It was only the morning after and my son was already in mourning. I couldn't blame him; the day after Malanka is always a bit of a letdown.
Not only did the next one feel like a really long way away, I was also feeling considerably hungover. My son loves Malanka more than anyone I know. But this year it was even more special for him than any other year. So, on the heels of this wonderful celebration, with 11 long months 1 week and 4 days to go until the next Malanka, I wanted to drown our collective sorrows and capture a little of the spirit of that night with my Ukrainian Daughter's Crock Pot Casserole. This slow cooker casserole is a giant Ukrainian feast in one pot!
Jump to:
A shining light in the midst of one of the dreariest times of the year, a great big party with family and friends, beautiful dancing and an amazing Ukrainian feast of perogies, cabbage rolls and kubasa. This is our Malanka; our dance school's Ukrainian New Year's Celebration.
And this year, my son wasn't just a spectator - he got to dance at Malanka for the first time ever!
🥘 Ingredients
If you are looking for Ukrainian recipes, this Ukrainian slow cooker casserole is a huge Ukrainian meal in one pot, including kielbasa sausage, cabbage, rice, and pierogi/perogy flavors.! Prepped in 20 minutes, the slow cooker does all the cooking for you! Who doesn't want a giant Ukrainian dinner without having to spend a ridiculous amount of time making it? There is NO precooking required!
🔪 Instructions
This recipe is very easy because it requires no precooking. But you need to add the ingredients as directed:
Step 1: Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 1 can of tomato soup into bottom of crock pot. Add 3-4 cups shredded cabbage on bottom of crock pot, then add dry rice.
Step 2: Pour 2 cups of water on top of rice, then sprinkle on ¼ cup of bacon bits.
Step 3: Evenly spread the other can of tomato soup over cabbage, then pour on tomato juice. Cut kubasa into circles (¼ inch) and spread evenly over cabbage roll layer.
Step 4: Mix mustard, horseradish and reek yogurt together and spread evenly over kubassa.
Step 5: In a large mixing bowl mix frozen hash browns, finely cut onion, dry cottage cheese, sauerkraut, sour cream, remaining bacon bits, cheddar cheese soup, dill, and the grated cheddar cheese. Then cut butter into very small pieces and mix in. Spread hash brown mixture over top of kubassa. Sprinkle sauerkraut liquid over hash brown mixture.
Step 6: Turn crock pot on low for 8-10 hour. It is ready when cabbage is tender and cooked through.
If you are looking for Ukrainian dishes, give this crock pot casserole a try! It's about 4 different Ukrainian meals in one dish. But the best part is that it works so well together and tastes amazing! And it should because it took me many tries and many versions to perfect this recipe. It really was a labor of love....
It should hold you over until the next Malanka (or your next big Ukrainian feast) anyway. Fortunately, it was able to ease my son's pain, if only a little. Oh, and it also makes a pretty good hangover remedy.
Try my Ukrainian Walnut Torte with this meal!
And if you LOVE Ukrainian food then check out my Ukrainian Recipes Board on Pinterest
⭐ COMMENTS & REVIEWS
Did you know that commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways to support your favorite recipe creators? If you loved this recipe, please comment and rate it in the recipe card or share photos on social media using the hashtag #foodmeanderings or tagging @foodmeanderings !
📋 Ukrainian Daughter's Crock Pot Casserole Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 -4 cups chopped cabbage 1 very small cabbage
- 2 cup dry instant brown rice minute rice
- 2 cups water
- ⅓ cup tomato juice
- 2 10 oz cans tomato soup (concentrated)
- ⅔ cup real bacon bits
- ⅔ cup mustard
- 3 teaspoon horseradish
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 750 g Ukrainian Kubassa ring casing removed
- 1 kg pkg hashbrowns frozen (about 5 cups) defrosted
- 1 ½ cup old light cheddar cheese
- 1 cup light sour cream
- 1 cup dry cottage cheese
- 1 10 oz can cheddar soup (concentrated)
- 1 tablespoon dill
- 1 cup sauerkraut chopped
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup butter salted
- 2 tablespoon sauerkraut liquid from jar
Garnish (optional)
- Dill
- sour cream
Instructions
- Spray a 6 quart crock pot/slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 1 can of tomato soup into bottom of crock pot. Add 3-4 cups shredded cabbage on bottom of crock pot, then add dry rice.
- Pour 2 cups of water on top of rice, then sprinkle on ¼ cup of bacon bits.
- Evenly spread the other can of tomato soup over cabbage, then pour on tomato juice. Cut kubasa into circles (¼ inch) and spread evenly over cabbage roll layer.
- Mix mustard, horseradish and Greek yogurt together and spread evenly over kubassa.
- In a large mixing bowl mix frozen hashbrowns, finely cut onion, dry cottage cheese, sauerkraut, sour cream, remaining bacon bits, cheddar cheese soup, dill, and the grated cheddar cheese. Then cut butter into very small pieces and mix in.Spread hashbrown mixture over top of kubasa. Sprinkle sauerkraut liquid over hashbrown mixture.
- Turn crock pot on low for 8-10 hour. It is ready when cabbage is tender and cooked through.
Gloria Duggan
Ok....coming from a fellow Ukrainian....yes ALL that food takes lots of time to prepare. I seriously don't know how baba did it all the time. When my kids as for perogies my answer is: "Are you coming over to help?" I miss those extra celebrations. Since my baba, mom and most of my aunts are long gone, I have great memories of all the extra holidays....and wonderful food. I loved reading your story.
