Connect with us

Vegetarian Recipes

Cabbage Casserole

Cabbage casserole is one of those old-fashioned Southern recipes that always hits the spot. It’s warm, creamy, and SO easy to throw together. In less than an hour, I’ve got a delicious side made from simple ingredients that’s perfect for busy weeknights, holiday dinners, or potlucks! You’ll notice I left out eggs in this casserole (who can afford eggs these days?!) and really played up the natural texture of the cabbage, truly making it the star of the show.

Overhead view of half a homemade cabbage casserole in a casserole dish with a serving spoon.

Easy Recipe for Cabbage Casserole

I’m a texture person. Anything mushy without any variation in texture just generally isn’t my thing. So, naturally, I love cabbage any way you prepare it; it’s amazing raw (in fact, it’s my veggie of choice for dipping in my white bean hummus!), it’s incredible cooked down (like in colcannon), and I LOVE it baked like it is here in this super easy, ultra-affordable cabbage casserole. The cabbage becomes tender with a slight bite, the buttery Ritz cracker topping adds crunch, and the rich cream sauce ties it all together with melty sharp cheddar for that extra cozy touch.

A serving spoon taking some cabbage casserole from a casserole dish.

Print

Cabbage Casserole Recipe

This easy Cabbage Casserole recipe is a easy and delicious side that comes together in under an hour with simple ingredients. Perfect for any occasion!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Total Cost ($9.47 recipe / $0.78 serving)
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 12 servings (about 1 cup each)
Calories 220kcal
Author Jess Rice

Equipment

  • 9×13” Casserole Dish

Ingredients

  • 1 small head cabbage, chopped into bite-size pieces* $3.03
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1.5 cups) $1.40
  • 8 oz block sharp cheddar, grated (reserve 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top!) $2.24
  • 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced $0.13
  • 1 stick salted butter (½ a cup) $0.99
  • ¼ cup heavy cream $0.35
  • 1 cup vegetable broth** $0.09
  • 2 tsp garlic powder $0.10
  • 1 tsp onion powder $0.05
  • 1 ½ tsp salt $0.02
  • ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper $0.11
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes $0.10
  • 2 sleeves of Ritz crackers, crushed (about ½ a cup) $0.86

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F. Chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces, removing the stem and inner core.
  • Dice the onion and shred the cheddar cheese.
  • Add the cabbage, diced onion, fresh parsley, and all but ¼ cup shredded cheese in a greased 9×13” casserole dish.
  • Gently toss them together to combine.
  • Melt the butter over medium heat, whisking in the heavy cream, vegetable broth, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Simmer on low heat, whisking often, until foamy and cooked down by about 1/4.
  • Pour the seasoned cream mixture over the top of the vegetables in the casserole dish.
  • Top with the crushed Ritz crackers and remaining cheddar cheese.
  • Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F for 45 min.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*About 2 lbs of cabbage.

**We use Better Than Bouillon to make our broths at Budget Bytes to keep ingredient costs low.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 632mg | Fiber: 2g

how to make Cabbage Casserole step-by-step photos

The ingredients for cabbage casserole.

Preheat your oven to 350°F and gather all of the ingredients.

Cabbage being chopped up on a wooden cutting board.

Prep your ingredients: Chop one small head of cabbage (about 2 lbs.) into bite-sized pieces. Be sure to remove the tough stem and inner core.

Onion being diced on a wooden cutting board next to a bowl of shredded cheese.

Dice one large yellow onion into small pieces and shred an 8 oz block of sharp cheddar cheese.

The ingredients for cabbage casserole in a casserole dish.

Assemble the filling: Place the chopped cabbage, diced onion, 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley, and all but 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese (set aside the reserved 1/4 cup shredded cheese for now) into a 9×13” casserole dish.

The ingredients for cabbage casserole in a casserole dish after being combined.

Toss everything together gently until well combined.

Heavy cream being whisked into melted butter in a sauce pan.

