking at the recipe, I didn’t feel there was enough meat (I used ground turkey as opposed to ground beef) but I made it as written except I had 1 head of cabbage. As I expected there was not enough meat or sauce to effectively coat the cabbage. Next time I would change to 2 lbs of ground turkey and add extra diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. It tasted OK but the overall opinion in our family was it needed more meat.

  59. This made me feel like I was eating lasagna…with much less guilt! So tasty. Thanks for another homerun!

  60. Just wonderful. We used just one head of cabbage, cooked the meat and onions together, and whatever paprika we had on hand. Warm, filling comfort food at its best. 

  61. Avatar photo
    Carol Aquiline

    Amazing taste! My 17yo son devoured two servings – it was all I could do not to have two servings myself! Thanks for an easy stuffed cabbage recipe.

  62. Avatar photo
    Sharon OBrien

    Can you make this and freeze it to cook at a later date? or do you need to bake it before you freeze it?

  63. Avatar photo
    Kathy Heilman

    Family really enjoyed this recipe. I measured my cabbage since many people were unsure about how much to us-it was about 12 packed cups. That seemed to be enough! I will make this again!

  64. The recipe calls for a glass baking dish, but the pictures show a non-glass baking dish. I don’t have one that size. Should I adjust the baking temp or time?

  65. Avatar photo
    Susan Dezelan

    My husband and I both loved this casserole! I improvised and only cut up one head of cabbage, added a diced green pepper, used chili powder since I didn’t have paprika, and substituted Beyond Burger for the ground beef. De-lish. There was lots left over so I will be freezing it and enjoying it again. This one is a keeper!

    1. Okay. So. This took a lot of time for me. I’m slow to chop lol but it wasn’t that bad as prep goes. Just pay attention to the bake times. I had one head of cabbage but two medium onions. So that is what I used and it was still almost too much for my 11 x 9 dish. Otherwise everything the exact same. My hubby and I really enjoyed it!! So freaking tasty, just loved it!! We also used a small dollop of sour cream with it cause we are weird lol. Have lunch for us tomorrow and we are having leftovers for dinner tomorrow with lunch again for two the next day. Now you can’t beat that for such an expensive dish. So economical and tasty!! Like I said, just be aware of time and you will be good!  I might add mushrooms next time 🙂 oh oh and I might try it with ground turkey or chicken yay! Thanks, Gina!!

  66. I made this 2 months ago and it was waiting for me in the freezer. Took it out Christmas Day to thaw knowing I would want an easy meal after the hectic holidays. It cooked up perfectly and I served it with a salad. I was crossing my fingers on this one since 2 people don’t like cabbage in the family. My son is one of them and he mentioned the cabbage reminded him of macaroni. The only negative thing he said was that it could use a little less cabbage next time but he said it as he was getting seconds. Both cabbage haters got seconds. It is hard to find a meal like by 100% of the family so this is a keeper. Big enough for two meals so I froze the leftovers for later.

  67. This is fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly as stated and wouldn’t change a thing. I have a 14 year old boy and he ate 2 full helpings of this! Loved it! Thank you! 

  68. I must admit I have never had stuffed cabbage before but I kept wishing this had a different flavor profile.  Once I added grated Romano cheese it tasted much better but I just felt it was missing something.  I wish there was a version of this that had Italian spices like oregano or the addition green pepper, like a stuffed pepper casserole.  I’m glad I tried this but I doubt I’ll make it again.  I wish I was an accomplished enough cook to figure out how to revise it into something I would love.  

    1. I’m a bit late in responding here, Gina, but I’d say go ahead and add those peppers. I also use a spicy pasta sauce in place of the plain tomato sauce. I think peppers are a great idea – I’d just dice them up and if you want to add oregano maybe start with a tsp and see how you like it. This is one of my fav recipes but I do tend to mix it up with different sauces and cheese sometimes.

  69. I made this for dinner one night and pre-portioned and freezed most of the rest for easy lunch time meals. My dad, who is pretty picky with food, raided our fridge one day and proclaimed “this some sort of cabbage lasagna” “pretty good!” I don’t think he’s complimented anything cabbage related in his life, so this is a total win!

  70. made this today, absolutely awesome – decided to just make it as a stir fry – i just omitted the baking dish and the cheese. ( i didnt want to wait) Might try hungarian hot paprika next time, or cayenne as i like things spicy –

  71.  Made this for the second time! This time I used only 1 cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups of cauliflower rice.  Couldn’t even tell the difference! I did add more cheese to the top also. Lunch tomorrow will be great!  This has become a favorite of my husband’s. 

  72. Very good! Bought shredded cabbage at Trader Joe’s and as someone else mentioned I probably needed more but still delicious none the less. I’ve read great things about it leftover and can’t wait for lunch tomorrow! Thanks for another great recipe, Gina!

  73. I’m Hungarian and this tastes like the stuffed cabbage my grandma used to make! I did use a little vegeta seasoning in the beef mixture though, I just had to lol
    Try serving this with a teaspoon/tablespoon of cold sour cream on top. OHMYGOODNESS so good!

  74. Avatar photo
    Wendy Stevens

    This recipe was a little time consuming for a meal on s weeknight but my Grandpa loved it and that’s what counts! I made a mistake using Trader Joe’s shredded cabbage as they don’t carry heads of cabbage right now. I used 2 bags but I think I should have used 3. I’d like to know how much cabbage to use in another measurement. Also the shredded cabbage is pretty fine and I think if I had used heads and chopped it, I would have gotten the consistency better. My mistake, not Gina’s. Thanks for another great recipe!

  75. I made this for dinner this weekend and it was a big hit!! So tasty that both my boyfriend and I had 2 helpings! We were very happy to have leftovers and this is going into regular rotation.

    1. Used ground turkey instead also sprinkled a little cayenne pepper in with the sauce as we like things a little spicy. Won’t lie… glad I waited to make this on a Friday because once you get everything in the dish it has to bake for an hour but Man O Man was it worth it! Hubby and I really enjoyed this. I cant wait to have the leftovers for dinner to tonight. Wonderful recipe!!!!

  76. Just made this the other night and when I saw it pop up again on your weekly menu I had to follow up and with a positive comment. It was incredible! Warm and comforting. Not being a beef-eater, I swapped it for ground turkey and could not have been more pleased with the results. thanks!

  77. Made this last night and it was a huge hit! Even my picky eater loved it. This will go into the “must make again” category. Thank you!

  78. Oh my gosh this is so DELICIOUS!! I made this exactly as written and next time might try it with Rotel tomatoes for a little extra zip ( we are Texans and like spicy). We reheated the leftovers and commented that it was almost better the second day if that is even possible.

  79. I rarely eat meat, this took awhile but delicious. Even my husband who doesn’t like veggies liked this. I label this comfort food and worth the time. 

  80. Avatar photo
    Cindy Baldwin

    This recipe was absolutely delicious! I used ground turkey in place of the beef and fat free mozzarella. I did miss the step making where the cabbage is cooked separately and then layered as I combined all when pre-cooking before but it was a hit with the family so I don’t think anyone noticed!  Thank you!

  81. Avatar photo
    Shelley Weinstein

    Gina – how can I prepare the Stuffed Cabbage Casserole in an intant pot?? How much time do I need to add if I use brown rice in the recipe?
    Thanks,
    SPW

    1. Avatar photo
      Christine Sibert

      Loved this!! Changed it up a little by adding a lb of hot bulk sausage and fire roasted diced tomatoes which gave a nice kick to it!!

  82. To eliminate unpleasant cooking odors, e.g. cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, or anything “overdone,” light an UNSCENTED candle near the source for about 15 minutes. Odor gone.

  83. Gina, I grew up eating stuffed cabbage and LOVED it. I’m vegan (plus fish) now. Any thougthts on tasty meat replacement for this recipe??

  84. Yes, search for Surkal which is the norwegian version of sour cabbage. It’s absolutely delicious and would work well here. Alternately, adding a bit of sauerkraut or vinegar bumps up the flavour.

  85. Would this hold together if I were to refrigerate the leftovers tonight and then cut into individual portions to freeze? Or would it be loose even after refrigerating?

  86. GINA Have you ever made cabbage rolls or lazy cabbage casserole with mushroom sauce instead of tomato sauce? 

  87. Avatar photo
    Mary Jo Simpson

    I would love to try this dish and was wondering approx. how many cups of chopped cabbage 1 1/2 heads makes.  The heads  of cabbage I am seeing in the grocery store just now are huge and I can’t imagine just how much chopped cabbage this would end up being.

      1. Avatar photo
        Deborah Pate

        I saw in the comments was 12 packed cups of raw cabbage. I’m about to make it for our dinner tonight. I like to take a dish like this and make it my own. Will use a chopped jalapeno, half a chopped red bell pepper, 2 cups brown cooked rice, can rotel tomatoes, can diced tomatoes, a cup of frozen sweet green peas, or english peas, my favorite spices and 2 different kinds of cheese, layered with the other ingredients. Will need a bigger pan, disposable foil one. You could make this casserole different each time. With leftovers will make saucer size fried pies using a large tablespoon of this casserole for my filling. Will be yummy i know.

  88. Years ago I stopped boiling noodles before layering them in my lasagna dish because it was an unnecessary step.  The sauce does the job while the dish cooks in the oven.  Perfectly cooked noodles every time.  I’m betting the same thing happens with the cabbage leaves in this recipe, layered under the meat sauce.  When I make this dish I plan to eliminate Step 7 (except for seasoning) because the cabbage will cook with the rest of the dish while in the oven. 

  89. Cabbage sizes vary greatly.  How many cups/ounces of cabbage is appropriate for this recipe since it calls for 1 1/2 heads.  Also, can cauliflower rice be substituted for brown rice?

