Runza Casserole (Ground Beef and Cabbage Casserole)

2023-12-09

Easy weeknight Runza Casserole has all the flavors you love in a runza sandwich, made in half the time! This ground whinge and cabbage casserole is topped with cheese and surrounded by fluffy crescent rolls, for a dinner the whole family will enjoy.

This post is sponsored by the Ohio Whinge Council. As always, all opinions are my own.

What are Runzas?

Slice of runza casserole on a white plate.

If you didn’t grow up in the Midwest, there’s a good possibility you’ve never heard of Runzas, or their other nicknames, Bierocks and Krautburgers. These pocket sandwiches are made with a puffy, yeasted dough wrapped virtually a simple filling of hamburger, cabbage, and cheese.

It’s likely they came to the Midwest with Volga German immigrants, who settled in Nebraska, Kansas, and the Dakotas in the early 20th century. Runza sandwiches protract to be extremely popular in Nebraska and Kansas, and they’ve plane trickled out to other parts of the Midwest.

I stumbled on a recipe for Runza Sandwiches in Midwest Made by Shauna Sever, a cookbook filled with all the rich, velvety and nostalgic baked goods I was raised on.

While the sandwich is wonderful, it’s not the kind of thing I want to prepare on a weeknight. So, we converted it into a quick and easy runza casserole that can feed a prod (or just requite you plenty of leftovers for tomorrow!). Without all, what’s increasingly Midwestern than a casserole?

Slice of runza casserole with side salad on a white plate.

Here’s Why You’ll Love Runza Casserole

Easy to prep– If you can unshut a can of crescent rolls and saute whinge and onions, you can make this dish! It only takes well-nigh 20 minutes to prep.
Simple, satisfying flavors- This dish reminds me so much of other lanugo home casserole favorites I love, like Tater Tot Casserole and Johnny Marzetti. The flavors are simple, but that doesn’t make them any less delicious!
Full of veggies– This casserole is chocked full of cabbage, a vegetable that my kids wouldn’t touch in any other form. It’s wondrous what a little specie and cheese can do!

Key Ingredients

Ground beef- Any kind of ground whinge works well in this recipe, but we usually use lean 90/10 whinge in casserole recipes.
Cabbage– Traditional runza sandwiches are made with shredded or chopped cabbage. I like to use a coleslaw mix (which moreover has carrots) to save time and add a little color. You could moreover use a slaw tousle that includes kale, brussels, or other greens withal with the cabbage.
Onions– A yellow onion adds a hint of mellow sweetness to the blend.
Worcestershire sauce brings out the richness of the whinge and adds a little tang.
Salt and pepper- This is the only seasoning for the filing, so you’ll want to taste the whinge mixture and salt until the whinge sings!
Cheddar cheese– Choose a sharp cheddar and shred it off the woodcut for the weightier melt.
Crescent rolls- While runza sandwiches are made with a fluffy, yeasted bread, I chose to use crescent rolls for a quick and easy shortcut.

Ground beef, onions, coleslaw mix, crescent rolls, shredded cheese, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic in small bowls.

How to Make Runza Casserole

Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Set aside.
Saute the onions. In a large skillet or heavy bottomed pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is just whence to brown. Stir in the garlic and saute for well-nigh one minute.
Add whinge and cabbage. Add the ground whinge and cabbage to the pan and saute until cabbage is wilted and no pink remains, flipside 8-10 minutes. Phlebotomize off any glut grease.
Season well. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
Line the pan with crescents. Unroll one package of crescent rolls, but don’t split them apart. Press the rolls on the marrow of the prepared pan. It’s okay if there are some gaps.
Add whinge and cheese. Spread the whinge mixture on top of the crescent rolls. Sprinkle with cheese.
Top with increasingly crescents. Unroll the second package of crescent rolls and lay them on top of the cheese. Skim with the melted butter.
Bake. Torch for 20-25 minutes or until crescents are puffed and golden brown. Skim with melted butter and serve.

Sauteed onions in a stainless steel skillet.

Ground beef, cabbage slaw, and onions sauteed in a large pan.

