Brenda Gantt Cabbage Casserole
This copycat version of Brenda Gantt’s Cabbage Casserole, is full of creamy cabbage, tender onions, and gooey cheese, topped with a crunchy, buttery cracker topping.
If you believe that comfort food is only a few types of recipes, then Brenda Gantt’s cabbage casserole fits the bill.
A simple head of cabbage prepared in a baking dish, with a few easy other ingredients, and you have a very tasty dish.
If you love cabbage like I do, check out this Bierock Casserole. It’s full of hearty ground beef and tender veggies.
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
- Green cabbage – You can use red or Napa cabbage if you don’t have green cabbage.
- Onion – I like Vidalia onions but any sweet onion will do.
- Condensed chicken soup – You can also use mushroom, onion, or celery soup.
- Mayonnaise – Duke’s is my favorite brand. Don’t use Miracle Whip! It doesn’t taste the same.
- Ritz crackers – Substitute Panko or corn flakes.
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How To Make Brenda Gantt’s Cabbage Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a 9×13 dish with cooking spray. Spread chopped cabbage in the pan. Top with sliced onions.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix the cream of chicken soup, mayo, and melted butter.
- Spoon and spread over the cabbage and onions. Mix topping ingredients together and spread over casserole.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Remove and serve warm. Enjoy.
For the full recipe and detailed cooking instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Serving Suggestions
A cabbage casserole is super versatile. You can serve it as a topping on hot dogs. Or you serve it as a main course or side dish. It tastes great cold too, so I suppose you could even get away with calling it a salad too.
However, if you serve cabbage casserole as your main course, then here are sides I can recommend:
Store any leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just store in an airtight container. You can heat it up in the microwave, on the oven, or in a sauce pan on medium heat.
Freezing is not quite as ideal, because the texture of the cabbage isn’t quite as good after freezing. But no worries, it still tastes great. Add more fresh ground crackers or cereal to the top when you reheat if you have some handy.
Tips For The Best Casserole
- If you have a small head of cabbage make it in a 2 quart baking dish (8×8).
- You can use any type of cabbage, even red cabbage or Napa cabbage if you like.
- Make sure to rinse your cabbage first to remove any hidden dirt.
- Other types of condensed cream soups work for variations. For example, cream of mushroom, or cream of asparagus.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, pin this to your favorite casserole Pinterest board and share it on your favorite social media channels!
This comforting cabbage casserole is the perfect way get some extra veggies in your meals!
Brenda Gantt Cabbage Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
Cabbage Casserole
- 1 medium or large head green cabbage roughly chopped
- 1 large Vidalia or sweet onion sliced
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup 10.5 ounces
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ stick unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Cracker Topping
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers (roughly 30 crackers) crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Spread rough chopped cabbage in the bottom of a a 9×13 pan.
- Top with sliced onions.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Mix the cream of chicken soup, mayo, and melted butter in a separate bowl.
- Spoon and spread over the cabbage and onions.
- Mix topping ingredients together and spread over casserole.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
- Remove and serve warm.
- Enjoy.
Notes
- If you have a small head of cabbage make it in a 2 quart baking dish (8×8).
- You can use any type of cabbage, even red cabbage or Napa cabbage if you like.
- Make sure to rinse your cabbage first.
- Other types of condensed cream soups work for variations. For example, cream of mushroom, or cream of asparagus.
Nutrition
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Kids coming to eat tomorrow so I’m going to try it out on them. Look great!!!!
I’m excited! Let me know if they like it!
Does any one know if I can prepare the cabbage casserole and put it in fridge overnight and bake the next morning???? I love the cabbage casserole!!
You can prepare it ahead of time. Leave off the crunchy topping. Tightly wrap and place in the fridge overnight. Remove from the fridge about 15-20 minutes before baking and top with topping. Bake as instructed:) Enjoy!
Thank you, Jennifer! That’s what I need to know!
On her video, Brenda says you can do everything except the topping the night before and put in fridge covered in plastic wrap. The next day, just mix and add the topping and bake!😉
I do mine the night before and put the topping on before I put it in the oven. Turns out great.
@jennifer, can this casserole be frozen??
Technically you can freeze it, but the cabbage will break down. it will get mushy and can release a lot of water. You can help this by cooking down the cabbage a little beforehand to remove a bunch of the water. And since it will shrink down, you might need to cook about 1/3 extra cabbage.
Absolutely delicious! The only change I made was to cut back on the mayo to 3/4 cup in order to save on fat content. I plan to try this recipe with different varieties of cheese. I love, love your recipes, Brenda!
This casserole is so good! I made it gluten free by preparing my own cream soup and using funyuns instead of crackers for that extra crunch and onion flavor!
I made this today with less Mayo, less butter, and no cheese. It was delicious! I also used a mix of green and red cabbage.
So glad you liked it! I think I will try it with a mixture of red and green next time I make it.
I made this casserole for Christmas dinner it was so good and was a big hit
I’m so glad you liked it!
Could I cut up rolled smoked sausage and put in it? My husband saw me cutting up the cabbage and ask if I would cook the sausage with it.
You sure can!!
I made this today and was very impressed! It was delicious just like your recipe! I changed nothing !!!! Love it !
Thank you so much!!
The actual recipe per Brenda Gantt’s video shows 1/2 cup mayo (not 1 cup), 1/2 teaspoon of salt (not 2 teaspoons), 1/2 teaspoon pepper (not 1 teaspoon). Also the 1/2 stick of butter is drizzled over the the cabbage and onions (not included with soup and mayo) although I doubt that would change the flavor of the finished product. Making this today!
