Cajun Cabbage with Rice

I found this recipe a few years ago and it has become one of my favorites. I like it because it's different from your "typical" casserole. I leave out the cayenne pepper for the kids' sake and use partially cooked brown rice. I've tried both cheddar and colby cheeses - not a big difference. I usually make a double batch and freeze one. Cook the frozen one (covered with foil) at 300 for 1-1/2 hrs, then uncover it and cook another 20-30 minutes. Yummy!

Had ground turkey and a cabbage from our garden.. didn't know what to do with it and found this recipe. Am I ever glad I did!!! I tweaked it just a bit because I didn't have a couple things, and substituted a bit. Otherwise, I kept the recipe as is. I used the ground turkey and added a little worcestershire sauce and extra black pepper when browning with veggies for flavor (I had no white pepper, but didn't really need it). Accidentally used a 15 oz can of tomato sauce, but with the brown rice, it worked since brown rice needs a little more moisture. I had no shredded cheese on hand, so sprinkled the top with parmesean cheese and broke apart some low fat sliced provalone I had and laid it out on top. Yes it's spicy.. but sooooo fantastic! And super easy!! I'd give this 10 stars if I could!! I will definitely make this again!!!

This was a GREAT recipe! We used shredded sharp cheddar instead of colby. I also had to turn the heat down to 300 degrees and bake longer so dinner was hot when family got home, but it was still really good! I finally had to just put it away so I would quit going back for more! I also used crushed red pepper, cajun seasoning and a little italian seasoning instead of the separate seasonings the recipe called for.

This was wonderful. I made a few changes - cooked the rice first, because I haven't always had the best of luck using uncooked rice in baked dishes. Sauteed the cabbage in a little butter with 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning, mixed everything together and stirred in about another 1/2 tsp of the cajun seasoning - I used the cajun seasoning in place of all the other spices. Topped the whole works with the cheese and baked it at 400 for 20-25 mins. Perfect!

This was terrific! The only thing I did was add more garlic and one tsp of chile powder. Very hot and spicy. Just the way I like it. My husband was sweating, but I had two helpings and didn't come close to breaking a sweat. A definate keeper. A great ground beef recipe. The leftovers should be awesome. Will make again for sure.

I made this last night increasing the hot pepper and adding a little cumin. It was great and easy to prepare. It goes in my "keeper" recipes.

i liked this recipe very much. Just the right amount of spice & a great way to use up cabbage. a great one pot meal for a quick easy mid week meal.

This was pretty good but just didn't suit my tastes. If you make this be sure to have some Beano on hand to take before!

Sooo good! It has a lot of kick, so my 2-year-old wasn't able to eat it (probably wouldn't have anyway!), but my husband and I love heat, so it was perfect for us. Made the recipe just as directed, other than adding the cheese after about an hour just to melt it over the cabbage.

Excellent dish!! Great way to use ground beef, I added water instead of the tomato sauce as I didn't have any and it was still wonderful.

This recipe is awesome! My whole family loved it! I did everything that the recipe called for except the hot pepper. Next time I will spice it up! Thank you for putting this dish on here!

This recipe is great! My son can't get enough of it. We try to have it for dinner at least once a week. It's a keeper!

This is an Awesome recipe and will definitely be put into rotation at my home. My husband and kids loved it. I did layer the meat and cabbage so that it would get tender more quickly. I also poured V-8 juice over cabbage to make sure it had enough moisture...didn't want to use water to take away from the flavor and what a great idea that was! Thanks for this recipe it was a hit!

Definitely was spicy, so cut back on the cayenne if you like less heat. the casserole was ok and I'm not quite sure I'd make it again. But I do like a 1 dish meal.

This is an awesome recipe! I did change it a little so that i have a one pot meal ready in 30 mnutes. I cook 3 cups of rice in the microwave while browning the meat and add a layer of cabbage in the middle. No one even relizes they are eating and enjoying cabbage! this feeds 4 adults with leftovers for lunch.