  90. I’ve made this using exact ingredients minus the cheese, but in a slow cooker. Nowadays I add the chopped onions plus a chopped green pepper directly with the ground beef to sauté, saving having to use olive oil. We love it. We’ve found it is much better the next day, so now I make it a day ahead.

  91. Avatar photo
    Marilyn Freeman

    I’ve made this recipe for years using ground turkey breast. I think this should reduce calories and WW points, yes?

  92. If I made an extra pan and froze it (new baby coming soon!) how would I reheat it (temperature and time)? Thank you!

    1. I usually like to refrigerate overnight (it will still be frozen) and heat 350F 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Depends on how frozen it is.

  93. Avatar photo
    Colette Marquez

    An absolute keeper recipe. I made it for dinner tonight and it came out fantastic. I followed
    the receipe except I just boiled the cabbage in a separate pot because I wanted it to be pretty
    cooked through.

  94. Avatar photo
    Lou Ann Coleman

    This casserole is awesome! I made it w ground turkey and no rice but everything else the same and my family loved it! Will be making it again and again and again!!❤️

      1. Has anyone figured out the measurements for the cabbage? I feel it should be in the instructions. The head I bought today is HUGE!! I don’t want to overwhelm the dish with too much cabbage. Also has anyone made this in a slow cooker or maybe in a Dutch oven instead of a large casserole dish? (Still rebuilding my kitchen supplies thanks to my ex😜) And if so did you omit sauntering the cabbage?

  95. Avatar photo
    Elizabeth Sequin

    This recipe was amazing! I made it mostly to use up leftover cabbage not expecting to love it and I was wrong – it turned out great!! Definitely a keeper. Thanks Gina! 

  96. I don’t see how you come you come up with only 5 freestyle pts, I’m using konjac rice which is 1 pt for the whole pkg, and I get 6 freestyle pts, did you not count the cheese, anyway making this for supper tonite, sound good an easy

  97. Avatar photo
    Amanda Gardner

    I love this recipe–I split it among 2 smaller casseroles an freeze one for later–always comes out great. Also, I cook the cabbage in the pan first, then wipe it out and reuse the same pan to make the sauce. I saute the beef along with the onion and then add in all the rest of the ingredients. This way, if your rice is already made it’s only 1 pot to clean up at the end.

  98. I have made a variation of this recipe many times and I love it! I make it with Ground Turkey and Ready Rice. I also add a small amount of brown sugar and white vinegar to five the sauce the tanginess of a traditional cabbage roll ( oh and no cheese).

  99. I made this tonight with ground venison and it was delicious. I used a different sized pan to yours though so about how many cups would you say is a serving? I’m not sure what 1/10th would measure out as! 

  100. We love this in my house, but I don’t make it very often because it does take some work & time. My husband (who is a meat & potatoes type guy) just actually asked me why we haven’t had it in a while and requested I make it. That says a LOT about how good this is so its on the menu for the weekend. We only eat about half and the leftovers freeze just as well as stated. I did cook my cabbage a little too well one time so it was a little too mushy after freezing a reheating so beware of that, but that was my fault. Just keep the cabbage a good al dente and you’ll be fine.

  101. My family loved this recipe!! So good, left the rice out to make it low carb. This is a must try will make this again soon!!

  102. I used to make this with the leanest ground beef I could find. Now I make it but instead of ground beef I use that vegetarian “beef” substitute and it tastes just as amazing as the first day I made this receipe and I just love it. One of my favorite recipes from this whole site! Thanks for sharing it 🙂

    1. Avatar photo
      Elizabeth Armendariz

      Hi! I was also looking to substitute the meat and you mentioned vegetarian beef. Can you tell me what you use, please.

  103. I have made this recipe many times and it is delicious!!! I was wondering if you would be able to revise this recipe for the Instant Pot? I bet it would cut down on a lot of the preparation time.

    Thanks for all the great recipes Gina!!

  104. I’d like to suggest a hack. I made this once and it was super delicious but a lot of work and not a good weeknight meal because of the time involved. I also love the unstuffed cabbage rolls recipe https://www.skinnytaste.com/un-stuffed-cabbage-bowls-instant-pot-or-stove-top/. So this time around I made that in my instant pot and we will have it for dinner tonight, then tomorrow will take the leftovers, throw them in a casserole and dump the cheese on top and bake for 20 to get the yummy casserole.

  105. Avatar photo
    Pamela Gardner

    I made it with ground chicken instead of ground beef. It was very good. I would even make it without meat. Thanks.

  106. This was a lot of work so while making it I thought I may never make this again… until I tasted it! This was amazing and worth the work. My husband isn’t the biggest cheese fan, so I left that off and used cauliflower rice instead of brown. I think next time I will just mix it together and then bake, no need for me to layer.

      1. It is definitely still cauliflower but the texture is spot on. In a dish like this with so many strong flavors I think cauliflower rice would be an excellent choice. Or perhaps a blend. I blend regular rice with cauliflower rice when I make fried rice and the become indistinguishable from each other.

  107. This recipe is fabulous. I used diced fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel brand) because that’s what I had on hand. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as directed. I found that an approximately 2-1/2 lb. cabbage was enough.

  108. A nice change from my usual go-to’s and flavor profile. Husband called it the “best casserole I’d ever made him…” Mind you it’s been 18 years and I average about 2 casseroles a week! 😉

    A favorite for the whole family!

  109. Avatar photo
    Annie Secrest

    I remember having the old school version of this when I was younger and HATING it. Isn’t it funny to think about what we used to not like as kids? This recipe was fabulous! I only added about 1/4 cup of freshly grated rosemary asiago cheese from Trader Joes. I also subbed sage for thyme because I was out. I ended up only cooking it for about 40 minutes total and it was PERFECT! My husband and I gobbled half of the huge pan up right away.

  110. Avatar photo
    Marianne Downs

    Hi:

    How wouldt this be without the rice?  And do you what that would do to the points?

    thanks again 

    1. I almost made it without rice last night but then I cauliflower rice instead. Since the cauliflower didn’t absorb any of the liquid like the brown rice would it was just a little bit more like a soup/stew when served which we didn’t mind. I also made it without the cheese. When I put in the recipe I ended up making the dish for 2 points a serving 🙂

  111. Now that ground turkey breast is 0 points on Weight Watchers Freestyle program, it would lower the overall point value. Sometimes switching beef out with turkey works but sometimes it doesn’t.  I wonder how would it taste.  Have you tried it with ground turkey breast? 

  112. Love this recipe! It’s a little “steppy”, but if you use the frozen steamable rice it cuts down a little work. I like adding a little red pepper for a kick. THis taste very similar to my mother in laws cabbage rolls that I love so much. My favorite way to serve this is with black eyed peas and cornbread topped with hot sauce.

  113. Pingback: Weight Watchers Casserole Recipes – 5 Min To Health

  114. Pingback: Kalyn’s Stuffed Cabbage Casserole - Powerful Handmade site

  115. How many cups do your 1 1/2 heads of cabbage come out to? There are pretty small sized cabbages and some big ones too 

  116. Love this!! So easy to make. I subbed in a couple cups cauliflower rice in place of the brown rice to get some extra veg in there. Love recipes that include cabbage! 

    1. Good idea! I’m trying tonight with rice on one half and cauliflower crumbles on the other half to compare. 

  117. Can you prep everything the night before or morning of and then throw it in the fridge and do the last hour at night right before dinner

  118. Pingback: Guide to Food Prep – Part 2 (Ideas) | Whatever Floats Your Oats

  119. I made this last night and it was wonderful.  Due to what I had on hand I swapped out farro for the rice.  My husband loved it!!!  And he is always resisting the whole grains.  I didn’t cook the farro separately, as I was averse to dirtying another pan, so I added two cups of beef broth to the sauce and added the farro at that point.  I simmered the sauce for as long as it took to soften the cabbage and the farro finished cooking in the oven.  It turned out wonderful.  My husband is a hunter so I used ground moose meat instead of ground beef and it was delicious.  Also sprinkled it with parmesan and a light sprinkle of Mexican blend cheese, as I was out of mozzarella.   Much easier than cabbage rolls and all the flavor.  Loved it!  Great recipe! 

  120. Delicious! I’ve never cooked with cabbage before. There were a lot of leftovers! There’s only 2 of us, so next time we will cut the recipe in half.

  121. This dish rocks! I was a little nervous that the kids would turn up their noses at the cabbabge, but I have to say that the teenagers to the ‘tweens really loved the taste and texture.  Delicious~this one’s a keeper!

  122. I’m going to season and roast the chopped cabbage while I brown the beef and make the sauce. I don’t know if I’ll remove some cabbage so that I can layer it or not. I’m imagining a cabbage layer, a rice layer, then the meat/tomato layer.

  123. Looks delicious!  I’m going to make tomorrow and will be substituting the rice with cauliflower rice and ground turkey vs beef.  Hope it turns out!  =)

  124. Looks like I’m in the minority here, but my boyfriend and I weren’t fans of this. He loves stuffed cabbage rolls, but the flavors here were just a little bland and not much depth. For that reason though, I can actually see why this might be a hit with kids, but for us it just tasted like canned tomatoes 🙁

  125. Pingback: Weekly Meal Plan #48 - One Mama To Another

  126. Love this recipe! It was very easy to make and was very yummy! I make this for my dad’s birthday and he went back for more. It makes a lot and we have enough for another meal. I am going to freeze it tonight. The only thing I changed I added tomato soup I place of the tomato sauce. I only had to put the casserole in for about 20 min to melt the cheese. Will make this recipe again for sure. 

