Ground pork and cabbage casserole or stuffed cabbage casserole: layers of cabbage and ground meat in tomato sauce; this is pure comfort food.
This ground pork and cabbage casserole, also known as Varza à la Cluj in Romania, is the simplified version of the heavenly Sarmale, the stuffed cabbage rolls, which must be the best dish in the Romanian kitchen.
Every Romanian knows what I am talking about, and I could almost bet that any person out there who knows somebody from Romania personally has at least heard of Sarmale.
What I do cook more often than that is this simplified or deconstructed version of the sarmale. A stuffed cabbage casserole is similar in taste but so much easier and quicker to make.
Check out more cabbage casseroles like Chicken Cabbage Casserole or Cabbage and Potato Bake.
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Ingredients
Cabbage: White or green cabbage; I use white most of the time because it is more common around here.
Ground meat: I use ground pork to make this dish, which makes it really authentic, in my opinion. You can definitely use only beef or a mixture of pork and beef.
Bacon: I prefer to use smoked bacon sold in one piece; the thin slices are not very suitable.
Spices: For a genuine Romanian taste, try to find cimbru or summer savory. Except for parsley, it is probably the most commonly used herb in Romanian cuisine, especially in its dried form. It can be replaced with dried thyme; the flavor is rather different but still very suitable for this ground pork and cabbage dish.
- You will also need sweet and hot paprika. If the bacon is not smoked, add some smoked paprika to replace that flavor.
Other ingredients: Canned tomatoes, sour cream (smetana if you can find it) for cooking and serving, and chicken stock. Use more smetana to make Romanian Chicken in Cream Sauce.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make the ground pork and cabbage casserole?
A super simple recipe when compared to making stuffed cabbage rolls.
- Step #1: Fry the bacon cubes until the fat is rendered, for about 2 minutes.
- Step #2: Cook onions until golden, add ground pork and spices, brown all over, breaking the lumps with a wooden spoon.
- Step #3: Cook the rice but not quite through; it should still be slightly grainy; it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain well and combine with the meat, some tomato puree, and some sour cream.
- Step #4: In the meantime, chop the cabbage and start cooking it as well.
- Step #5: Fry it gently in a little oil, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. Add chicken stock and bay leaves and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Adjust the taste.
- Step #6: Combine the remaining tomato puree and sour cream.
- Step #7: Pour ⅓ of this mixture into a large baking dish. Add ½ of the cabbage, then another ⅓ of the sauce.
- Step #8: Spread the ground pork all over, and cover with the rest of the cabbage and the rest of the sauce.
- Step #9: Bake in the preheated oven for about 30-40 until the rice is cooked through and the top of the casserole is deeply colored.
How to serve?
The ground pork and cabbage casserole can be served immediately or it can be reheated in the oven.
Serve with crusty white bread or boiled potatoes and with a generous dollop of sour cream or smetana.
How to store and reheat?
The leftovers keep well in the fridge for about 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
When reheating, cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil, so that it doesn't get darker than it already is.
When reheating leftovers, spread them all over the baking dish; don't leave one side of the dish empty (I mean the side from where you've already scooped out the food). If you leave it like that, the leftovers stuck to it will burn. Or use a clean, smaller baking dish.
Ground Pork and Cabbage Casserole
Ingredients
- 7 oz smoked bacon preferably in one piece
- 1 medium onion
- 2 lbs ground pork
- 1-2 tablespoons dried savory or thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried dill seeds or some dried dill
- ½ cup rice
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes 14 oz/ 400 g each
- 5 heaped tablespoons sour cream
- 2.5 lbs cabbage 1 medium or ½ a larger one
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon hot paprika to taste
- fine sea salt and pepper
- more sour cream or yogurt to serve
Instructions
- Cook bacon: Cut the bacon into small cubes. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and fry the bacon until some of the fat has rendered about 2 minutes.7 oz smoked bacon
- Cook onions: Add the finely chopped onion and continue cooking until the onions are golden.1 medium onion
- Brown meat: Add the ground meat and the dried herbs and cook, breaking the lumps, until nicely browned.2 lbs ground pork + 1-2 tablespoons dried savory or thyme + 2 teaspoons dried dill seeds
- Cook rice: In the meantime, cook the rice in salted water until half-cooked. Read the package's instructions and cook the rice for a bit more than half the recommended time. According to the instructions, mine was supposed to be cooked for 16 minutes, so I only cooked it for about 10 minutes; it was still a bit grainy in the middle. Drain the rice and add it to the browned meat.½ cup rice
- Make tomato sauce: Puree the canned tomatoes. Add 1 tablespoon of this tomato puree and 2 tablespoons of sour cream to the meat, the sweet and hot paprika, and some salt and pepper to taste.2 cans chopped tomatoes + 2 tablespoon sour cream + 1 teaspoon sweet paprika + ¼ - ½ teaspoon hot paprika + fine sea salt and pepper
- Cook cabbage: Chop the cabbage finely. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a very large pot and cook the cabbage until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring often, until golden all over. Add chicken broth and the bay leaves, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.2.5 lbs cabbage + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil + 1 cup chicken stock + 2 bay leaves + fine sea salt and pepper
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C.
- Assemble the casserole: Mix the tomato puree with the remaining sour cream. Pour ⅓ of the mixture into a large casserole dish. Spread all over. Layer ½ of the cabbage and about ⅓ of the remaining tomato puree mixture. Spread the meat in an even layer over the cabbage, and cover it with the rest of the cabbage. Pour the rest of the tomato puree mixture evenly over the cabbage.remaining tomato puree + 3 tablespoon sour cream
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the rice is cooked and the casserole is nicely colored.
- Serve with potatoes or bread and more sour cream (or yogurt for a lighter version).
mjskitchen says
I think I could easily change my husband from a cabbage hater to a cabbage lover with this recipe. So I have a question - I've seen Hungarian and Spanish paprika and smoked paprika, but not hot paprika. Have never seen it. Where do you get it? I'm going to check to see if I can find it online. Thanks Adina!
Adina says
I can buy just about anywhere here, but you should be able to find it online. It is the same with smoked paprika here, I only get it online. 🙂
Evi @ greenevi says
I grew up eating something very similar all the time 🙂
Have to make these soonish again! Probably with some tofu crumbles 😉
Adina says
Thank you, Angie
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Stuffed cabbage in casserole form..it looks not only comforting, also very healthy and delicious, Adina.
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
My husband LOVES stuffed cabbage rolls! An I am willing to bet he would devour this entire casserole! Love that you turned the rolls into something much easier to prepare! Fabulous, my dear! Cheers!
Adina says
Thank you, Cheyanne. You can come for dinner sometime when you travel to Europe. I will make this for you and your husband. 🙂