Runza you may ask! What is a Runza?!?! As a girl born and raised in the American Midwest let me enlighten you. It is a sandwich known for its sauteed cabbage and hamburger baked in a soft and chewy bread pocket! Runza is also the name of the restaurant chain here in the Midwest. This Runza casserole is easier to make and less time-consuming than making a traditional Runza sandwich. It is a cheesy meat pie covered with a flaky crescent roll crust.
The two ingredients that make this Runza casserole different than a traditional Runza would be the Velveeta cheese and the crescent roll dough. My mom always made Runza casserole with Velveeta! Many Runza casserole recipes on the internet suggest adding shredded cheddar cheese and/or a can of soup for more flavor. In my opinion, the Velveeta (instead of shredded cheddar) is so delicious you don’t even need to add soup!
Side Note: Processed cheeses are not as healthy as regular cheese but sometimes it’s the only cheese that can give you that gooey cheesy melt. I do not cook with Velveeta regularly but it is a nice treat at times and works so well in certain recipes. In this Runza casserole, the Velveeta sinks into the meat and gives it a nice flavor!
Runza Casserole Variations
If you were to visit the Runza restaurant chain you would find Runza’s with various added ingredients such as mushrooms, spices, and different cheeses. You can check out the Runza menu here if you are curious. The traditional Runza has no cheese and has very basic flavors. Some people like the simple flavors where the bread and cabbage come through as the star performers. If this is you, you can omit the Velveeta in this casserole altogether. I think more people tend to like the added cheese.
If you are interested in trying different variations you can try adding a can of soup (cream of mushroom soup is the most popular) or different cheeses (such as shredded cheddar or Monterey). I would suggest trying this recipe first. I have fancied the idea of doing a Swiss Mushroom Runza casserole, just like Runza’s Swiss Mushroom Runza sandwich. This would be easy to replicate by sauteing mushrooms alongside the onions and cabbage, adding a can of cream of mushroom soup, and replacing the Velveeta with Swiss cheese.
I used to make Runza sandwiches at home by using frozen loaves of pre-made bread dough from the store. These days with a busy family, I make the Runza casserole instead to save time. If you are interested in making traditional Runza sandwiches from scratch here is a recipe that is similar to the one I have used.
A Brief History of Runza’s
Before it was called a Runza it was known as a Bierock. The Bierock made its way to America with European immigrants. A Bierock is believed to go back as far as the 18th century. It was a common food to eat on the go or send in a worker’s lunch. The Bierock can be any shape including circular, triangular, or half-moon shaped.
The Runza, in America, is known for its rectangular-shaped sandwich roll. The Runza restaurant started in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1949. It has spread throughout parts of the Midwest, mainly Nebraska and Kansas.
How To Make Runza Casserole with Velveeta
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 cake pan. In a large pan, brown the hamburger until no longer pink with garlic powder, onion powder, and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. While the meat is cooking chop the vegetables. (Here is a great article, with a video, on how to cut cabbage HERE.) Drain the meat mixture in a strainer.
While the meat is draining, add the butter or oil to the large pan on medium or medium to low heat. If a little hamburger grease remains in the pan that is okay, it will only add more flavor to the onions.
Saute the onions for 2-3 minutes. Now add the cabbage and cover the pan with the lid for 5-7 minutes or until the cabbage has softened; stir occasionally. Next, add the hamburger back to the pan and cook with the onion and cabbage for 4-5 mins, covered, on medium-low heat. Add another sprinkling of salt and pepper to your desired taste! Take the meat off the burner and set aside.
Assembling your Runza casserole
Open and unroll one can of the crescent roll dough onto the bottom of the casserole dish. You can use the crescent dough sheets or regular crescent roll dough with perforated lines. You will have to gently spread the dough into the corners and edges of the bottom of the pan. The dough DOES NOT go up the sides of the dish, it only covers the bottom of the pan. Next, pour all of the meat mixture on top of the dough and spread out evenly.
Now cut the Velveeta into 1/8 of an inch slices with a soft cheese cutter or sharp knife. Lay the cheese slices on top of the meat mixture. Open and unroll the second crescent roll dough on top of the cheese. Gently pull the dough into the corners once again. If a hole develops pinch the dough back together. Now bake for about 20 minutes until the top dough is golden brown.