  127. I wish you could give a more precise measurement for the serving size. 1/10 is sort of hard for me to measure out. I can’t wait to make this next week for my mom. She has been asking for cabbage rolls and this seems like a healthier, easier way to satisfy that craving.

  128. We tried this last night, but replaced the ground beef with ground bison. It was excellent! Much leaner meat and great flavor. 

  129. I’LL BE MAKING THIS TOMORROW OR THE NEXT DAY, USING THE SMALL LEAVES TRIMMED FROM MY GROWING CABBAGE PLANTS IN MY GARDEN !!  I KNOW IT’S GOING TO BE DELICIOUS BECAUSE IT’S VERY MUCH LIKE MY UN-STUFFED PEPPERS  RECIPE.  THAT IS A SKILLET MEAL, BUT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE OVEN-BAKED FLAVOR OF THIS RECIPE.  I JUST SIGNED ONTO YOUR SITE A FEW DAYS AGO, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO FINDING MORE GREAT RECIPES HERE !!  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE FOR US OTHER COOKS !!!

  130. I’m making the this recipe for the 2nd time. I substituted beef with ground turkey and left off the cheese. This is such a great dinner…we just chomp it up!! Thanks for sharing.

  131. I made it tonight and used my leftover sauce from having stuffed peppers,left over beef smoked in the smoker, and left out the rice to make it even skinner. Without the rice there is hardly any carbs in it. Piled on the cheese. Oh, my it was delicious. I will have to make sure I use leftovers the next time too.

  132. I may be late to the game, but I just tried this recipe. It takes awhile to prep, but it is DELICIOUS!! Since it is a lot for 2 people, I'm happy to freeze for later. My heads of cabbage were small, so I should have used more (might be good to put an apprx # of cups). I made too much brown rice, but was happy to learn that I can actually freeze brown rice for other SkinnyTaste recipes! Thank you SO much for adding SmartPoints to your recipes. You've saved my WW life!!

  133. Avatar photo
    robbi buckles

    I am confused. I just put in your stats for "without cheese" in the WW hand held calculator and it came out as 7 SP.

  134. My simplification of this recipe was to start cooking the rice in the microwave while chopping the onions and garlic. Then I put the rice and water in the bottom of a 9X13 pan, layered raw ground turkey, cabbage, tomatoes and seasonings, and then baked it until the rice was done. (I actually used bagged shredded cabbage, because that's what I had on hand.) Fast and easy, and very little clean up.

  135. followed the recipe as instructed but the casserole came out dry and the cabbage undercooked. IMO needs less cabbage and more tomato sauce. Also needs to be cooked longer. I added 20 minutes on to the cooking time to have soft cabbage and added another can of tomato sauce. Otherwise great recipe, will be making again.

  136. I made it today with meatless crumbles instead of ground beef. 2 cups of cheese is very excessive in my book! I used 3 oz. Kraft fat free mozzarella and sprinkled it across the top for a little flavor. I also used fresh thyme. Outcome: a lot of work but well worth it. I didn't buy shredded cabbage, so shredding added to the prep work. A great dish to add to my growing repertoire. Thanks for this wonderful site.

  137. I cooked this last night, loved it, but seemed like it was missing something, Next time, I am going to add balsamic vinegar the tomato mixture. I have enjoyed a lot of your recipes, my husband is glad to have some new things to eat for supper. Thank you for all of your hard work!

  138. This dish was heaven. Although it took me a long while to make it the prep time was well worth it once I tried this. Not sure if it makes much of a difference but I couldn't find low fat cheese from Sargento so I got one that said reduced fat instead. I also could not find 95% lean beef the closest they had at the grocery store I go to was 93% so I had to use that. But other than that the dish was amazing I highly recommend this to anyone who is thinking about making it.

  139. Avatar photo
    Natalia Smith

    I love this casserole. It was delicious!!!! I added two things: an envelope of spenda to the tomato sauce and a knorr large bouillon cube to the cabbage. The bouillon cube gave great flavor to the cabbage. I just used one cabbage head and it was perfect.

  140. This was good. I was surprised that a recipe to rework stuffed cabbage to a healthier version is actually less healthy with the addition of cheese. I made it with ground turkey and left out the cheese. You can sprinkle some on the individual servings as desired when serving. It's also more work than regular stuffed cabbage.

  141. I've been searching for a recipe for this and viola! I found it on my favorite site!!! Can't wait to make this!

    Michele

  142. I loved it. I subbed ground turkey for the beef – cooked it in bacon grease, then drained. I needed more oil for the cabbage than the recipe called for and I ended up added 3x the amount of thyme and paprika, and 2x the garlic. I will probably use even more seasoning overall, seasoned tomatoes and cut the amount of the tomato sauce. But it was delicious and way less time consuming than making cabbage rolls.

  143. This is very yummy! I am Ukrainian and grew up on cabbage rolls! This is a keeper. Hubby ( also Ukrainian) loved it! Next time I'd leave off the cheese and serve it with sour cream!

  144. This is one of my favorite meals. I grew up eating german cabbage rolls and although I still love to make my grandmas cabbage rolls for new years and special occasions, this recipe is so much easier and tastes similar (minus the sour kraut). SO GOOD!

  145. This looks wonderful! I've actually never tried stuffed cabbage with tomatoes – we usually use Cream of Mushroom (which is delicious-BTW). This definitely looks like a more practical approach than the usual stand & stuff 'em … Thanks for sharing this. I have a feeling I'll be eating your (almost) Stuffed Cabbage recipe with considerable frequency.

  146. My entire family of cabbage haters LOVED this. They ask for it all the time. Today I am going to attempt to make it in a crock pot since ballpark season has begun. Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes!

  147. I made this last night and it's much faster than stuffing and rolling the cabbage. I only had one 15 oz can of puree basil flavor tomatoes. For more liquid I added beef broth for the missing can of tomato sauce. This was delicious…keeper.

  148. Avatar photo
    LaughingRaccoon

    I had this recipe a few years ago and lost it. It is delicious. All of the taste of cabbage rolls, without the aggravation. I am SO happy to have found it again. Color me happy.

  149. Made this last night – it was a hit!!! Here are my modifications… to the cabbage mixture, I added browned bacon pieces (probably not as low fat….) and sauerkraut (I know it sounds weird, but that's what my Hungarian mother-in-law puts in her cabbage rolls and they're awesome!!) This dish tasted like cabbage-rolls: with much less work!!! Thanks 🙂

  150. I tried this recipie last night and funny story…..I missed the 'cooked' rice part so stirred in raw rice (like jambalaya recipes) so from start to finish took me about 3 hours to cook the rice in the meat sauce. A few times I was starting to lose hope that it would cook but I wasn't giving up and it was worth the wait! My fiance told me that he wasn't sure he liked cabbage before I made it and after he ate it asked me if he could take it for lunch the next day and helped me package it up for future freezer meals. Very easy to make (if you use cooked rice as the recipie states!) and a really nice change! Thanks Gina!

  151. Had red cabbage, added 1 small can of tomato paste by accident and only cooked in oven for 15 minutes (to melt the cheese). It was STILL wonderful!

  152. This was so delicious. My husband loved it too. Had leftovers today for lunch and it was even better than last night. Will definitely make this again!

  153. Avatar photo
    Amanda Samuele

    i have mine in the oven now and just noticed you are supposed to measure out 2 cups of cooked rice. I measured out 2 cups before it was cooked, i hope it doesn't turn out dry 🙁

  154. We had this for dinner tonight and everyone went back for seconds. I used white rice since that is what I had on hand and next time will cut the amount of cheese in half, it was a little too much for me. I was told by my picky eater that this is a keeper!!

  155. My family didn't eat much cabbage growing up, so I'm new to cooking with it, but this was AMAZING! My husband and I loved it. Definitely a keeper!

  156. Avatar photo
    Melissa Cooper

    I made this about a week ago. I used ground turkey instead of ground beef, as I like the taste of turkey better. I accidentally used 2 whole heads of cabbage, and I didn't have any brown rice so I used white. It was DEEEELICIOUS, surprisingly low calorie, and made several meals for my boyfriend and I. It took me about an hour and a half to make, as I'm not very fast in the kitchen, but it was so worth it.

  157. Yet again a very delicious recipe. Everyone including my 2 year old loved it and it was gone quickly. Thanks for all the yummy recipes!

  158. This was great! I used sweet Italian sausage instead of the ground beef, only one head of cabbage as it would have overflowed out of my dish, and I also mixed everything together instead of layering it. Much easier than stuffing cabbage rolls, and you get more cabbage per serving! Yummy!

  159. I made this last weekend for Sunday lunch–it was delicious.
    Changes:
    used full-fat riccota mixed with one egg and 6 cheese Italian blend
    used 1 small can of tomato paste instead of tomato sauce, added water and simmered for two hours
    used meatloaf mixture (ground beef, veal and pork) in place of just ground beef
    added diced celery and chopped green pepper to the meat/tomato/onion mixture.
    cooked the cabbage and onions with two slices of bacon for flavouring.

    This is a recipe that will become part of my standards.
    Thanks!

  160. I adapted this wonderful recipe this past weekend for Sunday lunch. It was delicious and will be a recipe I go to regularly. Changes: used meatloaf blend (beef, veal, pork)instead of plain beef.
    used one can of tomato paste instead of tomato sauce
    added chopped celery and chopped green pepper to the meat/tomato/onion mixture
    boiled the cabbage with two slices of smoked bacon
    used full fat riccota with an egg mixed in
    used full fat Italian six-cheese blend.
    It was truly delicious, better than with traditional pasta, I think.
    Even better reheated for lunch today!
    Thanks!