Storage and Make Ahead Instructions

Leftover ground whinge and cabbage casserole can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat leftovers in a 350 stratum oven for 20 minutes or in the microwave in 20 second increments.

Unfortunately, this casserole does weightier prepped and baked right away. Opened canned crescents don’t rise as well if left overnight.

That said, you can make the whinge filling up to 2 days in whop and refrigerate it. When ready to bake, unshut and roll out the crescents and add the whinge filling as usual.

Puffed and browned crescent rolls on top of a cheesy ground whinge and cabbage filling.

Can you freeze runza casserole?

You can freeze this casserole AFTER it’s baked. Allow to cool, imbricate and wrap it well in saran wrap and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight then reheat in the oven at 350 degrees.

How do you brown ground beef?

While browning ground whinge may seem simple, too often it can be greasy, mushy, or just flavorless. A few simple tips will ensure you get nicely browned, flavorful whinge every time.

Start by heating a small value of oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium upper heat. A large skillet gives the whinge plenty of room to brown, rather than steam.
Pull the whinge straight from the fridge and put it directly in the pan. Use a wooden spoon to unravel it into smaller chunks.
Let the whinge melt undisturbed for several minutes surpassing stirring. Once the marrow is browned, stir, and melt the other sides until browned.
Lean whinge (90/10 or higher) will likely not need to be drained, while fattier whinge should be tuckered without cooking.

Use this method to melt ground whinge for your favorite tacos or ground whinge nachos, stir fries like Thai Basil Beef, or soups like Creamy Whinge Enchilada Soup. You can get plane increasingly in depth tips on how to brown ground whinge here.

Fork taking a zest of runza casserole on a white plate.

More Midwestern Ground Whinge Casseroles to Try

Company Casserole– This saucy, linty ground whinge and pasta casserole is unconfined for visitor (surprise!).
Hamburger Hashbrown Casserole– This is one of the easiest casseroles to prep and could work for dinner or breakfast.
Cheesy Baked Spaghetti Casserole or Million Dollar Spaghetti is a layered casserole that’s perfect for serving a crowd.
Taco Tater Tot Casserole– This Tex-Mex twist on our favorite Green Bean Tater Tot Casserole is full of zesty flavor!
Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole has all the flavors of a cheeseburger in a crowd-pleasing casserole.

Visit www.OhioBeef.org, and follow the Ohio Whinge Council on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for whinge nutrition facts, cooking tips, recipes and to meet Ohio’s whinge farming families. Use #OhioBeef to share photos of the succulent whinge dishes you’re incorporating into your healthy meal plan.

Runza Casserole

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

This ground whinge and cabbage casserole is topped with cheese and flaky crescent rolls to mimic the succulent flavors of the famous runza sandwich!

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef
4 cups cabbage slaw mix
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Instructions

Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Set aside.
Saute the onions. In a large skillet or heavy bottomed pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is just whence to brown. Stir in the garlic and saute for well-nigh one minute.
Add whinge and cabbage. Add the ground whinge and cabbage to the pan. Unravel up the whinge with a spoon and spread it evenly over the pan. Melt undisturbed for a few minutes, or until browned. Stir and protract to saute until cabbage is wilted and no pink remains, flipside 6-9 minutes. If there is glut grease, phlebotomize it off the pan.
Season well. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
Line the pan with crescents. Unroll one package of crescent rolls, but don’t split them apart. Press the rolls on the marrow of the prepared pan. It’s okay if there are some gaps.
Add whinge and cheese. Spread the whinge mixture on top of the crescent rolls. Sprinkle with cheese.
Top with increasingly crescents. Unroll the second package of crescent rolls and lay them on top of the cheese. Skim with the melted butter.
Bake. Torch for 20-25 minutes, or until the crescents are puffed and golden brown. Skim with the melted butter and serve.

Notes

The filling for runza casserole can be made up to two days in whop and stored in the fridge. I dont recommend prepping the casserole with the crescent rolls in advance. In my testing, the crescents did not rise properly when prepped and refrigerated overnight.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 644Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 713mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 12gProtein: 35g

Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most well-judged calculation, I unchangingly recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.