This was fairly good. I left out the bell pepper and just used regular diced tomatoes. To me this recipe was very easy to throw together, not time consuming at all. The rice, to my surprise, came out perfect after 70 minutes. Next time that I make this I may leave out the white pepper (has kind of a funky taste to me) and add some extra cheese. For those of you having trouble with your cabbage burning, make sure that you cover your dish or it will burn for sure.

This was a quick and easy dish to prepare and tasted great! The flavor and spice was perfect. I followed the recipe as written. We added sour cream on top and a salad on the side- perfect! The only thing I would suggest is this recipe would almost be better as a side dish or served as a dip as opposed to a main dish casserole. Still a keeper though!

This was so easy, and cheap to make. I am putting this in the meal rotation for sure! I also added some red pepper flakes for some more heat, I'm a bit of a chili head though.

It took me much longer than 20 minutes to prepare this meal, with all the chopping. The end result was worth it. I love dishes that provide meat, veggie, and starch all in one. I did make some changes. I didn't know whether to use green or purple cabbage, so I used green. I omitted white pepper because I did not have it. I used tomato soup instead of sauce because that's what I had on hand. I also used instant rice by accident. My dish was cooked within 15 minutes. I don't know how this dish can withstand an hour of cooking. The cabbage started to brown and burn in 15 minutes. So I may have used instant rice by accident, but I recommend it. Why cook this for over an hour when it can be on the table much faster? I will make this again, but will stick with all my changes.

Tastes great, was easy to make. I only gave it 4 stars though because it seemed a little odd , more like it should be the filling for something. I might try this again as filling for Stuffed Cabbage rolls.

delicious! Perfect comfort food. I had an extra bag of coleslaw mix and I didn't know what to do with it. I found this recipe and wasn't sure the kids would like it but I wanted to try it anyway. They loved it! And my husband went back for seconds. I had to lay off some of the spice for the kids sake but I bet it is even better with the heat. I am looking forward to tomorrow when I can eat the left overs.

This is great. Even the teenager liked it, and he is picky. I did make a few changes. The tomatoes had Chipolte not chilies, and I used tomato paste instead of sauce.I used brown rice . I added some water and I didn't put the cayenne in it . I cooked it quite awhile to get the rice cooked. It was not hot, just a little zippy.Probably by using the chipolte it wouldn't be cajun. But it was sure good.Yum!

This was absolutely delicious!! I followed the recipe EXACTLY...except for using napa cabbage instead of regular. The seasoning was spot on! It was the perfect spiciness...which my daughter who usually doesn't do spice foods woofed this down, with a lot of water, of course! Yum...GREAT recipe!!!

Very good. Made as written. Easy, relatively healthy, and can easily be gluten free. We've also made it with bison meat, and it's also good that way.

We enjoyed this recipe. I did make some alterations based on what I had; I used diced brats instead of beef (thats what I was trying to use up) and cayenne instead of chili. My husband and I destroyed this soup. I enjoyed all the flavors. Thanks.

This was awesome! It was rather time consuming but worth it!

I made this last night and didn't make any changes to the recipe. It was really good and had a lot of flavour! Even my cabbage hating husband went back for seconds! I'll be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!

We really like thsi recipe. It's an excellent way to use way to pair ground beef or turkey with cabbage and rice. I make this dish in a large deep skillet on the stove, so I don't have to heat the whole house by using the oven. Instead of transferring the meat mixture to a 9x13 pan and layering the other ingredients, I simply add the chopped cabbage to the mixture on the stove. Then I cover and simmer until the cabbage is cooked--just add a little water and bullion if it starts to get dry. I have served this over cooked rice and another time stirred cooked rice into the meat/cabbage mixture. I just sprinkle cheese on top once it's on individual plates. Both methods are great.

Everyone loved this. More like a deconstructed stuffed pepper.

I thought this was just okay. I increased the minced garlic and put in two heaping tablespoons. I also added a few sprinkles of cumin and red pepper flakes. I doubt I will make this again.