Make the creamy sauce: Over medium heat, melt 1 stick salted butter and whisk in the ¼ cup heavy cream, 1 cup vegetable broth, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until the mixture looks foamy and cooks down by about 1/4.

Heavy cream mixture being poured over the assemble cabbage casserole in a casserole dish.

Make the casserole: Pour the seasoned cream and broth mixture over the veggies in your casserole dish.

Ritz crackers sprinkled over an old fashioned cabbage casserole.

Top with ½ cup crushed Ritz crackers, sprinkling them evenly over top.

Shredded cheese added to a homemade cabbage casserole in a casserole dish.

Then, finish your homemade cabbage casserole off with the reserved 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

Finished homemade cabbage casserole in a casserole dish.

Bake: Place the casserole dish into your preheated oven and bake at 350°F for 45 min. Serve and enjoy!

A plate with an air fried chicken leg and a side of cabbage casserole, next to a larger casserole dish.

Prep it Ahead!

Just like my squash casserole recipe, this one can easily be prepped ahead to save you time on busy days. You can assemble the casserole (minus the Ritz cracker and shredded cheese topping), cover it, and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. When you’re ready, let it come to room temperature while your oven preheats, top it with the crushed crackers and cheese, then bake as directed.

Serving Suggestions

I went with air fryer chicken drumsticks in the pictures here because they’re quick, crispy, and juicy—just the perfect match for this casserole. It also pairs wonderfully with grilled chicken breast or baked ham (especially for Easter!) Or, if you’re serving BBQ of any kind, this casserole makes the ideal creamy side to balance out all that smoky goodness!

Storage & Reheating

This creamy cabbage casserole makes great leftovers. Once cooled, store them in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can also freeze this dish for up to 3 months, but do keep in mind cream-based sauces can separate once thawed. The cabbage and cracker crust will also become much softer. Reheat any leftovers in the microwave or in the oven at 350°F until heated through. Be sure to thaw any frozen cabbage casserole in the fridge overnight before reheating for the best results!

The post Cabbage Casserole appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Cheesy Vegetarian

Easy Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs

Don’t you just love it when a recipe is as simple as ‘mix + bake’? No pre-cooking, no unnecessary extra steps – just mix together all of the ingredients, and pop it in the oven. And that’s just the case for these vegetarian lentil meatballs (lentil balls? vegeballs? meatlessballs?). They couldn’t be easier.

Other easy ‘mix and bake’ recipes → easy nut roast; baked fajita rice; Boursin pasta.

Vegetarian Mediterranean lentil meatballs served with spaghetti and tomato sauce.

I served my lentil balls with spaghetti and tomato sauce – spaghetti and meatballs is such a classic that’s hard to improve on. If you prefer, you could equally serve these vegetarian meatballs with couscous and tzatziki, stuffed into pitta bread, or even just eaten straight from the oven (no judgment here). They’re packed with Mediterranean-inspired flavours, and they’re super versatile.

Mediterranean lentil meatballs on a baking tray.

⭐ What’s in these Lentil Meatballs?

The basic recipe for these lentil meatballs is canned lentils + flour + egg (the same base I used for my cheesy lentil burgers). Once you’ve got that far, you can jazz things up however you like. I added:

  • black olives
  • sun-dried tomatoes
  • parmesan-style cheese
  • fresh basil
  • garlic

If you like, you could easily switch things up to bring a different flavour profile to your meatballs – maybe you could make a Tex-Mex version, or use some Indian spices, for example.

Cheesy Vegetarian Bakes ebook on an ipad screen.

Sign up to get recipes by email, and get a FREE e-cookbook!