Store the casserole, tightly sealed, in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. This casserole is best fresh. If you would like to prepare this casserole the day before baking….do not assemble it. Prepare the filling and store it in the fridge. Assemble the casserole with the dough right before baking.
Substitutions & Add-Ins
- Velveeta OR 1 -2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey cheese
- green cabbage OR purple cabbage OR bagged coleslaw mix
- crescent roll dough sheets OR crescent roll dough with perforated lines
- ground hamburger OR ground turkey
- add 1 (10.5 oz) can of cream of mushroom soup, cheese soup, or nacho cheese soup to the meat mixture right before pouring it onto the dough (soup variations mentioned below)
Dinner for One? Dinner for Two?
As the original Runza, the Bierock, can be made in various shapes and sizes I thought why not the casserole too!?!? On the left, I used a 1.5 quart bread pan, and a mini-bread loaf pan on the right. You can make the full recipe and divide it amongst the bread pans. Then serve one pan and freeze or refrigerate the rest for another evening.
For the dough prep, I lightly floured my large cutting board and laid the crescent roll dough on it for cutting. You can use a sharp knife or pizza cutter with a little flour and cut into rectangles.
For freezing, you would need to make sure your glass pan is freezer-safe. Do not freeze a metal pan for it will cause rust and/or wrap the shape of the pan. Try lining the pans with parchment paper, allow the casserole to cool, and then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. An easier option would be to use disposable aluminum pans for freezing or gifting to a friend or family member.
Tightly seal the container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in a 350-degree oven. For the large bread loaf pan, the recipe could be divided up into 2 to 3 bread pans. If you use two bread pans the mini casseroles will be thicker. Or use 2 to 3 mini loaf bread pans.
Final thoughts, because I have gotta runza…..
Above, you will see specks of red in the casserole. This is the batch where I tried Campbell’s nacho cheese soup without any added cheese. The Nacho cheese soup comes with bits of red pepper and jalapenos in it. The taste was good but surprisingly not very cheesy. My husband enjoyed this one. I would make this again but I would have to try it with some Velveeta!
I have also tried Campbell’s regular cheese soup, without added cheese, and felt it lacked flavor. Omitting the soup and adding Velveeta was much better. I think Velveeta’s Queso Blanco cheese or American cheese slices would be interesting to try! Let me know below if you do!
In conclusion, sorry in advance, but I just can’t resist…. make sure you runza right over to the store to get the ingredients to make this easy Runza casserole for dinner tonight. It’s so good you will runza out of food!
Check out another recipe with hamburger and Velveeta……
Cheeseburger Soup recipe (in the crockpot)
Let me know in the comments if you tried this recipe or any of the variations!
“Cooking is multisensory. It’s made for the eyes, the mouth, the nose, the ear, and the soul. No other art is as complex.” – Pierre Gagnaire
Easy RUNZA Casserole Recipe (with Velveeta)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs ground beef
- 1/2 tsp Onion powder
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
- 2 tbs oil or butter
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- ½ small-medium green cabbage shredded
- 2 8 oz Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls or Crescent Sheets
- ½ lb Velveeta cheese sliced into 1/8 inch slices
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan. In a large pan, brown the hamburger until no longer pink with garlic powder, onion powder, and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Drain the meat mixture in a strainer.
- While the meat is draining, add the butter or oil to the pan on medium or medium to low heat. Saute the onions for 2-3 minutes. Then add the cabbage and cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the cabbage has softened. Stir occassionally. Next, add the hamburger back to the pan and cook with the onions and cabbage for 4-5 mins, with the pan covered. Add another sprinkling of salt and pepper to your desired taste! Take the meat off the burner and set aside.
- Open and unroll one can of the cresecent roll dough onto the bottom of the casserole dish. Gently spread the dough into the corners of the pan. The dough DOES NOT go up the sides of the dish. Next, pour all of the meat mixture on top of the dough and spread out evenly.
- Lay the cheese slices on top of the meat mixture. Open and unroll the second crescent roll dough on top of the cheese and gently stretch the dough to the edges of the dish. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the top dough is golden brown.
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