  161. I adapted this wonderful recipe this past weekend for Sunday lunch. It was delicious and will be a recipe I go to regularly. Changes: used meatloaf blend (beef, veal, pork)instead of plain beef.
    used one can of tomato paste instead of tomato sauce
    added chopped celery and chopped green pepper to the meat/tomato/onion mixture
    boiled the cabbage with two slices of smoked bacon
    used full fat riccota with an egg mixed in
    used full fat Italian six-cheese blend.
    It was truly delicious, better than with traditional pasta, I think.
    Even better reheated for lunch today!
    Thanks!

  162. Avatar photo
    b3c97056-9fc4-11e2-abb2-000f20980440

    Made for dinner tonight. I have a suggestion for wilting the cabbage leaves. A tip from "The Microwave Gourmet", I cooked my whole head of cabbage for 5 minutes on high. Then I chopped the cabbage as directed.

  163. This was delish. I grew up eating rice every day so this was just perfect for me. My husband ate it and so did my picky 2 year old. I will definitely make this again. Janice

  164. Since this makes a lot, I make the whole recipe, but layer in each of 5 disposable loaf pans. Cook one that day; freeze the rest for later. 2 servings per loaf pan. Add cheese later, if using.

    1. Also – raise your hand if you are from Western Pennsylvania. (Hand went up here). Most people who like the idea of a Stuffed Cabbage casserole grew up in that area with older women relatives who made the real deal Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. I even had them at my wedding in Washington, PA, 31 years ago!!!!

  165. Just wanted to tell you, I made this for the second time tonight and my 9 mo old is gobbling it up! Love it! Thanks again Gina!

  166. A really wonderful dish (I never comment until I've actually MADE something!) Despite an "oops" in assembly – I originally forgot to add the rice, had it already in the pan when I remembered, so it was not neat layers but full on mixed casserole – it was great. Leftovers the next day even better. I made half the dish w/ one cup of shredded cheese, one half with not, for days I have more flexibility in points and those days I don't 🙂 Freezes well. Big hit here – and I would say for those who don't like the smell of cooked cabbage that it didn't smell "cabbage-y" and tasted mild (but tasty!)

  167. Tried this out tonight and really liked it. It made a lot for 2 people but I'm suspecting it freezes well so I'm happy about prepping once for 2 or more meals. LOL! Thank you!

  168. Returned to this (somehow forgotten about it), and made it with bison; lower fat than beef of any kind.

  169. It's in the oven right now! I did substitute ground turkey for ground beef. Did have enough cabbage though, so literately you need the amount of cabbage or more. I used also the chinese cabbage, so we'll see how that works!

  170. Just tried this. Took forever to make, so i probably wont do it on any ordinary day. But my husband loves it, so i might have to . lol

  171. I was very disappointed. It was quite a bit of work and smelled absolutely great through entire process somewhere in the baking it lost all flavor. I thought maybe I missed an ingredient but followed it to the very last step! 🙁

  172. I am new to your site, and just tried this casserole, it's a winner! Very easy to make and so good, tonight it's the fiesta stuffed peppers from your site, can't wait!

    Beth

  173. Avatar photo
    Mandy Carpenter

    This Recipe is AMAZING!!! The whole family loved it. You deff. need the cheese. You couldn't even taste that it was cabbage for you non cabbage lovers. I will deff. be making this again. Thanks so much for all your amazing recipes!!!

  174. This was delicious! I used 1.5 cups rice instead of 2 and added 2 tbsp brown sugar to the meat/onion/tomato mixture which gave it a little bit of sweetness. I cut it into 8 servings instead of 10 which so it was 6 points without cheese or 8 with. Very filling and so yummy!

  175. Avatar photo
    YouHadToBeThere

    This was delicious! Kinda time consuming, compared to the time I usually spend cooking, but worth it. This will definitely be a repeat at my house! My husband and friend loved it. We toasted rolls and had a side salad with it. Yum!

  176. This is delicious. Only thing I did different is I added soy crumbles instead of burger and used 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar instead of motzerella cause it has more taste. It is SO tastey and makes a lot.Perfect left overs!

  177. I love this idea but was thinking of substituting cabbage with sour kraut.. do you think it would still give same effect?

  178. i made this tonight but substituted with ground turkey. it turned out great and tastes great! omg im still stuffed, literraly! this is awesome and my 12 year old liked it too and she's picky, LOL.

  179. Making this tonight with quinoa (instead of rice) and soy crumbles (instead of meat). I think it will be great!

  180. This is so so good! We made it with ground turkey and it was fabulous!! Definite keeper recipe. Thank you so much for sharing Gina!

  181. It was delicious! Thank you for the great recipe that reminds me of my childhood stuffed cabbage but is healthier and easy to make.

  182. Made this tonight. Instead of ground beef, I used one pound of rotesserie chicken. Delicious! Great web site!

  183. Found this recipe on Pinterest. It was very tasty. My husband was skeptical and then went back for seconds. He calls it cabbage lasagna 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

  184. to freeze the leftovers, do i need to let it cool to room temp first? or should i "flash freeze" and stick in freezer right when it's done? thanks! i can't wait to make this!

    1. Usually when I freeze something that has been cooked or baked already I always let it cool first. Then you won’t get the ice crystals and as much condensation. You’ll probably be happier with the result when you go to defrost and eat it again!

  185. I just wanted to tell you how good this is! my husband and I topped it with a little ketchup and sriracha!! I was honestly surprised how many times he went back for leftovers. Thanks again!

  186. I decided to try this recipe on Sunday. So Yummy!! Great with garlic bread too..
    I left out the rice, used ground turkey, added couple of sliced black olives & a little more cheese. We have 2 picky eaters in the family, a 7 & 4 year old, they cleaned their plates! Yay!!
    Amazing! Delicious leftovers too!! I actually thought I would have a lot more leftovers but it's all gone :(. I guess that means it will be a definite go to recipe in this house!! Thank you, thank you!

  187. Avatar photo
    Rachel @ Bakerita

    Looks delicious! I've never had, or even heard of, cabbage casserole, but now I can't wait to try it!!

  188. Once you get everything measured out and cut up it is pretty easy! It was super delicious. I will definitely make this again and I love that you can easily freeze and re-serve.

  189. I've made this a couple times now and have had people ask for the recipe. (I always give credit where credit is due!)

    This week, I made it more like the stuffed cabbage my mom made while I was growing up, which is my favorite meal ever. I substituted a can of whole cranberry sauce for the petite diced tomatoes. AMAZING! Sounds weird, I know, but try it for something different.

  190. Made this tonight for dinner and it was super DELICIOUS. The recipe made so much that we had leftovers for 2 more meals. So glad I tried this. Love stuffed cabbage but dont like all the work of rolling them. Same taste here but not the mess.

  191. Never made cabbage before. This looks and sounds amazing. Can't wait to make it tonight. Thanks!!!

  192. This was delicious! Super cheap to make and served with a small side salad, it was SO filling! I was almost sure that I would be able to eat two servings, but I was only able to finish one! Thanks for this recipe, I will definitely be using it often!

  193. This is by far my most favorite dish that I have made from your recipes! I love stuffed cabbage, and this recipe makes it so easy to enjoy those flavors that I crave. Thank you so much for this one!

  194. I made this tonight and it turned out great! I would also make one small change, 1/4 cup of water isn't enough… I ended up using 1/2 cup, but think that 3/4 cup would have been better 😉

    Thanks for the great recipes!

  195. I have made this per the instructions before but because of the heat, I am trying this in the crock pot. I added everything but the cheese and rice. I will top it with cheese for the last hour it is cooking and I will serve the rice on the side. I will let you know how it goes! Thank you for your recipes!

  196. This is amazing. I've never cooked cabbage before, but had some from my CSA share. I was searching for cabbage recipes and found this. Boy am I glad I did!

  197. Ok, wow, I guess the first two times I tried to post a comment, it went through when I thought it didn't.
    Sorry about that!!

  198. Let me first start by saying that I LOVE Skinnytaste. I make something from this site at least 4 times a week and have never been disappointed. Based on all of the great reviews for this recipe, I had really high hopes for this. I also love cabbage and have made cabbage rolls many times in the past.
    Unfortunately, both myself and my husband thought this was, well, awful. 🙁 He actually said "please don't ever make this again".
    Here are the issues I found with it:
    1 1/2 heads of cabbage is way too much for this casserole. I ended up picking a ton out while eating it, and was left with a HUGE mound on my plate of extra cabbage.
    The cabbage was also pretty hard and undercooked. I had cooked it on the stove until it was wilted and almost done and then it cooked in the oven for an hour. I would suggest cooking it completely on the stove first.
    The cabbage requires A LOT of salt in order to taste ok. I had salted it while cooking and actually thought it might be too much, but it needed a TON more while eating it. I would also suggest seasoning the beef when you cook it so it doesn't just taste like hamburger meat.
    There wasn't enough sauce in this recipe. The rice soaked up all of it (and I used less rice than called for). I would suggest putting extra sauce into the layers when assembling this.
    Finally, we did not care for the combination of the mozzarella cheese and cabbage. While it looked delicious, it didn't taste that way.
    Unfortunately, I actually dumped the remaining casserole directly into the garbage and won't be making this again. This is quite disappointing because, as I said, I've never tried a Skinnytaste recipe I didn't like (and I'm a huge supporter!!).
    If you plan to make this, I would highly suggest following my tips for a better result. In the future, I will stick with the traditional cabbage rolls I've made in the past.