This dish is a keeper. I made some changes this time. I used one pack of kielbasa instead of beef and I cut the salt in half. Because it was so spicy last time for my 3ry old I did not add the cayenne and black pepper. My family like this dish better this way.

I made this for a pre-thanksgiving potluck and I made a batch for home... It was not what I'd expected.... I followed the recipe to a T and if I do it again I'd definitely do some things a little different. 1.Blanch the cabbage just a bit because they were harder than I wanted 2. Wait until the last 10-20 minutes to add the cheese... it got pretty dark too soon. **The filling was pretty good..... It wasn't bad though....Co-workers said they liked it

This was so good; we loved it! Only had plain diced tomatos. Like a slightly spicy stuffed cabbage. Might add more rice next time, as well as more red pepper.

So I followed the recipe almost to the tee only I made one very great improvement! I added a box of zatarans jumbalaya rice (cooked half way through) instead of the uncooked long grain rice! It turned out great thanks for such a great meal idea!

This is like an inside out stuffed cabbage. My husband and I both loved it.

I really enjoyed this dish. It does need a bit more pop in the spicing than called for I think I doubled the basil, oregano, cayenne, and added a bunch of extra garlic. Oh & I subbed quinoa for the rice.

This was so delish!! Unexpectedly so... Kids even ate it up. Thanks!

Super easy and delicious. A bit spicy for my family so next time I'll reduce the cayenne pepper.

I also have had bad experiences with adding raw rice, LOL, so I precooked the 1/2 cup rice with 1 cup water, and blanched the cabbage first. I also used about a TBSP of Tony's, and added a little more to taste, rather than using the spice mix. A little more garlic, and sharp cheddar. Of course, I had to add a couple of ribs of celery (you have to have the "trinity" ). I had actually just had an email recipe of a similar dish by a restaurant chef, so I followed his directions and mixed everything all together rather than layering. His recipe included some cream, but I just used a splash of milk instead. It turned out wonderfully, but I think it might be even better if I not only added the cheese in the mix, but topped it with cheese, as well. Served with some garlic bread--can't wait for the leftovers! I can see using lower fat ingredients--ground chicken or turkey, or low fat cheese (or even omitting it) You could even add crawfish tails or andouille. There is so much potential to vary this! Oh--I baked it @ 365, covered with foil, for the first 30 minutes. I then baked it uncovered, for another 15 or so. There looked like a lot of liquid in the dish, but after letting it sit for about 15 minutes, it was all absorbed.

This was so amazing, the best casserole i have tasted in a long time. I can't wait to share this with my husband to see what he thinks. Thanks for a great recipe.

This is a very tasty dish. I substituted cajun seasoning for the cayenne pepper and white pepper. My husband loved it and told me it was a keeper. Will definitely make again.

Loved this dish. Made as directed, and I will be fixing this often.

Really liked this recipe, will make again. Found that baking took a little longer than 75 minutes in my oven but was delicious.

I didn't bake this and I used instant rice and left out the green pepper and only used a can of diced tomatoes, no tomato sauce.

a fairly simple and hearty dinner.

Made this today! DELICIOUS recipe! I used ground turkey instead of beef, olive oil instead of vegetable, brown rice, and mozerella cheese to make it healthier. Has a great spicy kick to it! My boyfriend loved it also! Thanks!

This recipe is wonderful. It was spicy and had such a nice texture. I made it a low-fat Vegan dish by omitting the ground beef and cheese. I also made it a one-pot meal by cooking this dish in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. After adding the rice, I let the sauce come to a simmer, turned the heat to low/medium-low, added a head of Napa Cabbage on top without stirring (I think that helped the dish to cook quicker as it's a more delicate cabbage), and I let it cook undisturbed with the lid on for 15 minutes. Then, I removed the lid, gave it a stir, added about a 1/3 cup of water (as it was looking a little thick), put the lid back on and cooked for another 5 minutes until the rice was soft. Very spicy and satisfying...and healthy! My family loved it too! Thank you to whoever posted this recipe! :)

