Just in time for your New Years’ menu planning, this meaty side dish keys on the flavor of cabbage smothered down in a smoky, spicy casserole. Unlike any cabbage dish you’ve tasted before, this one will call you back for seconds.
This Cajun Cabbage Casserole is a down-home Southern favorite. (All photos credit: George Graham)
Cabbage plays a popular role in Cajun and Creole cooking with an endless variety of recipes. It is easily grown in home gardens and commercial farms alike, and it is an inexpensive addition to the rural table. You will see cabbage side dishes on most lunch counter meat-and-three plates.
Cabbage is a farm-to-market essential for Louisiana cooking.
This version ups the ante on cabbage and elevates it with a substantial infusion of ground meat, smoked sausage, and bacon, which makes it worthy of center-of-the-plate entrée status. I’ve kept the spice levels moderate for most palates, but I will admit that a dash of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne could certainly kick this dish up.
Give this Cajun farmhouse recipe a try, and watch your guests make room on their plates for an extra scoop or two.
- 2 strips bacon, chopped
- 2 pounds 80/20 ground chuck
- 1 cup chopped smoked pork sausage
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 (10-ounce) can mild diced tomatoes and green chiles, such as Rotel
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 4 cups chopped cabbage
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice, such as Supreme
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- In a cast-iron pot with a heavy lid over medium-high heat, add the chopped bacon and cook until the fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Add the ground chuck and sausage, and cook the meat until it is browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper, and cook until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic along with the spices, and stir to combine.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken stock. Add the cabbage and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and let cook for 45 minutes.
- Once the cabbage is tender and the flavors have melded, add the rice and stir. Cover the pot and cook for another 20 minutes.
- Once the rice has absorbed all of the liquid and is fully cooked, transfer to a baking dish. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes at 350ºF. Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven.
This Cajun Cabbage Casserole will become a recipe favorite.
YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE: If you like this Cajun cooking story and Cajun recipe then accept my personal invitation to subscribe by entering your email at the bottom or top right of this page. It’s quick and painless. You will receive an email alert and be the first to see when new Cajun cooking stories and Cajun recipes are added. Thanks, George.
Thank you!
Need recipes for side dishes for Shrimp Creole, please. As soon as possible. Or just a suggestion.
Peggy – If you want to stick with a Cajun counterpart, I would suggest my corn maque choux recipe on page 189 of my cookbook Acadiana Table. All the best.
Great Cajun seasoning blend!!! Add so much flavor!
I love how you elevated a humble recipe to rockstar status. It’s a way to honor the old (ground beef, tomato sauce, and cabbage is how my Cajun grandmother made it) while introducing and making it relevant to today’s generation of cooks. Your work is a delight.
Dori – Wow…what I very nice comment. Cabbage is an underrated vegetable that should show more on Cajun and Creole tables. Thanks for the great comment.
The taste was delicious. I think I cooked it a bit too much because the veggies were a tad mushy. I didn’t know why it was too be out in the oven at the end, but it worked well, cooking off the remainder of the water. Will definitely make again!
Yo George, we were invited to dine and dined we did on your Cajun Cabbage Casserole at the home of our dear friend for New Year’s day… It for sure was a HOME RUN and very very enjoyable… It went very well with the black eye’s and in fact our host sent us home with half of the dish … Linda and I look forward to having it for supper again tonight… look forward to seeing you again in a duck or goose blind…
Chris
Chris- Thanks so much. You are a world-class cook, and your positive reviews of my cooking is much appreciated. All the best for a great 2022.
Looking forward to Cajun cooking stories and recipes in Acadiana Table.
Hey Beverly – Subscribe (it’s free) by entering your email, and you will get an update with stories and recipes every Monday morning. All the best.
Thank you, George, for another great recipe! I made it for New Year’s Day to celebrate with great friends (I think you know Chris and his wife, Linda!) . With his tasty BEPs and this wonderful casserole, we were able to say goodbye to 2021 and hello to 2022 in style. Did I mention he also made a terrific bread pudding for dessert?!? Happy New Year and keep the recipes coming!