  199. Let me start by saying, that I love Skinnytaste – I make something from here almost every single night. I also really like cabbage and have made cabbage rolls many times in the past. Based on all of the amazing reviews here, I had really high hopes for this one.
    Unfortunately, this was the first thing I've ever made that my husband literally said "please do not make this ever again".
    Here's why:
    It was EXTREMELY bland. Even after I salted the meat while cooking (which the recipe doesn't say to do), salted the sauce, and salted the cabbage (to the point I thought it might be too salty), It needed A LOT more salt.
    1 1/2 heads of cabbage is WAY too much. It probably would've been good with NO MORE than 1 head maybe even less than that.
    The cabbage was hard and undercooked. I cooked it almost all the way on the stove, and then an hour in the oven, but it was still hard. I would suggest cooking it completely on the stove first.
    It was VERY dry. The rice soaks up all of the tomato sauce. If you are used to saucy cabbage rolls as I am, I highly suggest adding extra sauce when you are assembling the casserole.
    We also did not like the flavor combination of the mozarella cheese and cabbage – I would never combine those two every again. Yuck.
    While it looked really appetizing, it unfortunately didn't taste that way.
    I'm usually a big advocate of "left over night", but immediately after dinner, I threw the remaining one half of the casserole directly into the garbage can 🙁
    To address a comment above, this is NOT a quick and easy recipe. It took me nearly an hour to put it all together, and then it has to bake for an hour. In the future, I think I will stick to traditional cabbage rolls, but to those thinking about making this, please follow my tips above and possibly yours will turn out much better.

  200. Let me first start off by saying that I love Skinnytaste. I have never made something from here that we haven't LOVED. Unfortunately, this is the first recipe that my husband literally said "please don't ever make this again". I was really expecting it to be great, based on all of the reviews above, and past experience with Skinnytaste. I also really love cabbage and have made the traditional cabbage rolls many times in the past.

    As Becky said above, one of the main issues, was that it was dry.
    Here are some tips if you are going to make this:
    1) Add extra tomato sauce to it. After mixing the rice with the beef, it soaked up all of the tomato sauce, and was VERY dry.

    2) Season the meat, sauce and cabbage with SALT. The meat should be seasoned while cooking, so it doesn't just taste like bland hamburger meat with tomatoes. The cabbage needs A LOT of salt in order to taste good, otherwise it will be extremely bland.

    3) This is WAY too much cabbage for this recipe. I had to take a bunch out while I was eating it, and was left with a huge pile of cabbage in my plate.

    4) Cook the cabbage completely before putting into the casserole. I cooked it almost all the way as the recipe says, but it was still very hard after baking in the oven.

    We also did not care for the combination of mozzarella cheese and cabbage. While it looked really appetizing, it didn't taste that way.
    So to sum up, extra sauce, lots of salt, use less cabbage and cook it completely before baking. (Oh, and it is NOT fast and easy). It took me nearly an hour to put it all together and then it needs to bake another hour. Needless to say, we ate a very late dinner).
    In the future, I will just stick with cabbage rolls.

  201. Me and my family enjoyed this meal!! I made a mistake and added too much rice but I just added tomato juice and it was much better!!! Thank you so much for these recipes!!! 🙂

  202. I just made this and I would change one thing. I cooked the meat, sauce, onion mixture for the time instructed and then added the rice. The mixture was rather dry so when I baked the casserole it was like meat and rice on top of cabbage, not really the moist casserole that is shown in the picture. I poured tomato juice on top when i added my cheese. This helped marry the two layers better but I was left with a runny tomato like juice in the bottom of the pan. I'm hoping next time that if I don't cook the tomato sauce down as much as directed, the problem will be solved without having to add juice.

  203. This was delicious. Would have been easier if I already had the cooked rice in the fridge, so it took a little time to get this ready and in the oven. Makes a lot! I will be giving some to a widow from our church for one of her meals! I think she will like it!

  204. Made this with ground turkey breast not ground beef. Was awesome! & easy to prep ahead of time; when ready just layer together & bake. Delicious! Surprisingly not much cabbage odor while reducing it either. Hurrah!

  205. I made this on Thursday night w/ ground chicken, it was delicious! Super filling & cheesy….no guilt eating. Love it and I'm spreadin the word. Thank you!

  206. I made this last night and it was awesome! Thank you so much. I was looking for something to get me out of the grilled chicken and tilapia stump. I used half of the thyme (as I don't care for it too much) and added a little crushed red pepper flakes to the meat mixture while it was simmering. Gave it a little kick. Again, this was a great recipe and I will definitely recommend it to people.

  207. Hi Gina! I plan on making this today but I can't find sweet Hungarian paprika anywhere! Any substitute suggestions? I read that regular paprika is completely different..

  208. Tried this today and it was good. I would leave out the thyme next time as I don't care for that flavor very well.

  209. We loved this and it's even tastier the next day. A perfect way to use leftover cabbage from St. Patrick's day, and it freezes well!

  210. OK is this a crazy idea? I was looking for a stuffed pepper recipe so came to check out yours – which looks good but not exactly what I was looking for. I have a half a head of cabbage left from something else and remembered this recipe. I think I will make this (with just the cabbage I have left all mixed int) and stuff peppers with it. Also using ground turkey and regular paprika.

  211. I just made this and love it. Although time consuming, I'll definitely make it again. I did not have paprika and only used one head of cabbage. I think the next time I'd use the suggested amount of 1-1/2 heads of cabbage. Mine sorta dried out while baking but think it was because I had no foil to cover it. I may try another can of tomato sauce and/or diced tomatoes next time. Regardless, it's one of those dishes you can tweak and make your own or follow recipe to the letter, and you will not be disappointed!

  212. Mine is currently in the oven, cannot wait to try it – just one thing I realised half way through – maybe my cabbages were way too big? After cutting one half and getting part way through cutting another half, I already had more than sufficient cabbage. I kind of had a cabbage freak out!
    I also think for the amount of cabbage I had I would use more meat/tomato next time as the layers barely covered the cabbage. Not sure if that's the idea or not…
    Loved the reader above who made it more Lebanese style – I was thinking of adding a bit of cinnamon and all spice as well as I'm used to my grandma's boiled cabbage rolls – maybe try next time!

  213. Love this recipe! I didn't have brown rice when I was cooking this so I subbed Quinoa cooked in chicken broth and it was amazing!

  214. Avatar photo
    lauren from PA

    Just found your website a week ago, and this is already the second recipe I've tried. This blog is so inspiring, I already have a fridge full of fresh ingredients, and a freezer full of ready to eat, portioned meals. I love cabbage rolls, so this casserole is perfect. Personally, I found one large head of cabbage to be enough, but if you like the flavor – the more the merrier. I also realized too late I was out of dried thyme, but substituted some fresh rosemary I had on hand. Next time, I would add more sauce for my own taste, but overall this recipe and idea were totally killer. thank you so much!

  215. Avatar photo
    BlessedNanny

    I was planning on making cabbage rolls for dinner last night since I had a large cabbage to use, when I decided to check your recipes and I found this. It sounded good and easier, well it was a winner! I also used ground turkey and I had leftover white rice I used. Thanks for all the great recipes plus the point values for this lifetime WW!

  216. Made this the other night. It was really good, I used turkey and a spicy tomato sauce. Fabulous!!! I froze one as well. Thanks Gina for the great recipes. This site is a lifesaver for anyone on WW or just wanting to make healthy recipes.

  217. Made this last night- one to eat one to freeze. It was great. I used spicy tomato sauce and added some saurkraut to the sauce, my husband and I really liked it.

  218. This was so delicious! My two year old ate it by the handful. You have one more HUGE fan right here!

  219. It was super yummy, but one & a half heads of cabbage was a little too much. Next time I will use just one head of cabbage. My son liked it so much that he went back for a third helping!!

  220. I made this and it was so good! I just posted it today in my "Your Recipe-My kitchen" post with a link back to you -stop by and see.

  221. Gina, my grandmother was of Czech descent so I adore stuffed cabbage but can't be bothered to take the time to make it, so this recipe has become our new family favorite! I tweaked it a bit with red pepper flakes the second time I made it because it didn't have enough spice for us. I wanted to make it (and 4 other meals) on my day off yesterday, so I used the bagged coleslaw mix to save some chopping time and it came out great! I also used diced tomatoes with chile peppers and an Italian blend cheese. We love, love, love this dish!!! Thanks so much!

  222. I live in Alaska.. I check skinnytaste every other friday for all of my recipes for the following 2 weeks dinner menu.. That way I can have all of my ingredients at home and not have to travel to town for one thing or another. My recipe box is filling up! Used to be that I had to think and think to plan a menu and could never get enough days filled.. Now I have so many delicious recipes that I have more recipes than days to fill 🙂 I substitute moose for beef and sometimes turkey and you cannot tell the difference! I LOVE how easy your site is and how much easier my life it with it! Thank you!!

  223. I made this tonight, using the bagged slaw. It was amazing! I had to throw the leftovers in the fridge quickly to stop myself from eating another piece. It seemed bland as I was tasting, but after I baked it, the flavors came together really well. Even my picky 9 year old, who hates all vegetables that aren't peas, cleaned his plate.

  224. I made this the other night. Was very delish. Kind of like lasagna with cabbage instead of noodles. Next time I will use turkey meat to make calories even less. I just used one 32oz can fire roasted chopped tomatoes rather than sauce.

  225. Oh wow, I would be interested in the above poster's version with venison. I am using turkey. I seasoned the meat while browning as I have found this helps add flavor when using turkey (which can be a little bland). I also steamed and blended carrots (about 1 cup) into the tomato sauce before adding it to the pan. I have always done this with my tomato sauces when my son was young. It adds a vibrant color and nice subtle taste. I will skip the cheese, as I have never eaten stuffed cabbages in this manner. The other addition to the sauce is a little sauerkraut. Odd, I know, but this is how a lot of locals make their stuffed cabbage. My kitchen smaells so yummy right now……onto making the cauliflower soup 🙂

  226. If you substitute the low-fat mozzarella for fat-free mozzarella cheese or eliminate from recipe, it fits into the WW Simply Filling plan. Very filling, this recipe is now a staple in my WW plan. YUM!!