(1-2 emails per week, no spam)

🥗 Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these vegetarian meatballs. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredients for Mediterranean lentil meatballs laid out with text overlay.
  • cooked lentils. I used lentils from a can, because they’re so convenient – just drain them well, and they’re ready to use. If you can’t get canned lentils, you can boil dried brown or green lentils until they’re soft, then continue with the recipe as written. I would not recommend using red lentils for this recipe, as they will not give quite the same end result.
  • eggs
  • plain flour (I used wholemeal for extra fibre)
  • sun-dried tomatoes
  • black olives
  • parmesan-style cheese. ‘Real’ parmesan isn’t vegetarian, but there are plenty of vegetarian alternatives, which are very similar. Often, supermarkets sell a generic ‘Italian hard cheese’, which is usually vegetarian.
  • fresh basil
  • garlic granules

Spaghetti with tomato sauce and Mediterranean lentil meatballs.

🖨 Printable Instructions

Overhead shot of Mediterranean lentil meatballs with spaghetti.

Print

Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs

Easy vegetarian lentil meatballs, made extra tasty with Mediterranean-inspired ingredients. These are so simple – just mix and bake!
Course Main meal
Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean
Diet Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 25 meatballs
Calories 216kcal
Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 2 x 390g tins green lentils, thoroughly drained (470g, or ~ 2 2/3 cups, in total when drained)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons sliced black olives, roughly chopped
  • 5 pieces sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 50 g (~ 1/2 cup) finely grated vegetarian parmesan-style cheese
  • 1 teaspoon garlic granules
  • Few sprigs fresh basil, roughly chopped
  • 85 g (~ 2/3 cup) plain flour (I used wholemeal)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F). Add all of the ingredients, except for the flour, to a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix the ingredients thoroughly. It’s fine if the lentils get a little mashed up.
    Ingredients for Mediterranean lentil meatballs mixed up in a mixing bowl.
  • Add the flour, and mix well to combine.
    Mediterranean lentil meatball mixture in a bowl.
  • Lightly grease a baking sheet. Use clean hands to form the mixture into ball shapes, and place them on the tray. The mixture will be quite sticky – they don’t have to be perfect balls. I managed to get 25 balls from the mixture.
    Uncooked vegetarian Mediterranean lentil meatballs laid out on a baking sheet.
  • Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, until the lentil balls are slightly crispy and just firm.
    Crispy vegetarian Mediterranean lentil meatballs on a baking tray.
  • Serve with spaghetti and tomato sauce, if desired.
    A plate of spaghetti served with Mediterranean lentil meatballs.

Nutrition

Serving: 5balls | Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.6g | Protein: 14.9g | Fat: 5.6g | Saturated Fat: 2.2g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 325mg | Fiber: 8.3g | Sugar: 1.9g | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 3mg

💭 Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare these lentil balls in advance?

You could certainly mix together the ingredients in advance, and then store the mixture in a sealed container in the fridge for a day or so, until you’re ready to shape and bake the balls. The meatballs are tastiest when freshly baked, but if needed, you could even bake them in advance, and then reheat when you’re ready to eat them.

Can I freeze these lentil meatballs?

I didn’t experiment with freezing these balls, but it’s the sort of recipe I have had luck with freezing in the past, so I definitely think it’s worth a try.

How should I reheat leftover vegetarian meatballs?

The easiest way to reheat these lentil meatballs is in the microwave. They do dry out a little and lose their crispiness when reheated, but they’re still tasty. Alternatively, you could re-crisp them in the oven or air fryer.

How should I serve vegetarian lentil balls?

I served my meatballs with spaghetti and tomato sauce, which worked beautifully. You could alternatively serve them stuffed into pitta bread with some tzatziki, or alongside some mashed potato.

🍛 Other Lentil Recipes

Healthy Vegetarian Recipes
Overhead shot of Mediterranean lentil meatballs with spaghetti.

Easy Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs

Overhead shot of a portion of eggplant curry with rice.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Eggplant Curry

Collage of vegetarian lentil recipes with bold yellow title.

Vegetarian Lentil Recipes (Easy + Delicious!)

A large spoon taking a scoop of vegetable moussaka casserole.

Easy Vegetable Moussaka Casserole

The post Easy Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Continue Reading

Trending