I have always loved cabbage. I’m lucky because even though this vegetable has an odour when boiled, my little ladies have always eaten it without fuss. My favourite way to eat cabbage is steamed, with a can of corn beef scattered throughout the cabbage. So I decided how easy would this casserole be to cook it on my stovetop instead of heating my oven. I think of comfort foods when I make this. The beef, cabbage, white rice, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese sure fit my definition of comfort foods. I considered several recipes when I came up with my Stovetop Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole.
I kept on thinking about my Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe. How could I make the cabbage the star? Like the bell pepper is in my Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe. I realized that I needed to add more liquid to cook the cabbage. After several trials and errors, this was the way it came out best.

Delightful Stovetop Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef (minced beef) - lean
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
15 ounces tomatoes - diced with juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cube beef stock (beef broth or beef bouillon)
½ cup water
4 cups cabbage - diced
1 cup white rice - cooked
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add olive oil over high heat in a dutch oven or large stockpot. Sauté the onions for 3 minutes.
- Add the beef, black pepper and stir until the meat is browned. Once beef browns, add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Strain off any excess grease. Put back the beef mixture to the dutch oven or large stockpot.
- Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (with juice), oregano, red pepper flakes, bouillon cube (I use chicken) and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer on medium covered stirring often for 20 minutes.
- Add in the cabbage and cook covered for 4 minutes or until the cabbage is tender. Do not add any additional liquid.
- Stir in the cooked rice and top with both cheese cover and cook until the cheese has melted. Uncover and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Serve with your favourite crusty bread for a complete meal.