  227. I love cabbage, but trying to stay away from beef. Trying it this weekend with venison, a leaner alternative to beef. Can't wait to try it!

  228. This is wonderful, comfort food at its finest! I grew up eating stuffed cabbage and like it sweet and sour. My husband contributed the juice of 1 lemon and I substituted chili sauce for the tomato sauce. Hope that didn't mess up the counts too much! It is delicious!

  229. Ok, I went to the store and got all the ingredients to make this but could not find the Hungarian paprika. Can I use regular paprika??

  230. Gina,
    This is soo delicious!! I am Ukrainian and grew up making and eating stuffed cabbage. This version is the best I've ever had, perfect for my taste. I love it! Thanks for sharing it here with the nutritional information.
    I found your blog a few months ago when searching for healthy food blogs and fell in love. Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes and taking the time to calculate the nutrition data for all of us calorie counters out there!
    -Natalia

  231. I made this for my whole family ~ THEY LOVED IT!! My 4 year old ate 2 helpings this was a Definate winner!!!

  232. OMG!! I made this tonight in anticipation of it being tomorrow nights dinner. I took it out of the over and had to have a few sample bites to see how it tasted. Well needless to say it was AWESOME and I ended up have a small plate of it and started to go back for more and had to refrain myself. I will be making this again and again!

    Gina, would this be easy enough to do in a crock pot and would any changes need to be made to the recipe in order to cook it in a crock pot? Thanks for such a terrific recipe Gina!

  233. Made last night for dinner; it was yummy! Next time, I will probably use a can of Rotel toms to add some heat. Thanks for another great recipe!!

  234. I made this last night, but I didn't have cabbage and was too lazy to go to the store, so I used kale instead. Both my husband and I loved it – thanks for all your awesome recipes!

  235. My family loved this! It was even better the next day as leftovers for lunch. I didn't have mozzarella on hand, but I had low fat monterray jack cheese and that was a good substitute

  236. After several days of my husband giving me a hard time about my plans to make this dish ("I hate cabbage!), I finally bit the bullet & made it. This was so much easier to do than stuffed cabbage & super yummy. DH actually had seconds! So much for hating cabbage. 😉

  237. This was fabulous! Even my kids went for seconds. It's a keeper. I did use ground turkey 93/7 instead of ground beef. YUM

  238. I made this last night with some not-so-skinny Italian sausage. It took a little longer to make then I thought it would. The results, "Honey, this is the best thing you've ever made for dinner. EVER." Thank you! This will be going in the winter menu rotation.

  239. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    So glad to read your positive reviews.

    Jenna, it's not a "weight watchers" recipe, just a healthy one!

    Angie, I didn't have anything to drain, but sure if you had liquid or fat, drain it.

  240. I made this dish on Sunday and I'm sad to say that I ate my last portion today! I'm single so I halved the recipe. It's so simple to prepare but so flavorful – I love that I get a hearty serving of veggies in without having to do a separate veggie side dish.

  241. Hi Gina – love your site. Two notes:

    Were we supposed to drain the meat? I did.

    and Even though I did drain the meat, I had alot of liquid pooled in the bottom of the pan so after I got the first row of servings out, I propped one of the short ends of the dish with a cookie sheet and let the juice drain from the other end that still was in tact and then soaked up the juice with paper towels. I repeated that two more times. Today it was very uniform and in tact and easy to cut leftovers from.

    Loved the recipe – very filling.

  242. I put this together yesterday and had my doubts as I was putting it together because it just looked bland. I cooked it today and all I have to say is YUM! I ended up dividing it into 8 pieces and I ended up eating 1 and a half pieces! This is definitely a repeat! Thanks for all your great recipes!!

  243. Just made this for dinner, was lovely. Although I used soymince to make it vegetarian. Would make it again for sure. We served it with spiced potato wedges.

  244. I made this casserole last night- it was delicious! Great job Gina! It is the perfect "healthy" comfort food on a cold night. Everyone at our table devoured it, and thought it was really filling and delicious. Highly recommended recipe!

  245. Help! I have everything to make this EXCEPT for thyme! My local grocery store is out and the stuff I had was WAY old so I threw it out, thinking, I'll just buy new!(That's what I get for thinkin!) Should I sub. something or just leave it out?

  246. Just made this and it was FABULOUS!! My mom was skeptical because it is a "weight watchers" recipe, but when she walked in the door and smelled/ saw what I was cooking, she HAD TO HAVE IT and LOVED IT!! Absolutely DELICIOUS (like everything else I've made from this site….) Thanks!! 🙂

  247. Mmmm! Made this tonight, and ohhhhh myyyy it was wonderful!! Even MORE wonderful is the fact that it is gluten-free! Doubled the batch so I have a nice dish in the freezer to take my best friend who has Celiac this week after her surgery. I'm HOOKED. 😉

  248. Never had this before, so gonna give it a shot for tomorrow's dinner, using soy mince instead of beef.

    Is there any particular type of cabbage? I have some leftover savoy and some spring greens, hope they will be okay.

  249. Avatar photo
    Godsy Girl(TM)

    This dish delivered! I used ground turkey, added some red pepper flakes for punch and I had a meal that will carry through my second week of WW.

    Thanks for sharing!

  250. I made this for dinner tonight, and it was so good! I used more than a pound of meat so I added a second can of tomato sauce, and to save calories, I didn't use the cheese. I also used a blend of brown, red, and black rice. SO good. My grandmother, Honey, used to make cabbage rolls. This recipe was as good as hers and easier! Thanks!!

  251. I made this last night and it turned out great. I love the suggestion from the other comments to use pre-shredded cabbage. I'll try that next time.

    This meal is very good for someone who likes to have leftovers to freeze or eat later in the week.

  252. I made this tonight for the first time, and it is amazing! I will defintely add this to my weeknight rotation!

  253. I made this recipe and it was great! It is much better the second day so plan to make it ahead of time and reheat.

  254. Made this last night and followed the recipe as is. Absolutely delicious! My husband was skeptical about the baked cabbage at first, but after one bite, he took that all back! He said, "It tastes like lasagna." So excited for leftovers today!

  255. Hello! I've just started WW and this is the first recipe I've made from your site and can I just say YUM!!! (I added some red pepper flakes for a little punch)-I had it every day for lunch since the recipe makes such a good portion and already Im down 3lbs my first week 🙂 I am so happy to have found this site, its going to make cooking at home on WW much easier – thank you!

  256. So warm and yummy on a cold night. Made it with a 16 oz bag of tri color cole slaw instead of dealing with the cabbage head…because I'm lazy like that. Didn't add the cheese to save on calories and it was delicious…especially with a little sriracha sauce on top 🙂

  257. Gina, I <3 you! My 1 year WW anniversary was this week and I've lost 50 pounds since I started. I certainly couldn't have done it without your awesome recipes.

    This casserole was absolutely awesome. I'm not a huge cabbage fan but my bf grew up on cabbage rolls so I figured we'd give it a whirl. I added saffron (since that's in his family recipe) and left off the cheese. We both loved it! This is totally a keeper in my book.

  258. To Anonymous. If a recipe says 2 Cups of cooked rice – it means cook the rice & then measure out 2 cups. If it says 2 cups of rice, cooked. Then it means to measure out 2 cups of rice & cook it. Actually I think Gina typically would say 2 cups of uncooked rice & then talk about cooking it in her recipe if she measured the uncooked rice in her ingredients list – at least that's what I've found. Hope that helps! (so in this recipe you'd need to measure your rice after you cook it).

  259. I asked you last week, but you didnt understand my question. The recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked rice. Did you measure 2 cups of dried rice first, and than cooked it & put it into the recipe? Or did you cook a pot of rice, than went and measured out 2 cups of already cooked rice. I am asking, because as you know, there is a big difference in 2 cups of dried rice and 2 cups of already cooked rice. I do understand that the rice needs to be cooked before putting it into the recipe. Thanks, Holly

  260. Avatar photo
    Cindy Swanson

    I made this tonight and my husband absolutely LOVED it. It was wonderful…and I have a feeling the left-overs will be even better!

    Cindy at Notes in the Key of Life

  261. I made this casserole this past weekend and it was very good. Even my grandma, who is as picky as anyones child loved it. Hamburger could easily be replaced with ground turkey. I also took the left over meat sauce with some of the cheese, and a little salsa placed on a fajita flour wrap. It was really good too.

  262. This was very good! I halved the recipe, since it's just me.I baked it, then I put the rest in single serve portions that I've frozen. Mmmmm.

  263. I made this tonight with the only modification being ground turkey instead of beef. It was delicious! My 5 & 7 year old actually didn't even comment when I put it in front of them (normally one of them complains about a new dish) and my 7-year old gobbled it up. (5-year old ate a little more timidly but she's at "that age"). It's going in the standard rotation!

  264. Made this last night! LOVED IT! Tastes just like my Grandfathers Stuffed Cabbage, minus all the work! Will definitely be a regular in our house

  265. Gina,
    I made this on Sunday afternoon and have been taking it for lunch all week. It keeps getting better!!

    I didn't use the cheese, but I did add some dried cranberries for sweetness. Delicious!! Thanks for your efforts!!

  266. I made this last night also. It was delish! I did add half of a sauteed green pepper chopped fine to the sauce and 1 pack of splenda. I only used 1 cup of cheese, so it felt less sinful..LOL I also cut it in 8 pieces, which doing the math was almost 9 points. My husband loved it. I divided the 6 portions in half this morning (4.5 pts) and had one for lunch. It is even better reheated! This will be a staple on my WW from now on!