This is a nice change from a typical stuffed cabbage casserole, with the cajun touch. I used a 1/2 cup of frozen homemade recaito (a pureed Puerto Rican style sofrito cooking base) in place of the garlic, onion, and green pepper. I did add one chopped green pepper because I had it and it needed to be used. I'm pretty sure my casserole ended up with a much bolder flavor than the original recipe would have had, but it was really really yummy! Also, instead of the spices indicated, I used 3 teaspoons of a homemade creole seasoning blend I have in the pantry. I layered the cheese and cabbage on top because I didn't want a glob of cheese on top. I used brown rice and had to cook mine 15 min longer. Also, the sofrito added some extra liquid, plus I used lean beef and did not drain the pan so that helped make enough liquid for the brown rice and extra cook time. This was really good and I will definitely make it again!

We loved this recipe!! We used ground turkey, but we want to try lean ground beef next. We added a little hot sauce and creole seasoning after we served it, but we add that to almost everything. I liked another review's idea of adding chili powder. We may also try that. Thank you for the great recipe!!!

Nice casserole. Unfortunately I couldn't use the cayenne pepper because my son doesn't like spicy food (I sprinkled some on mine after cooking), so I added a bunch of chopped fresh cilantro. I used about 3-4 Tbs chopped cilantro, and would increase, even double that, next time. I used ground turkey instead of beef and added about a quarter cup of wheat germ. Really good dinner for a cold wintry day. Yum!

Wonderful! Added celery as another person suggested, and a little milk. Pre-cooked the rice. Cut corn off an ear of corn and added that. Mixed everything together and topped w/cheese. Used less cheese than called for. Just sprinkled some shredded cheese on top. Cooked the meat, onions/celery/bell pepper/garlic combo in a cast iron pan, then added rest of the ingredients, mixed, topped w/cheese, covered and put in oven at approx 365 deg. for 30 minutes.

Nice & spicy! I used ground turkey breast, and it was very good. Thanks!

I was looking for something different and this is it. I smothered it with cabbage and cheese and they can't stop eating! Thanks for a new idea to use the same old boring ingredients in a way that is more exciting for a Thursday night dinner.

Yummy recipe. Shared it with some coworkers and they loved it. The cabbage really made it great.

I made this in one pot for ease. This was a good way to use up some ground meat and cabbage and I made sure to season generously, but felt that once the cabbage cooked down that there wasn't enough seasoning to save it. I might make everything again, but have the cooked cabbage on the side. Mmm, sounds good!

Cajun Cabbage with Rice Haiku: "This makes SO much food! I froze half, before the rice. Only thing I changed." I followed the recipe entirely, except for preparing the rice separately and mixing it in, as I always fail at putting uncooked rice into an oven casserole - either too smooshy or too crunchy. Before stirring in the rice, I split off half of the cabbage/meat guts for freezing because there was alot! It smelled like pizza (according to my 7-year old), so half of the casserole got mozzarella cheese, the other half colby, and then we added an extra sprinkle of parmesan at the table. This was really awesome!!

I've been trying to incorporate more vegetables in the diet...and I could do this with the cabbage. You don't really have to like cabbage either! I spiced the recipe up a little more with crushed red pepper. My husband liked it better as leftovers, and the cabbage kept most of it's consistency (didn't turn mushy and wilty).

Very good. This is the second time I have made this. This time I cut the Cayenne to 1/8 of a teaspoon because my husband said it was too spicy ( it was fine for me and our 10 year old daughter). I also mixed the cabbage with the meat mixture before baking it and I like it better mixed instead of layered. Other than those 2 things I made it exactly how it's written and baked for an hour and a half.

