Lazy Cabbage Rolls (Stuffed Cabbage Casserole)

Name: Lazy Cabbage Rolls (Stuffed Cabbage Casserole)
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Home cooking
Ingredients: Ground pork and beef — 120 g; White cabbage — 120 g; Long-grain rice — 40 g; Onions — 40 g; Carrots — 40 g; Tomato paste — 15 g; Sour cream 15% — 30 g; Eggs — 0.5 pcs; Sunflower oil — 10 ml; Salt — 2 g

A hearty, one-pan dish of ground meat, rice, and cabbage baked in a creamy tomato-sour cream sauce—no rolling required.

Time: 50 min
Serving: 729 kcal
Ingredients: ≈ $2.51
Protein: 30 g

High protein Hearty Kid-friendly

Lazy Cabbage Rolls (Stuffed Cabbage Casserole)

Ingredients

1 Ground pork and beefpack 500 g ≈ $7.01 120 g
2 White cabbagepack 1.2 kg ≈ $2.40 120 g
3 Long-grain ricepack 800 g ≈ $1.94 40 g
4 Onions≈ $1.60 per kg 40 g
5 Carrots≈ $1.50 per kg 40 g
6 Tomato pastepack 140 g ≈ $1.00 15 g
7 Sour cream 15%pack 300 g ≈ $1.60 30 g
8 Eggspack 10 pcs ≈ $1.93 0.5 pcs
9 Sunflower oil 10 ml
10 Salt 2 g

Grey rows are pantry staples: salt, oil, spices. They are not counted in the serving price.

Method

Rinse the rice and cook in salted water for 7 minutes until half-done, then drain. Shred the cabbage finely, dice half the onion⁴, and grate the carrot⁵.
Mix the ground¹ meat, rice, cabbage, half the onion⁴, 1 egg, and salt until smooth. Shape into 6–7 cm (2.5–3 in) patties.
Sear the patties in oil over medium heat for 3 minutes per side until golden. Transfer to a plate.
In the same pan, sauté the remaining onion⁴ and carrot⁵ for 4–5 minutes. Stir in 2 tbsp tomato⁶ paste, ¼ cup sour⁷ cream, and 150 ml (⅔ cup) water.
Return the patties to the pan, cover, and simmer on low for 25 minutes until the rice is tender and the meat is fully cooked (no pink).
Add water as needed. Serve hot with the sauce.

Tips

Why it works: Parboil the rice for 5 minutes to soften it slightly. This prevents it from turning mushy later when simmered in the sauce. Overcooking now makes the patties fall apart.
Substitutions: Use 120g ground beef instead of pork-beef mix if preferred; swap sour cream for 30g Greek yogurt if unavailable.
Common mistakes: Patties break apart if the rice is undercooked. Cut one open to check for firm, separate grains before serving.
Storing and reheating: Keeps 3 days in the fridge; reheat in a pan with 10ml water for 5 minutes until bubbly. Freeze for 1 month if sealed airtight.
Serve with: Pair with a slice of rye bread and a simple cucumber salad for a balanced lunch.

In short

In the planner this dish is cooked for two days: reheat on day two.

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Nutrition

Per serving and share of 2000 kcal

Calories	729 kcal	36%
Protein	30 g	40%
Fat	47 g	66%
Carbs	47 g	18%
Per 100 g	164 kcal

Cost

≈ $2.51per serving

Average supermarket prices, BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), October 2026. Your store will differ: products come in packs and each chain sets its own prices. The priciest item here is ground pork and beef.