  267. I made this last night, and literally DIED BECAUSE IT WAS SO AMAAAAAAAAAAAAAZZZZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME THANK YOU!

  268. I've made a version of this recipe but found a GREAT shortcut! I use one bag of "pre-bagged coleslaw mix" from the produce section. Then, there's no need to chop the cabbage. Worked out great! Just thought I'd share this time-saving tip. : )

  269. Hello from Colorado! I am making this right now! It is easy and smells delicious! I have never had stuffed cabbage but when I saw this recipe I just had to make it! Thank you for sharing! I think this is going to turn out GREAT!

  270. I made this on the weekend and my fiancé was RAVING about it. I tweaked it a bit with my favorite cabbage roll spices (cinnamon, allspice) and didn't use quite the same amount of cabbage because I only had one head but it was still great. Lots of leftovers to stick in the freezer for his lunch! I made it without the cheese as he is lactose intolerant, but I am guessing that would have made it even better!

  271. Made this over the weekend for my parents – absolutely delicious. We may not make traditional stuffed cabbage anymore!

  272. I made this tonight. I added carne asada seasoning to the meat mixture and added a little water to the cabbage to steam it a little more. I love this recipe and my dear hubby loved it too =)

  273. Hi Gina. Just found your blog a few days ago. Love what you do here. thank you for sharing your time and talent. Many blessings for a very happy new year!
    Adrienne

  274. Supper delicious! Excellent to make on Sunday and eat during the week for lunch or as a side dish. I added a bay leaf during the simmer process. THANK YOU Gina for your recipes…because of you I know I can do WW long term! You're an inspiration!

  275. Made this last night and it was delicious! So easy, inexpensive, and doesn't taste "healthy". Thanks Gina…your recipes never disappoint. I've managed to stay on plan (WW) and lost weight through the holidays thanks to so many of your recipes.

  276. This was wonderful! I made mine with ground turkey, added some diced carrot, subbed wine for water, and added some vinegar to the cabbage. We have plenty for leftovers… yum!

  277. We tried this exact recipe and it is delicious. It tastes wonderful right out of the oven, and even better a day or two later. A big plus that it freezes and microwaves well for a quick satisfying meal. This is going into my "go to" list of freezable dinners….loved it!

  278. Avatar photo
    Denise Keeley

    i am most definitely adding this to my recipe binder….i might just have to bump something off my jan or feb menu calendar to make this before march LOL…

  279. Just made this tonight, with lentils instead of ground beef to make it vegetarian. It came out really well! We used a combo of sharp cheddar and pepperjack cheese. I think an extra layer of cheese between the layers will make it perfect next time.

  280. Avatar photo
    justanothergal

    Thanks for inspiring me to finally try a deconstructed version of stuffed cabbage in my crock…it worked AWESOME!…I only used one head of cabbage though cooked it on high for 1 hr and 4 hrs on low. Also I skipped browning the meat altogether knowing that it was going in the crock for a while..I just mixed the raw meat with the sauted onion and rice and layered it. So easy and it got the thumbs up approval from my polish mom

  281. I made this tonight as well and LOVED it. It's wonderful just the way it is, but next time I might try to spice it up just a little.

  282. This was excellent…. I added a few pinches of cayenne and I used quinoa instead of brown rice and it was fantastic! Will def repeat this recipe.
    Thanks Gina!

  283. Made this tonight and it was SO good! Instead of the mozza cheese, I just sprinkled 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese on top and instead of tomato sauce, I used spicy pasta sauce. The diced tomatoes I used were spicy as well. I expected the end result to be super spicy, but it wasn't – had a nice flavor though 🙂 This is going on my favorites list!! (along with all the other Skinny Taste recipes I've made!!) Thanks!!

  284. I just finished eating this for dinner and it was amazing! I had to sub 93% lean ground turkey (20oz package) for beef because that's all I had. I will definitely make this one again. Thanks for all the great recipes!

  285. Cabbage is my new favorite vegetable to eat right now. I'm so glad to see this posting. Fixed it on Friday and turned out wonderful. And the leftovers turned out well also. Thanks for sharing all your great recipes.

  286. This is incredibly delicious!!! The first batch didn't last long with our family, so making it again tonight! Will have to add this as a regular menu item! Thanks for sharing!!!

  287. I made this dish today and LOVED it. Even my three year old ate just about every bite. Thanks so much. It's just she and I so I baked this in two dishes and will take one to a co-worker for her and her husband tomorrow. Even better to share!

  288. Looks like a recipe I'll have to try. My family is from Eastern Europe and I remember as a child my grandmother making stuffed cabbage rolls for us and they were so good. Unfortunately, I never got a recipe from her before she died. I was only 21 at the time, in college and didn't have my mind on those sorts of things. I found a very labor intensive one by Tyler Florence and have it book-marked but have yet to attempt it. This looks way easier. Hopefully I'll get my kids to eat it too. They're not picky but you never know. There's a 1st for everything!

  289. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Kelly, sure soy crumbles would work to make this vegetarian or even vegan.

    To the person who asked what cabbage is, it has a distinct flavor and smell so I'm sure the kids would know it's there. Try it, they might like it! You could easily make half as a test.

    I'm so glad you all liked it and loved hearing your adaptations to this, I bet all your versions were wonderful.

  290. Hi Gina!
    I Have tried a couple of your recipes lately ( I will post on the others as well) and I defintely plan on trying more!
    This casserole was truly delicious! My husband's Ukrainian Grandmother makes cabbage rolls and he loves them. I have no desire to compete with her cabbage rolls, or spend all that time making them! This was reminiscent of the tradtional dish while being incredibly simple to make!
    I did use a little smoked paprika in addition to the sweet. Not sure how much of a difference it made, but it was delicious!
    Thanks!
    Lisa

  291. Bet you could use Ro-tel instead of the canned tomatoes if you wanted a little spice in it. But this looks great will have to give it a try

  292. I made this for our Steelers playoff party, today. I layered a small can of sauerkraut on top. I drained,rinsed and squeezed most of the water off. Took a taste and is very yummy. My mom made her halupkis with sauerkraut in the pot. Smells just like hers did when she cooked them. Leaving the cheese on the side for the guests to decide if they want to add. Thanks for the lightened recipe, Gina! Much appreciated.

  293. Yummy,yummy. I made this yesterday and my family realy enjoyed it. My 3 boys under 5 ate the whole thing so did my husband and I. A keeper for sure. I will probably add a little more cabbage but very good as it is. Thanks Gina

  294. I have actually never tried cabbage. What is this like/taste like? Is it kid friendly? Can you tell there is cabbage in the dish?

  295. Avatar photo
    Angie All The Way

    I've got it in the oven right now! I will say though that I only used half of a head of cabbage and it was plenty. Not sure if there's a major size difference in our cabbage?

    I love this as an alternative to cabbage rolls. Basically the same ingredients, but no tedius boiling whole cabbage leaves and then stuffing/rolling!

  296. I just made this tonight. I've never had stuffed cabbage before but it looked so enticing, I had to try it! OMG! Delicious.

    Thank you for all that you do for us!

  297. Avatar photo
    Ginny Hartman

    A-mazing!!!! I've tried quite a few of your recipes and love them. Your site has been a lifesaver with sticking to my ww diet. I had cabbage rolls on my menu plan for the week and saw this and I like it even better then traditional cabbage rolls! You are a genius!!!!! Thanks for sharing your talents with us.

  298. Hi Gina
    This looks really good.. what would you suggest to use instead of groud beef to make it vegetarian?? I am thinking soy crumbles, lentils, ground walnuts, or more rice?
    Thanks 🙂
    Kelly

  299. I want this now!!! It reminds me of this cabbage casserole my mom makes. A fave of mine that I ate by the ginormous bowl-full.

  300. This is a wonderful dish. I made it for supper tonight and it was a big hit.
    Thanks for all the wonderful recipes.

  301. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    I'm glad you all liked it!!

    Sarah, you could make it without the rice but I don't think it would be as filling.

    This recipe calls for cooked rice, not 2 cups uncooked.

    This was 18 cups of uncooked cabbage after I shredded it.

    Janet, you could probably layer my skinny mashed potatoes, sauerkrout and then the rest of the ingredients. It make more servings for sure.

    Yes, you could use ground turkey instead, no rules in cooking!

    Regular paprika would work if you don't have Hungarian.

  302. I made this last evening for dinner. I didn't cook the rice or the cabbage first. I added the rice to the meat sauce and simmered for about 20 minutes. I did have to add a little water to keep moist. Then layered that in the dish with the chopped cabbage. I also used ground turkey. It was AWESOME! I will definitely make again. Next time I am going to use quinoa instead of rice. Can't wait!

  303. I made this last night. It was a hit. I did add a dash of cinnamon, allspice and about 1/4 tsp Splenda to the meat mixture. I think next time I'll add some crushed red peppers to give it some kick.

  304. Gina,
    This recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked brown rice. Do you mean brown rice already cooked measuring out to be 2 cups, or 2 cups of brown rice measured out than cooked? Sorry, I guess its a dumb question, but I want to make this, so I need to ask.

  305. I love stuffed cabbage and this looks extra easy- thanks Gina!

    I recently found this recipe- http://www.wholeliving.com/133359/asian-stuffed-cabbage?czone=eat-well/seasonal-foods/winter&center=136760&gallery=136379&slide=133360- do you think it could be made as a casserole?

  306. When I made the recipe last night I used the coleslaw to save some time. I used two bags, but I could see using two and a half. However, my cassarole was a little bit bigger because I used more than one pound of meat. I also used venison which was wonderful! Will be making this again!!!!