Leslie- So glad you enjoyed the recipe. All the best for a great 2022.
George,
Is the rice uncooked when added? Also I really enjoy making your recipes.
Thanks, Mark
Mark- Great question, and I have changed the recipe to specify adding “uncooked” rice. Thanks.
Bonsoir George,
Just in from 2 months in the USA visiting my family et friends. I really wanted to contact you for a cafe et to buy your cook books, but I was paranoid about mixing due to the Covid-19 numbers…perhaps next time!
Thank you for the recipe, I will certainly try it soon. Question…why bake in oven when it seems all would seem cooked on the stovetop?
Merci et look forward to hearing from you.
Joseph- I chose to cook it in the oven for even heat distribution, but give it a try on the stovetop. The cooking time will certainly vary depending on the heat. All the best.
Next time, George, It goes in my smoker. It was just too danged cold (5ºF) up here in Illinois to run out to the smoker, but I like to have a little smoke in most things. I even do a Pralines `N Cream Cake in my Weber Kettle, and no one has ever mentioned any smoke flavor. Thanks for being around all these years and pulling my scrawny old behind out of the doldrums with your extensive knowledge of culinary issues.
Thanks Richard…it is my pleasure to tell the stories of my Cajun and Creole foodways. I thank you for being such a great participant. All the best for a great 2022.
I made a lot of this the first time through and am glad I did. It went over well, and there was enough to warm up in the AM and slip a couple of over easy eggs on top. I used red cabbage & andouille (squeezed from the casings). I’ll make a double batch when my nephew comes though, he’ll love it, along side a fresh cuppa Emerald Geisha from Panama. Thanks, again, George. You’ve been helping me out for years, now.
Richard- Wow, I like the way you think…topping this cabbage casserole with two over-easy eggs is brilliant. I will try that next time.
Hey George, Greetings from Harare! I really like the look of your Boudin King Cake, Red Bean, Mustard Green, and Green Onion Sausage Soup, Pork Curry soup and Meatball Fricassée – whew!, a pause to catch my breath. They look and sound so delicious, what a pity the Internet can’t serve up the tasty meals! I’m your fan, and I will always be coming back to salivate over (gulp) more of your lovely cooking. Take care!
Could you use brussel sprouts in place of cabbage?
Denise-
While it will be a different dish, it sounds like a tasty substitution. Give it a try and let us know.
Thank you, Chef Graham for your kind response. I was just musing. I made your spice blend, and it is dynamite!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the West Coast! Slainte!
Hello George! Denise Monahan here. I made the Cajun Cabbage Casserole (to the letter) for over 200 people yesterday and the results were over-whelming as to your genius! Thank you again for your communications. I also shared your website and fabulous spice blend; it just ROCKS! Have a fun week! PS: Thank you for correcting my spelling of dynamite.
Hey Denise- No, YOU rock! 200 people? Heads were rolling that day; how many cabbage heads did it take for a group of 200? Thanks for the praise, and I hope you have a “dyn-o-mite” week.
Greetings G! I ended up using 6 large cabbage, chopped. No easy feat in my small trailer kitchen. What makes this dish so exciting, is every bite is different. THREE proteins alone are a show-stopper. But this offering begins and ends with your spice blend. Celery Salt! I made my own in this cheesy mini-grinder I bought online. Delish! Along with my favorite, Smoked Paprika. I make an Irish Chili with Smoked Paprika and Jameson’s for our town’s annual Chili Cookoff. It’s the largest (1) Day CCO in the world…. no kidding. Tustin, California. It is wonderful chatting with you. Thank you!
We made this yesterday and it really turned out wonderful. Our son, who exercises a lot, likes high protein dinners. This filled the bill and was delicious.
Absolutely delicious! The next time I make this i think, i will do a bit less ground beef (1.5 pounds) and a bit more cabbage (6 cups) along with a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce……..sometimes tweaking a great recipe results in an ever better version. Keep up the great work, George!