These easy stuffed cabbage rolls are a hearty, fairly quick recipe to put together. Taco seasoning, cheese, and salsa add lots of flavor, and the rice gives a great texture as well as making the casserole more filling.
Your family will gobble them up, even if they don't like cabbage. It's mostly meat, and the cabbage adds nutrition and holds all the inside goodness together.
I think you'll find that these cabbage rolls are juicy, meaty, and delicious!
How to Make Cabbage Rolls
First, you will blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water to soften them so they're more easy to roll without ripping.
After you mix the ground beef, rice, cheese, and taco seasoning together well, you will divide the mixture into six equal-size balls for the filling (see above photo).
Next, you will place the meat ball about midway on the cabbage leaf with the thicker stem end of the cabbage on the top.
I like to fold the top down first. Then the bottom. Then the sides. Kinda like wrapping your baby in a receiving blanket 😉
Then you will turn the roll over where the seam is on the bottom (see photo below).
Next, it will be time to add the salsa and cheese and bake at 375 F for 40-45 minutes or until internal temperature is 165, cheese is browned, and stuffed cabbage casserole is bubbly.
Serve these easy stuffed cabbage rolls with your favorite sides like potatoes or green beans and bread like my Butter Biscuits recipe.
📋 Recipe
Easy Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 6 large cabbage leaves
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 Tbs garlic, minced
- 1 taco seasoning packet (I use McCormick)
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1-½ cup cheddar cheese, grated, divided
- 16 ounce salsa of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Blanch cabbage in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse, and let cool.
- In medium bowl, add ground beef, garlic, taco seasoning, rice, and ½ cup of cheese and blend thoroughly. Reserve the remaining cheese for topping.
- Lay one cooled cabbage leaf, stem at the top, on a large plate. Divide meat mixture into 6 balls. Add ball to cabbage leaf in the center. Fold down first the top of the leaf, then the bottom, then the two sides. Turn over and place in 6 x 9 casserole dish.
- Repeat until all 6 rolls are completed.
- Spoon salsa evenly over cabbage rolls, then cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 F.
Teresa says
I made this and we loved it. It starts off like my taco casserole, but without the chip carbs and lettuce on the side. I added Hatch green peppers. This is a keeper!
Sally says
Excellent! Thanks for letting me know, Teresa! The peppers sound like a great addition.