Creamy, Cheesy Southern Cabbage Casserole

This easy cabbage casserole is an excellent vegetable side dish.  Chopped cabbage is baked in a simple, creamy cheese sauce and topped with crushed Ritz crackers and cheddar cheese.  This is a great holiday side dish for a large gathering.   

When I told my husband I was making a cabbage casserole, he cringed.  He isn't a fan of cabbage, which I honestly don't understand.  I am a huge fan of this cruciferous superstar, and I love it whether it's smothered with bacon or in a dreamy casserole like this recipe! 

Why This Recipe Works

I love how simple this dish is to assemble, especially considering all of the little store-bought "cheats" that make it extra fast.

This cabbage casserole recipe is an easy throw-together simple vegetable side dish that promises to make any occasion special. 

Since cabbage is always available at your grocery store or farmer's market, this is one of my staple casserole recipes. We love to eat it at Church potlucks, for Sunday suppers and it almost inevitably makes its way onto our Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter spreads.  

Ingredients Needed for Cabbage Casserole

Cabbage - one small head of cabbage is all you need.  Believe me, once chopped, it's a lot of cabbage!

Canned cream of mushroom soup and mayonnaise - mixed together for a super creamy sauce that clings to all the cabbage pieces perfectly with almost no effort.

Chopped white onion - I prefer to finely mince the onion for this recipe.  If you prefer larger bits of onion, that'll work, too.

You likely already have some of the ingredients on hand such as salt, pepper, cayenne, and butter (butter is the most expensive ingredient for this recipe!).

Crushed Ritz crackers and grated cheese - add a wonderfully crunchy texture that is ubiquitous on any Southern casserole. 

How to Make Cabbage Casserole

(1) Rinse the head of cabbage under cool water first.  Chop the cabbage into 1-inch squares or strips.  Discard the hard core and end piece.  Read Expert Tips Below.  Place cabbage and onion into a large casserole dish.  Add the chopped onion. Pour half a stick of melted butter over the cabbage. Mix well.

(2) Mix the soup, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a bowl.  The cream of mushroom soup mixed with mayonnaise creates a super smooth, velvety texture.  Then pour into the casserole dish and mix well with the cabbage. 

(3) Mix the crushed crackers with the cheese and spread them on top of the casserole. 

(4) Pour remaining melted butter on top of the cracker-cheese mixture.  The cheesy cracker topping gives it that special final touch.  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Expert Tips

The cabbage will have a slight crunch after baking is complete.  If you like a softer cabbage texture, pan fry the cabbage for 5-8 minutes before proceeding to the next step.

If you're feeling pressed for time, you can absolutely use a few bags of shredded cabbage* and frozen chopped onions.

*Just know that the smaller pieces of cabbage will slightly change the consistency of the final dish and will cook more quickly than their chopped counterparts.

Store any leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I prefer to use BPA-free glass containers with locking lids.  Check out this 18-piece set of glass food storage containers with locking lids from Bayco, available now on Amazon.

More Side Dish Recipes to Explore

This post was originally published in November 2020 and was updated in November 2021.

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Recipe

Creamy Cheesy Cabbage Casserole Recipe

Cabbage casserole with a creamy sauce and cheesy cracker topping. This cabbage casserole recipe is perfect for any large get together and is a great side dish. Goes great with ham and turkey! 

4.29 from 21 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 10

Calories: 223kcal

Author: Anne Clark

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 head cabbage, chopped into 1-inch squares or strips See Recipe Note
• ▢ 1 stick butter, halved, melted
• ▢ 1 onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup) See Recipe Note
• ▢ 1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
• ▢ ½ cup mayonnaise
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ dash of cayenne, optional
• ▢ 1 cup shredded cheddar
• ▢ 1 sleeve ritz crackers, roughly crushed (not too fine, you want bits and pieces of crackers)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Rinse head of cabbage under cool water first.  Chop the cabbage into 1-inch squares or strips.  Discard the hard core and end piece.  READ RECIPE NOTES (A & B) BELOW.
• Place cabbage and chopped onion into a large casserole dish (9 x 13).  Pour half a stick of melted butter over the cabbage. Mix well.
• Mix the soup, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a bowl.  A whisk works well for this.
• Pour into the casserole dish and mix well with the cabbage.
• Mix the crushed crackers and cheese and pour on top of the soup mixture.
• Drizzle the remaining ½ stick melted butter on top of the cracker and cheese mixture.  Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes or until the cracker topping is crispy browned.

Notes

(A)  If you like cabbage crispy and crunchy, then don't pre-cook the cabbage.  If you like it soft and tender, then pre-cook it before putting the casserole together.  You can boil the chopped cabbage or pan fry for about 5-8 minutes. Thoroughly drain.  Then, proceed with the recipe directions.  (B) If you finely chop the onion (i.e., mince it), you don't need to saute it first. I like to mince the onion, but some people prefer larger pieces of onion, in that case, consider cooking the onion in a skillet or microwave to soften it up.  (C) Store cooked cabbage casserole in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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Nutrition

Serving: 4.7oz | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 349mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 213IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 1mg

Note:  Different brands will vary on the nutritional information provided, so keep that in mind.  For the most part, they should be fairly close.  Use a site like MyFitnessPal.com or HappyForks.com to figure out this information based on the brands or ingredients you used.