This is a nice recipe that I'll definitely make again. I like a little kick in my disshes and this recipe obliged. I made it as called for with the following exceptions. I had only 15 ounce cans of tomato sauce so I used the entire can (instead of 8 oz) and added 2/3 cup of rice rather than 1/2 (to absorb the extra moisture from the added sauce). Also, I didn't have any Colby cheese so I substituted 6 slices of pepper jack cheese, laid on top of the cabbage. I only had a large cabbage rather than a small one so I used half of the large head and it seemed to be the right amount. I took it out of the oven at 65 minutes and the rice was perfectly cooked but the cabbage was a bit too firm. I probably should have left it in for 75 minutes but it's not easy to judge doneness without pulling it out, removing the cover, and tasting it. Another note, the large cabbage may have had thicker ribs than a small cabbage would and might explain why the cabbage wasn't quite done. However, I anticipate reheating leftovers in the microwave will resolve that issue. One last note, next time I'll use a 13x9 casserole so I can cover it without having to tent it to prevent melted cheese from sticking to the cover (or foil). Also, I'll try it with a small cabbage as called for and ensure I have colby cheese on hand (though the pepper jack was great too). I'll stick with my 15oz can of tomato sauce and 2/3 cup of rice though.

I made some random changes as I was in a hurry to make it. (Nothing major, just not exact measurements.) I tasted for doneness and was shocked as to how good it was. Family meal time was full of great comments. The next days leftovers, (what little there was) said it was even better. Keeper recipe for sure! Thanks for the great recipe!

Next time I make this, I would either use less cabbage or 1/2lb more meat. A good dish, but I found when cooking it as long as recommended the cheese became hard.

Delicious! Didn't have a bell pepper so I substituted carrot and it was soo good!!!!! Thanks for the awesome recipe!

This tuned out great. Tastes like an "unrolled" cabbage roll. Made this in one pan: 12" square copper chef. Sauteed seasoning until soft, left in pan as there was nothing to drain. Added beef and cooked only lightly as to not dry out meat. Followed directions from there omitting the cayenne. Baked only 55 minutes. When I make this again I will add another can of tomato sauce and another 1/4 cup rice. Very easy and delicious casserole.

Just thought i would try a different recipe for cabbage I love it so needed to find on that I could make on a regular basis.....Well this one does it for me...I followed it to a tee and really you dont have to change a thing...For all the people who say their cabbage burns on top just cover it with a layer of leaves just like old fashioned cabbage rolls you won't have a problem....actually I did change one thing...I sprayed the casserole dish I had with cooking spray then put a layer of cabbage then meat mixture then a bit more cabbage followed by the leaves...also omitted the cheese but feel free to add just before eating or reheating....Love it Chow

We got married in 2000 and my mom gave me a "The best of 2000 Taste of Home" cookbook. This was the first recipe I made. The page now well worn. We have this at least once a month. My only complaint is the cheese. Not everything needs cheese and we found it ruins the dish even if you are lucky enough to find real Colby cheese. We now have kids and they love this dish and will add a dollop of sour cream.

This was so easy and delicious! We ate it all that night! My husband wanted more and it was gone! Thanks for the great recipe!

I had some stuff to use up from my bountiful baskets so I decided to try this recipe. It was easy to do and tasted good too. Not to much spice. Thanks for sharing.

The cabbage didn't work with this. It was overall ok but wouldn't make it again.

This was good but it made a lot of leftovers and it’s just as good the second time.

It was good, but seemed a little dry to us. Next time I would add another can of Tomato Sauce. My husband said..."has a good flavor, but it's too dry. A good meal for us, but I wouldn't consider it for company". Thanks for sharing.

My go-to recipe for using extra ground beef. Really tasty- I use brown rice and cook it a bit longer. . .

Very tasty! We're vegetarian, so I substituted some veggie burger crumbles for the beef. I didn't have tomatoes with green chiles, so I used regular diced tomatoes and added a fresh minced jalepeno. I forgot to cover it for about the first half of baking, but it didn't seem to suffer too much. I will definitely make this again, it was soooo easy and filling. And a great way to use up some cabbage (one of those "what do I do with this?" vegetables for me).

This turned out excellent. I did not add the cheese and added more cayenne pepper.