  307. Made this last night with my homemade sauce. It was SO good. Fire roasted tomatoes might be a nice change-up. Also, I would use some parmesan cheese and less mozzarella. Thanks for another great recipe.

  308. Made this for the family last night but substituted Italian seasoned ground turkey for the ground beef. Delicious.

  309. My mom used to make the stuffed cabbage rolls, and she would serve it over a bed of saurkraut over a bed of mashed potatoes. i am wondering how i could incorporate the kraut into this dish? any ideas?

  310. Wow! You have done it again. Just had the "Stuffed Cabbage" for dinner yum, yum, yum! Thank you Gina, for all of the help you give.

  311. I couldn't find the sweet paprika the reciped called for-will it make much of a difference to use regular paprika? Thanks

  312. Avatar photo
    Willa@ArmstrongFamilyFare

    This looks really good! Just pinned it and added it to next weeks menu! Thanks for sharing such a delicious looking dish!

    Willa

  313. I made this last night and ate 2 pieces, it was SO GOOD! It tasted a lot like lasagna! This was extremely man/kid friendly! THIS WAS AMAZING!

  314. I've always wanted to make stuffed cabbage rolls but have never gotten around to it, but this recipe looks so easy I have no excuse not to try them!

  315. Im syrian and can remember eating stuffed cabbage at my jiddo and tete's house all the time growing up…. Cannot wait to try this version as it seems a bit less time consuming!

  316. That reminds me a lot of this dish, which I love the flavors of, but not so much the work in making it!

    http://www.justhungry.com/japanese-layered-cabbage-casserole-kyabetsu-no-kasaneni

  317. Could you please tell me how many cups of cabbage this requires??? I prefer to buy the bagged coleslaw ….

  318. I made this last night. It sure does make a good amount. We'll eat it today and tomorrow and have some in the freezer. Thanks!

  319. Does anyone know if you make it with ground turkey instead what the calorie difference would be or the weight watcher points?

  320. Love this idea! Going to give it a try with steaming the cabbage and not shredding the cabbage but using the leaves as lasagna noodles.
    Thanks Gina!

  321. My husband hates tomatoes. He will only eat tomato sauce that has no sign of tomato pieces. He would not do the diced tomatoes. Could I add more tomato sauce in place of the diced tomatoes? If so, how much extra do you think I would need? I really want to make this.

  322. As heads of cabbage vary in size, do you know how many cups this recipe requires? Sounds delicious !

  323. This looks awesome! I'm trying to do the low to no carb thing, do you recommend a variation that does not use brown rice?

  324. I already tried it – even my kids liked it.
    And it is already bookmarked for repeats.

    Cabbage is very healthy!
    You can use savoy cabbage as well – it cooks much faster and its a little different from the taste.
    Throw in some capers and you have a new version.

  325. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Rebecca, and she is very sweet in person too!!

    Without the cheese it won't be as pretty, but you just want to make sure it's all bubbly and hot.

    Kalyn, tell your friend we loved it too!

    Eleanor, I think quinoa would be great!

    Chum, I bet that would be great. Can you believe I never had Lebanese food before, I may have to go try it!

    Peanutbutter, that's great!

    Thanks Deb, will have to try those crumbles someday. Great alternative for vegetarians.

    Jackie, I like cabbage too!

  326. My husband loves stuffed cabbage – I have a great crock pot recipe for that but, this looks so good and easy! I have learned that I actually really like cabbage too and it is CHEAP! Think this will go in the file for February meal planning 🙂

  327. Gina,
    Another alternative to ground beef or turkey are the Boca or Morning Star(my preference) crumbles. Sometimes the crumbles can be a bit – shall we say, chewy, but in this recipe you never notice.
    I recommend your site to everyone I know. Thank you for doing this.
    Deb

  328. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Running to the Kitchen

    I swear layered foods taste better! 😉 I love this because it looks like a lasagna but really isn't. A great way to use up some cabbage too!

  329. Avatar photo
    peanutbutterandpeppers.com

    What a great combo! I would never of thought of using Cabbage! Funny my friend at work was talking about your blog today, and I told her I knew it, she almost fell over! I love you blog, and she told me she just discovered you and is planning on making some of your recipes!

  330. Hi Gina,

    This looks interesting and I can't wait to try it. I might make a little deviation, though and try an alternative version with cinnamon and a touch of allspice, instead of the paprika, etc., to give it the Lebanese cabbage roll taste (though without cheese). I often deconstruct my family's Lebanese recipes into soups or even just one-pot meals to save time when I'm not preparing them for a special occasion. I am a lazy cook sometimes but crave foods I grew up with when I am homesick for family. Thanks for this and congrats on all the awards! You deserve them.

  331. Do you think I could use quinoa instead of brown rice? I happen to have a fair amount just sitting in the fridge…

  332. Avatar photo
    Tammy at Tammy Loves Dishes

    I can't wait to try this recipe. My husband loves stuffed cabbage and is sure to enjoy this. I will enjoy it with the addition of the cheese!

  333. This is such a great recipe. We tried it from Kalyn's blog a few months back and it's a winner. We divided it into two 9" square pans – baked one and froze one for later. Worked out really well.

    1. I LOVE this idea. My boyfriend and I couldn't eat two whole pans, but splitting it sounds perfect!

    2. I LOVE this idea. My boyfriend and I couldn't eat two whole pans, but splitting it sounds perfect!

  334. I've made a version of this, and even my kids liked it. As a working mom, I saved a little time by using a store-bought coleslaw mix in the bag. Fresh cut is better, but when choices are coleslaw bag or drive-thru, I think my family is better with the shortcut than the drive-thru. Keep up the great work! I love the pictures and recipes!

  335. This looks great! I love stuffed cabbage and this looks so good and easy to make too. I will be trying this and keeping leftovers for lunch the next day

  336. Avatar photo
    Melanie @ Just Some Salt and Pepper

    I don't think I have ever had stuffed cabbage but this looks quite yummy!

  337. Hi Gina. I am so glad you liked it. The woman who gave me the recipe just celebrated her 75th birthday and she was thrilled that I had posted her recipe.

  338. Gi- my grandma used to make the BEST stuffed cabbage…I will HAVE to make this as an homage to her. It looks really good.xoxo
    secretsofamomaholic.com

  339. Avatar photo
    Heather of Kitchen Concoctions

    I have never been a fan of stuffed cabbage (one bad experience totally ruined it for me). But I must say this looks absolutely amazing! Must try soon!

  340. This might be the recipe that finally convinces my husband to give cabbage a try. Our 2012 resolution is too eat more veggies. Thanks!

  341. I was just talking about making a modified cabbage roll today! Perfect timing..can't wait to make it!

  342. Avatar photo
    Chrissi Rogers

    Do you by chance know what the point difference would be if I used ground turkey rather than beef?

  343. Ahhh…my two all-time favorite blogs merge as one! That means I absolutely MUST try this! It looks fabulous!

  344. I found a recipe similar to this on allrecipes.com called cajun cabbage casserole and I am sooooo in love with it. I use ground turkey and add cayenne to up the kick factor but otherwise it's exactly the same.

    One of my favorite meals! Seriously! Something about cabbage… mmmmmm.

  345. I have a head of red cabbage in my fridge that I didn't have a clue what to do with…googling tells me red and green do not taste too much different?! may give it a shot!

  346. I have another recipe much like this. We like it better than the regular labor intensive Cabbage Rolls. I make it with ground turkey. I concur you must be a mind-reader as I was just thinking about this the other day and was wondering what a soup would be like. (Just add more canned diced tomatos or maybe some V-8?) For sure on the menu this weekend !

    1. Rachel Ray makes a Stuffed Cabbage Stoup that's very good. She calls it Stoup because it's soup but thick like stew.

  347. Leave out the cheese and this is all Power Foods and can be a great Simply Filling dish!! Thanks Gina!

  348. This recipe looks awesome I cant wait too try it…but im wondering if i used turkey instead how much lower would this recipe be?

  349. This looks amazing, I can't wait to make it! One question though – if I'm making it without the cheese, should I still do the last step of removing the foil and baking for an additional 20 minutes?

  350. Avatar photo
    Erin Rasmussen

    I saw this on Kalyn's blog when she posted it a while ago, it was amazing, and really big hit with my family! They said they preferred it to regular stuffed cabbage, and would like to put it in the rotation… Always a good thing!

  351. I swear you must be a mind reader! Just the other night my mom and I were talking about having stuffed cabbage for dinner, but how bad it probably was for you. This is awesome! We will definitely be giving this a try REAL soon.

  352. fantastic!! i was really really hoping you'd make a lighter version of Stuffed Cabbage! i think it's a perfect dish for the winter season. i'm going to try this tomorrow! thanks, Gina!

  353. Avatar photo
    Hilliary@ Happily Ever Healthy

    Oh wow this looks delicious! I would make it with ground turkey over the beef!

    And I totally agree with you I love the recap posts of recipes!

    1. Just made this tonight with quinoa instead of rice. So good!!! My only problem was I couldn't put my fork down!

    2. Found this recipe today and made it for supper. AMAZING!!!! Had a salad on the side and my family gobbled it all up. Thank you.

    3. Just got through eating this on the second day. Even better! The next time I am going to try making it more user friendly by stirring raw converted brown rice into the meat mixture and add a little more water. Also I will try not sauteing the cabbage before hand but putting it raw into the casserole dish. It may have to cook for a little while longer but I would save a pan. I did add pepper flakes to the sauce which I do with all tomato sauces. Traditional cabbage rolls do not have cheese and I think this would be good without it and you would save calories or I would replace the cheese with more meat. If you really want to simplify, you could use a store bought marinara sauce and add more garlic, thyme and smoked paprika.