Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Casserole

Slow cooker cabbage roll casserole in a bowl on the table.

5 from 6 votes

Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Casserole

My mom made cabbage rolls and they were so much work! Now I make this lazy slow cooker cabbage roll casserole! This one-pot meal takes less effort but delivers the same great taste with lots of bacon flavor!

Prep Time15

Total Time8 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 420kcal

Author: Karin and Ken

Ingredients

6 cups cabbage coarsely chopped
8 slices bacon chopped
2c cups onion chopped
1 pound ground beef turkey, pork, chicken or sausage, or a combination of 2
2 tablespoons garlic minced
1 teaspoon pepper
1 ½ cups long grain rice
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes with liquid
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce more or less to taste
cooking spray

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Instructions

Prepare your slow cooker with a light coating of cooking spray. Sprinkle 3 cups of your chopped cabbage all across the bottom of your slow cooker.
In a large skillet, over medium to medium high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon and place on a paper towel lined plate. You are not finished with this pan, do not clean it yet. Set bacon aside.
Next, half wipe out your skillet with paper towel so only a few tablespoons of bacon grease remain inside your skillet. Add onion, ground meat, garlic and pepper. Cook until ground meat is cooked and no longer pink. Onions should be tender. Drain in a colander in the sink to remove as much grease as possible. Dump your meat mixture on top of the cabbage in your slow cooker.
Dump your meat mixture on top of the cabbage in your slow cooker.
Now sprinkle your rice on top of the meat mixture. Then sprinkle your crisp bacon on top of the rice. Sprinkle remaining cabbage on top of the bacon.
In a good sized bowl combine your can of not drained diced tomatoes, broth and hot pepper sauce. Pour as evenly as possible all over the top of the casserole. Do not stir it at all.
Cover and cook on low for about 8 to 9 hours or on high for 4 to 5. Stir before serving! Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Drain the cooked meat well after browning it in the skillet.
Use green cabbage. Purple cabbage will bleed out into the pot and result in an unappetizing color.
Don't stir the ingredients before cooking. Everything will cook perfectly in the crockpot similar to a layered casserole.
Cook the veggies and ground beef in the bacon grease before adding to the crockpot. This adds even more flavor to the dish and the browned beef is less greasy than raw.

Hmm...what do you want to serve with your casserole? Not a hard question to answer when you take a look at the list of side dishes I've created for you. I'm sure you'll find something there that will make your tastebuds dance the dance of a thousand dances!

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