Cheesy Cabbage Casserole

This Cheesy Cabbage Casserole recipe turns a simple head of cabbage into something spectacular. It elevates cabbage transforming it into a cheesy side dish that’s complementary to most any entrée.

Ingredients to Make Cheesy Cabbage Casserole Recipe

I confess, I’m a cabbage lover in every sense of the word. Whether it’s creamy homemade coleslaw, roasted cabbage steaks or braised with sausages and potatoes for a one pot meal, it’s always a winner. What’s the best cabbage to use for cabbage casserole? You don’t need any fancy cabbage to make this cabbage casserole, a head of inexpensive green cabbage will do. Serve it for weeknight dinners, Thanksgiving, fall gatherings or with a simple bowl of pinto beans and cornbread for a filling meal the whole family will love. Ingredients to make easy Southern Cabbage Casserole Recipe: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

• Green Cabbage: One medium head of green cabbage (about 3-4 lbs). I don’t recommend savoy or red cabbage for this dish.
• Onion: Adds a slight sweetness and balances the cabbage.
• Garlic Cloves: Fresh garlic for a hint of spice.
• Soup: Cream of celery soup flavors the easy sauce.
• Liquid: Half and half or whole milk makes the sauce smooth and creamy.
• Butter: Melted butter adds richness.
• Seasonings: Garlic salt, lemon pepper or black pepper and dried thyme or Italian seasoning.
• Cheese: Shredded colby jack cheese or sharp cheddar cheese.
• Parmesan Cheese: Binds and thickens the sauce ingredients.
• Topping: Crushed Ritz crackers tossed with melted butter.
• Garnish: Fresh parsley for color.

How to Make the Best Cheesy Cabbage Casserole Recipe

• Heat Oven and Prepare Baking Dish – Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13×9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside
• Sauté Cabbage – Cook cabbage and onion in a couple tablespoons of oil until fork tender, stir occasionally. Add garlic.
• Sauce Mixture – Whisk together soup, half and half and melted butter. Add teaspoon salt, pepper and thyme.
• Combine – To the cabbage mixture add shredded cheese, Parmesan cheese and soup mixture. Stir to combine.
• Transfer to Baking Dish – Pour cabbage mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with reserved cup shredded cheese.
• Make Cracker Topping – Toss Ritz cracker crumbs with melted butter. Sprinkle evenly on top of the casserole.
• Oven – Bake per the cooking time in the recipe until the cabbage is tender.
• Serve – Let stand on counter for 5 minutes, then serve.

Tips for Making Cabbage Casserole

• Kitchen Tools You’ll Need: To make this recipe, you’ll need a sharp knife and chopping board to chop the cabbage, a large skillet, a cheese grater and standard measuring tools, a small bowl to mix the butter with the cracker crumbs and a 13×9-inch baking dish for baking.
• Prep the Cabbage One Day in Advance: You can core and chop the cabbage and onion one day in advance to cut down on hands on prep time.
• Pre-Cook the Cabbage: I find it worth the small amount of effort it takes to precook the cabbage before adding it to the other ingredients. The end result is more tasty if the cabbage has had time to evaporate some of the liquid and soften a bit before assembling the casserole. There’s no reason to salt the cabbage to draw out the liquid prior to cooking in this recipe.
• Add Protein for a One-Dish Meal: You can add a layer of cooked and seasoned ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork or Italian sausage to this casserole to turn it into a one dish meal.
• Make-Ahead Tips: Like most casseroles, this cabbage casserole can be assembled in advance, covered with plastic wrap or foil and popped into the refrigerator. It’s a terrific timesaver and you’ll have it ready to bake just before serving.
• Allow to Come to Room Temperature: When assembling cabbage casserole in advance, it’s best to wait and top with the buttered Ritz crumbs until baking. Also, allow 15 minutes on the counter to allow it to warm to room temperature.
• Dishes to Serve with Cabbage Casserole: You can serve this as a side dish with pinto beans, meatloaf muffins, fried chicken, turkey, ham steaks, pork chops and more.

Recipe Variations

• Variations: The cracker topping is super easy to make using crushed Ritz crackers tossed with melted butter. You could adapt the topping using Club crackers or Cheez-its if that’s your preference. You could also replace 1/4 cup half and half with 1/4 cup mayonnaise.
• Soup Substitutions: Cream of celery soup is my first pick and works very well in this recipe. If you prefer, you could adapt using cream of mushroom soup, cheddar cheese soup or cream of chicken soup, if that’s what you have on hand.
• Cracker Substitutions: The cracker topping is super easy to make using crushed Ritz crackers tossed with melted butter. You could adapt the topping using Club crackers or Cheez-its if that’s your preference.
• Keto Option: Replace the soup with a combination of mayo and heavy cream and leave off the crackers for a low carb cabbage casserole.
• Add Mayo: You could also replace 1/4 cup half and half with 1/4 cup mayonnaise.
• Cheese: You can use any variety of cheese that you like. Colby jack cheese, pepper jack cheese for extra spice, gouda cheese or mozzarella cheese.

Storage and Leftovers

• Leftovers: You can store baked cabbage casserole in covered with aluminum foil or in an airtight container the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Reheating: Reheat Southern cabbage casserole leftovers in the microwave or in a preheated 350°F oven until heated through.
• Freezer: You can freeze old-fashioned cabbage casserole. Thaw the casserole in the fridge. Please note, when freezing you’ll need to reheat and crisp the Ritz cracker topping in the oven at 350°F until heated through.

More Southern Style Cabbage Recipes to Make

Cabbage is inexpensive, readily available and can be transformed into a myriad of different kinds of recipes. Whether it serves as an ingredient for an entrée or a filling family pleasing side dish. Other recipes using cabbage you may like to try:

• Sweet and tangy Hillbilly Coleslaw gets better each day.
• Corned Beef and Cabbage ia a must-make for St Patrick’s Day.
• Southern Chow Chow is the consummate condiment used for everything from pinto beans to hot dogs in the South.
• Tender and succulent Braised Pork Chops with Apples and Cabbage makes a mouthwatering one pot meal.
• Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls served over rice is the easy way to make cabbage rolls.
• You may also like this recipe for Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage from The Magical Slow Cooker.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• 13×9-inch Dish
• Cheese Grater
• Spatula
• Chopping Board and Knives