Great recipe! I added 1/8 cup buffalo wing sauce to hit the vinegar side of Cajun. EXCELLENT FOR DUTCH OVEN COOKING!

We loved this dish. I was looking for a ground beef and cabbage recipe, stumbled upon this one, and was not disappointed. I did not have cayenne, so I substituted a few dashes of Frank’s Red Hot. I used 1 can green chilies along with a can of diced tomatoes, as that is all I had in my pantry. I loved the added KICK. Great meal.

Good flavor. Next time I'll chop the cabbage smaller, my fault, the recipe is good as written.

Hubby and I loved this. It was a little spicy for the kids, so I may cut back on that next time, but super easy and good. We'll definitely be having this again, and I'd serve it to company as well!

If you like just a bit of spice in your meal, this is a perfect recipe. Omitted bell pepper and used 3/4 cup of Zatarains cajun rice because it was all I had at this time. Cabbage was a great compliment to the spice. Definitely a keeper.

This was mediocre at best..prepared as written..the beef mixture had a nice taste but put together with the cabbage and cheese it still was not enough to bring it up to a two star rating.

Sounds like a dish my mom used to make only better because of the spices. She used to crumble saltines on top and then add the cheese. I'll be trying this next week and will let you know for sure

We loved this and it warmed up great. It's in my Go-To folder now!!! My differences (great alternative). I didn't have cabbage or white pepper. I also didn't have an hour and a half for making it. I added half a cup of water when I added the rice and just cooked it in the skillet with a lid. Stir and check on it frequently. Like a hamburger helper at this point. I also traded a mix of orange and red peppers for the green pepper because it's what I had on hand. Throw the cheese on top. The next day I warmed it up and added a dollop of sour cream and some crushed tortillas on top. That was great.

I love this recipes because it's a basic recipe that you can adjust most of the ingredients to your tastes and it always comes out great. The only thing I'll do next time is cook the rice a little bit before mixing it in as it was a little undercooked (I know I could have left it in the oven longer but I didn't have time).

My whole family oves this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing with all of us.

Very delicious dish! The best part was the cheese-that made the cabbage even tastier. I made this with lean ground turkey, omitted the salt, used fresh tomatoes, fresh jalapenos, added a little water, and used barley rice. I cooked it for about 70 minutes and the rice turned out perfect. The only change I would make is to double the spices and see how that turns out. Overall, it still was a flavorful dish. I would definitely make this recipe again in the future.

I fell in love first bite! definitely making this again and again.. it's got the perfect kick

Even without the cayenne pepper, it was too spicy for us. And it seeded like it had too many veggies and not enough starch (rice, cornbread, potatoes, or something...).

I will for sure make this again. My husband and I loved it. He took the leftovers to work to share with his coworkers. When he does that, you know its good. All I changed was added a 15 ounce can of tomatoes. Yummy

Loved it! I didn't put in the cheese, but still tasty!

This was so good. The cabbage was sweet and the meat mixture spicy. my husband even liked it!

I make this with ground beef, in the colder months. In the summer I use cubed, boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs) and cut down on the cheese. This really is a versatile recipe.

My go-to recipe for using extra ground beef. Really tasty- I use brown rice and cook it a bit longer. . .

Very good! I used the Johnsonville New Orleans sausage instead of ground beef. The only thing I did different is that I didn't have to precook the sausage so I just mixed everything in a bowl first without even precooking the veggies. Came out perfect! Thank you for this recipe....the cabbage was an excellent twist!

This was pretty good! I cut the meat, onion and bell in half but left everything else as the full recipe. I added celery and Cajun seasoning to the beef and onion mix as well and skipped the cheese. The Hubs and son liked it! It wasn't dry, cabbage (chopped about 1/4- 1/2 in chunks) was soft, but no extra juices. I served it over mashed potatoes and it was well received. I wish I had jalapenos to add with the onion and forgot the sour cream (per suggestions) on top, and green onion....next time! Thank you!