I would think it would be rather dry & flavorless w/o the extra mayo, butter & salt & pepper. Cabbage is actually almost flavorless w/o seasoning. I even added some garlic, seasoning salt & celery seed. I used the whole stick of butter & 1 cup of mayo. Delicious!!!!
That’s exactly the way I made it; followed a You Tube video Brenda made. The lesser amount of mayo was perfect, and this dish is delicious!
So glad you like it!
I would suggest using less salt if you are using salted butter.
I used both the 2 teaspoons salt and salted butter and it was way too salty.
She has 3 different videos for it. Two say 1 cup mayo, and the other says 1/2 cup mayo so I guess you can do either or somewhere between. Definitely less salt though
I followed Brenda Gantt’s video first time around & it was very good. Added prepackaged jalapeño & cheddar sausages cut into 2″ lengths & mixed in with cabbage.
Second time around I got creative & used cream of asparagus soup, bite-size cubed top sirloin & asparagus spears, mixing steak & asparagus spears in with cabbage. Instead of cheddar cheese, I used mozzarella. This was by far, one of my best creations! I’m not much of a cook & her video intrigued me because it looked so easy. The steak & asparagus with mozzarella cheese was incredible! Took a photo but there’s nowhere to upload it. My cabbage casserole looked as good as it tasted! Thank you!
Love all the additions to make it a full meal!
I use a whole onion with lots of garlic and sautéed them, also shredded about 8 carrots and added to cabbage. I have shared this casserole dish with a lot of friends, family and neighbors, most of them have asked for the recipe all said they loved it.
Who knew the humble cabbage could be so delicious?!?!
I made this last night. I used French’s Crispy Fried onion topping (like you use on green bean casserole). I also added bacon bits in with the cheese. The only thing I’d change is maybe cut back on mayo and butter. It was wonderful and my husband loved it, but I think it would be a little better with 1/2 the mayo and 1/2 the butter. I did not add salt but instead used salted butter. I love, love Brenda and her recipes! God bless 🙂
I made this casserole..it is delicious, however, I would decrease the butter to 1 stick, and 1 teaspoon salt. Other than that..very good.
I made this last night using a bag of slaw and 1/2 tsp salt. I added chopped kielbasa with the cabbage layer. It was really good and definitely making again
Hi there. I have tried this and loved it. However, this time I sauteed the cabbage first with onion to get it soft, then I topped it with the rest of ingredients. Hopefully turns out yummy!😋
I’m making this casserole for the third time today. It is absolutely scrumptious! I’m going to add it to our Thanksgiving menu as well. Try it! If you like cabbage, you’ll love this casserole!
Hi!
Is the cabbage suppose to be crunchy?
I baked for and hour and it’s still crunchy but delicious 😋
It’s supposed to be tender but have a little texture. Maybe slicing a little thinner but it’s also that ovens bake differently so it’s possible it might be a little crunchy. I am so glad you liked it!
I tried this simple recipe.Turned out very good I just recently began watching your videos .I enjoy them and learn a lot from them God bless you!
My cabbage was still crunchy even after the 45 mins. What can I do differently?
This happens to me occasionally and it’s usually because I didn’t chop the cabbage thin or small enough. Or I have used the outer leaves of the cabbage head which tend to be thicker and more fibrous. If I have a cabbage that is thicker I chop it thinner and sometimes I will even pop it in the microwave for a minute or two for a quick steam before adding to the casserole. I hope this helps:) Let me know if you are still having some problems and we can brainstorm some more ideas!
You are correct! Even cabbage haters love this recipe😁! I didn’t have ritz crackers the first time I baked this. I substituted Cheez-Its. Try it!!!!!! Sooooo good
Cheez-its are genius! Thanks for the tip!
I made this with Brussels Sprouts and a light layer of Prosciutto under the cheese layer. It was perfect for one and helped me clean out the frig after the holidays. I think I may add some chopped apples or hamburger next time.
OMG that is genius!! I love this and can’t wait to try it!
I live alone and make this cabbage casserole twice a week !! I love it. I read cabbage is good for kidneys and my kidneys need the help. I like having a casserole cooked and in the fridge so I can warm some up for a hot meal and this casserole is perfect 🥰
Thank you for posting this recipe. I used gluten-free panko on top instead of crackers because I can’t eat wheat. I also used gluten-free cream of chicken soup. I wanted to add protein so I added half pound of sliced corned beef which I bought from the deli counter. I just cut it into bite sized pieces and layered it between the cabbage and onions. It was SOOOO good! I ate two servings! The next day I served on top of some leftover mashed potatoes I had. Yum. I will be making this again for sure!
I love the addition of the corned beef! Genius! Since you are gluten free, try the GF panko crumbs that are made with pork rinds. They are so delicious and add just a hint of smoky flavor. So glad you liked it. Thanks for being a reader:)
First time I made it I followed Brenda Gante recipe exactly 2nd time I made it. I followed this recipe exactly both were wonderful however, this recipe the casserole had too much liquid in it, even though I cooked, both uncovered.
I will make a note. Thanks for letting me know!
So simple and so good. I did want some protein with this so I layered corned beef lunchmeat slices between the cabbage layers and it was DELICIOUS! Try it, you won’t be disappointed. Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
That is a genius idea! I am going to try that next time I make it. My husband LOVES corned beef!