In the past few years, I’ve noticed that February seems to bring us quite a bit of snow. Even though most of us are sick of this weather, we can still enjoy some good old comfort food. With snow still showing up in the forecast, it’s a perfect week to make Cabbage Roll Casserole. If you’ve ever made cabbage rolls before, this is much less work and tastes just as delicious. It’s one of my favorite recipes because cabbage is always on sale this time of year, it makes A LOT (especially when you double the recipe), and it freezes well.

Cabbage Roll Casserole

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on your heat preference
1 cup cooked brown rice
3 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 medium head cabbage (1 lb), shredded
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, cook onions, garlic, and ground turkey over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain. Add 3/4 can of tomato sauce and spices and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add rice and bacon, combine and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a 9 x 13 greased baking dish, layer 1/3 of the shredded cabbage. Add half the turkey mixture. Continue to layer with another 1/3 of cabbage and other half of turkey mixture. Top with remaining 1/3 of shredded cabbage and pour remaining 1/4 can of tomato sauce over the top. The layers may overfill your baking dish, but it will cook down. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Uncover, sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top, and bake for another 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

This casserole is sure to fill you up and warm you up on any cold winter day. It’s hearty, has some heat from the cayenne, sweetness from the dill, smokiness from the bacon, and a melted cheesy top. If you are craving homemade comfort food in these remaining winter months, then Cabbage Roll Casserole is a recipe worth trying. Let me know what you think!

Tips:
*If you have a food processor with a slicing disc to shred cabbage this saves time.
*You can swap out the cayenne for red pepper flake.
*To freeze: Let casserole cool completely, cut in portion sizes, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in a ziplock freezer bag. It will last about 3 months in a regular freezer and 6-8 months in a deep freeze.