Follow step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions for making this delicious Cabbage Casserole dish. We’re taking cooked cabbage up a couple of levels, adding some cheddar cheese, and making a dish even those family members that don’t like cabbage will find themselves asking for seconds. I’ve never been a fan of cooked cabbage myself, and it even made me go back for more. Printable recipe included.
Cabbage Casserole Recipe:
Several weeks ago, one of my auction buddies, asked me about a recipe for a Cabbage Casserole. I had to admit to her that I’d never even heard of such. Mama often cooked cabbage during my youth, but I don’t ever recall that she made a casserole out of it. Of course, it didn’t really matter, because just like collards, I didn’t care for cooked cabbage either. To me, cabbage was meant for making Cole Slaw. I just never got use to trying to eat it cooked.
Maybe I did eat a bit of sauerkraut when it was available, but cooked cabbage just didn’t appeal to me. It was one of those “green” vegetables that I’ve never developed a taste for, despite how good for your health they are suppose to be.
So, when auction buddy Gennelle, asked about the recipe for a casserole, I told her I’d see if I could find something for her. We were talking on the phone while I searched the Internet for a recipe. When I found one, and started reading the ingredients for it, she said she was suddenly remembering how she use to make it. She declined a printed copy of what I found, thanked me, and that was that.
A week or so later, Gennelle started telling me how much all of her family enjoyed the Cabbage Casserole she had fixed. I found it interesting, but still hadn’t considered making one of my own.
A few days after that, my brother and I were going through a cafeteria line at a restaurant out of town. Sitting among the dishes to select from, were small bowls marked “Cabbage Casserole.” Having heard my recent tale of the stuff, he decided we should try it. We picked up one of the single serving bowls to split between us. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the worse thing I’d ever tried, but I let older brother finish it off.
I started looking around some of my old cookbooks, then the Internet, and finally put together a recipe that I thought might work out. Sure enough, this stuff is GOOD. (I can’t believe I just said that about cabbage.) But, it was, and I hope you might give the recipe a try. I ended up eating a couple of servings just as soon as all the picture taking was over. Don’t forget, I’m not one that normally likes cooked cabbage, but this will become a keeper in my book. I hope you’ll say the same.
Gennelle says she put Stove Top Stuffing on top of hers instead of Bread Crumbs. I told her I liked the idea, and that I’d try that the next time, because I thought a little “crunch” would make it even better. You might want to consider it yourself. So, if you’re ready to cook up some cabbage, open up the doors and windows… and Let’s Get Cooking!
Cabbage Casserole: You’ll need these ingredients.
Start by removing any bad or old leaves from your head of cabbage.
Scrub the carrot, and rinse the outside layers of the cabbage, under some cool running water.
Cut the cabbage, removing the hard center core, and then cut the cabbage into small bite sized pieces.
Place the cabbage in a good size stock pot and add enough water to just slightly cover the cabbage.
Add the Vinegar. The older cooks say this will help cut down on the “aroma” of the cabbage while it cooks.
Place the pot on your stove top on High heat. Let it come to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat down to just below medium and let it continue to cook at a low boil until tender. You can cover the pot or not cover the pot. It’s up to you. This will take about an hour to cook, so keep an eye on the water and don’t let it get too low. You can add more as needed until the cabbage is tender.
While it’s cooking, let’s go ahead and prepare the other items.
Dice the carrot into small pieces. I’m only using one carrot, basically to add some color to the dish.
Remove the outer skin from the onion, then slice and dice it into small pieces.
Shred up the cheese using a box grater, then just set it aside for the moment.
Cook the cabbage until tender, then remove from heat.
Drain the cabbage in a large colander.
While the Cabbage is draining, place the Butter and the diced Onions in the stock pot. Return it to the stove top over Medium heat.
Toss in the diced Carrots and saute the vegetables until they are tender.
Add the Mushroom Soup. Do NOT dilute the soup, just pour it straight into the pot from the can, without adding the water it might have called for on the can.
Stir it up well.
Add about half of the cabbage and stir it up again.
Then, add the remaining cabbage and stir some more. Get it all mixed up really good.
Add the Salt.
Add the Black Pepper.
OK. At this point, you could slowly stir in the cheese, adding a little at a time, until you get it all mixed together. I decided to do it the hard way, as you’ll see in just a minute.
You’ll need about a 2.5 Quart casserole dish to put it all in.
Place a layer of the cabbage mixture in the casserole dish.
Add a layer of the grated Cheese.
I was thinking at this point, that I’d add the cabbage and cheese in layers. Then, I decided I wanted to be sure it was all mixed in together.
So, I grabbed a big wooden spoon and gently stirred it together. Isn’t it nice to be able to change your direction in life sometimes?
It was so much fun, I added another layer of Cabbage, then another layer of Cheese and stirred it up again.
I needed to get back to the recipe, so I topped it off with the little bit of remaining cabbage that was still in the pot. I stirred it all up really good, then smoothed it all out in the casserole dish. I was just having fun and doing my own thing. Try it some time.
Sprinkle on the Bread Crumbs.
Spread the Bread Crumbs out smoothly across the top.
This reminded me of playing in dirt when I was a kid. I had an old, rusted, metal, toy road scraper as a child. My cousins and I use to get under the house and play with our trucks during the summer months. It was cooler under the house and a great place to play. We’d build roads to nowhere and spend hours driving our trucks, knocking down hills, and building more roads. Kids now days have no idea how much fun you can have getting dirty. Try that with one of those TV or computer games. (Sorry, I was having a flashback to my youth.)
Melt the remaining Butter, and drizzle it over the top of the Bread Crumbs.
Bake at 350º for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it’s heated all the way through. It’s already cooked, you’re just getting it all good and warmed up.
Remove it from the oven and let it cool a bit. It will be boiling hot after being in the oven, so be careful and don’t burn yourself.
I added some leftover fried Onion pieces from where I made the Green Bean Casserole at Thanksgiving. It just need a little something extra for it’s picture.
Serve warm and Enjoy!
