Runza Casserole
Easy to make Runza casserole has a hearty and flavorful filling of ground beef and cabbage topped with shredded cheese and sandwiched between layers of crescent rolls. This main dish is simple, delicious, filling and budget friendly!
If you’re not from the Midwest, specifically around Nebraska, you probably haven’t heard of Runza before. My friend Kim introduced me to the Runza sandwich. It’s basically a kind of loose meat sandwich made with ground beef, cabbage, and onions. It maybe sounds a little odd, a little plain perhaps, but it’s actually really delicious.
Now if the ingredients of Runza sound familiar, it might because these sandwiches are the modern cousins of the German bierock, a pastry pocket sandwich with a savory filling of ground beef, shredded cabbage and onions. They are also sometimes called kraut burgers.
What you’ll need:
- 2 (8-oz. each) cans crescent rolls, (do not separate)
- 1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
- 4 cups chopped green cabbage
- 1 package onion soup mix
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella or cheddar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Making the Runza casserole step by step
Step 1. Make the filling. Brown the ground beef and drain any remaining grease. Then add the chopped cabbage and cook for 3-4 minutes until the cabbage has wilted. Stir in the cream of mushroom and onion soup mix.
Step 2. Assemble the casserole. Press one can of crescent roll dough into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan. Spoon the filling over the top of the crescent rolls. Then sprinkle the cheese over the filling. Top with the remaining can of crescent roll dough.
Step 3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until the casserole is golden brown on the top.
Serve up your Runza casserole with a side of mashed potatoes, french fries, onion rings, or fried apples for a good old fashioned Midwestern stick to your ribs kind of meal!
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Runza Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 8- ounce tubes refrigerated crescent rolls, (do not separate)
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 4 cups chopped green cabbage
- 1 package onion soup mix
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella or cheddar*
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet on medium high heat, using a utensil to break the ground beef into small pieces. Drain any excess grease. Once the beef is browned, add the cabbage and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the cabbage has slightly wilted. Stir the cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix into the beef and cabbage mixture.
- Unroll one can of the refrigerated crescent rolls, do not separate them, and place in the bottom of the baking pan. Layer the beef and cabbage over the crescent rolls in the prepared baking dish.
- Place an even layer of cheese over the beef and cabbage. Top the casserole with the remaining can of crescent rolls.
- Place the casserole in the preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until the crescent rolls are golden brown on top.
Notes
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Amy. I have been looking for this recipe for many years. As a young wife and mother living in Nebraska, we had this delicious Runza often. It was a cheap and hardy meal for our family and a special treat as our family is a fan of anything cabbage.
Thank you for bringing back this memory. I plan on making your Runza soon.
I made this Runza Casserole for dinner last night, and it was a huge hit! The flavors were spot on, and it reminded me of the classic Runza sandwich. I love how easy the recipe was to follow and that it made enough for leftovers. Thank you for sharing such a delicious dish!
Can leftovers be frozen?
Patricia,
The leftovers can be frozen. That said, I think that if you freeze your leftovers the cabbage could turn mushy when you reheat it and that might be a deal-breaker for you.
Amy
Came out perfect — Will be a light dish for spring and summer
This recipe was so delicious. It was perfectly creamy cheesy yumminess. Everything was perfectly cooked. Thank you!
This casserole tastes like home to me; perfect on a wintry day! My whole family loved it and asked that I make it again!
sounds great, i will save this one. I was introduces to beirocks in the 60’s. Love them.
Yummy! A filling and flavorful way to use cabbage. It melts into the background of the casserole and you can’t even taste it. I would suggest baking the bottom crust for about 7 minutes first to ensure you don’t have any raw dough.
I got too much sauerkraut for New Years. I have one container not used.
Could sauerkraut be used in place of the cabbage in this recipe?
I don’t think that I personally would enjoy that substitution. I do have a recipe for Slow Cooker Kielbasa and Sauerkraut that I can recommend however! Slow Cooker Kielbasa and Sauerkraut
Looks delicious!!!!
SO GOOD. Hits every happy taste/texture preference. Runza casserole is our new fam fave!! THANK YOU AMY!! 🙂
So glad that you guys are enjoying it, Ali! Reviews like this one make the work of running a blog worth it. 🙂 Amy
My Runza recipe calls for Sour Cream instead of mushroom soup. Very yummy.
@Marge, Due ro health issues I must tweak some recipes and sub in ingredients. It’s a Low Sodium thing. The Sour Cream sound great! How much do you use for this recipe amount? Thank you!