Sue Slaght
When we lived in a small town in north central Alberta these Ukrainian feasts were very common. We were always delighted when we would arrive to a community event to eat all the delicious food. Nothing like the joy of saving a zillion hours of food prep with a slow cooker! Twenty minutes sounds like just the right amount of time to spend in the kitchen in my books.
Food Meanderings
Happening upon a Ukrainian feast is the best, Sue! Yes, and saving hours of cooking is 2nd best...:)
Sas
Are these tomato soup cans concentrate, or fully ready to serve soups?
Also, what is cheddar cheese soup? I don’t have this available in my grocery stores. What can I substitute?
Terri Gilson
Hi,
Yes, they are concentrated tomato soup - I will update the recipe to reflect that! Thanks for pointing that out 🙂
Cheddar cheese soup is a concentrated soup as well. You could use a homemade version if you can't find it: Homemade Cheddar Cheese Soup or use condensed cream of mushroom, or cream of chicken (and add another 1/4 cup cheddar cheese to the recipe).
Enjoy!
Terri
Ayngelina (@Ayngelina)
Very cool, I love to learn about other new year celebrations especially when its about food.
Food Meanderings
Thanks, Ayngelina! Yes, I agree - I will celebrate almost anything if food is involved!
mdivadomestica
Wow! Reading through the ingredient list you have accomplished incorporating the Ukrainian dish essentials into one dish - Amazing!
So nice to see the dance pictures. I'm sure your son was so happy to join in all the fun.
Food Meanderings
Thanks - yes, lots of ingredients ! I took me several tries and about 3 yrs until I got it right! I was determined... Glad you enjoyed the dance pictures - my son was THRILLED to be part of the action! 🙂
Heidi Fraser-Kruck
Hello, I'm hoping to cook up the crock pot casserole this Canadian New Year's Eve. I thought it would be fun to share some of our Ukrainian heritage with our new friends coming for dinner. I worry that 10 hours is too long, though. Is there any way I can speed it up? 8 hours would be perfect. I still have young children and they need to get to bed fairly early in the evening.
Terri Gilson
Hi Heidi,
You could cook it on high for 4-6 hours! You'll know it's ready when the cabbage is tender. I hope you and your friends enjoy the recipe!
Thanks!
Terri
Heidi Fraser-Kruck
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I'll practice it today:)
killingthyme
I'm part Ukie myself, and boy do I know about the blood, sweat and tears that goes into making a lot of that glorious food from scratch! This is a fantastic idea and it sounds *so* good. It might be a close second to my childhood fave lazy skillet cabbage rolls. NOMS.
Sheryl
mmm . . . This looks delicious. I like how you revised and refined a traditional recipe to make it work well in today's hectic world.
lorichoma
Yum! If I attempt this, I may try substituting some perogies for the hashbrowns....maybe just add them later in the process.
Kimberley
Pryvit! Love the dance pictures! Is that Thorn cliff community centre? My kids have their Zabava celebration with their dance school there every year. I totally hear you on the feelings the day after.
I look forward to trying your recipe!
dkropp
Do you mix this all together after it cooked or do you eat it in layers? Also, how do you fit all of that in one crockpot?? Do you have an extra large one?
Dumpor.Com
Just made this on Wednesday for my boyfriend and his family who are Russian! with 8 kids in the family the food was devoured. His parents LOVED this and even said I make better food then some Russians that they know!
Terri Gilson
That's wonderful - I'm so glad everyone loved it!
Heidi Fraser-Kruck
Hi Terri, Could you please let me know if the recipe would work if I use full fat instead of light ingredients? Is it dijon mustard you use? Thank you =D
Terri Gilson
Hi Heidi,
Yes you can use full fat everything! I use regular mustard , not Dijon.
Enjoy!!
Terri
Heidi
Hi Terri, thanks again for all of your help--I hope that your Christmas with your family was really great. I tried the recipe on high for 4 hours and while the cabbage was cooked in that short amount of time, the kulbasa was really dried out. I'm considering cooking the casserole on high, but adding the kulbasa in only at the last hour or so. How do you think this would affect the recipe? I am looking forward to serving this to our guests on New Year's Eve (only three people--one other household). Stay safe & best wishes for 2022
Terri Gilson
No problem, Heidi! Sorry to hear the kubassa was dried out! Yes, I would definitely try adding the kubassa the last hour- that should be fine. I don't think it would negatively affect the recipe. I hope that works out for you and I'd love to hear how it turns out! Happy New Year to you and your family as well 🙂
Heidi
Hi Terri--I wanted to let you know that my New Year's Eve Ukrainian Feast was a huge success. I started working on it at 6:30 am. I turned it on High at 8:00 am - 12:00 noon. Then I added kulbasa at 12:00 noon (but I cut it into smaller bite sized pieces--so that my 3 year old would have no trouble) and I turned the crock pot to Keep Warm from 12:00 - 4:00 pm (because I had to be out during the afternoon). I served the meal around 4:30 pm. I served baked (purchased frozen) pierogies on the side & fresh dinner rolls. I put the sour cream garnish on the table for about an hour before dinner so it would be room temperature and not too cold. I used all full fat ingredients as a personal choice. Served with lots of fresh dill leaves too--thanks again--I'll make this dish again for sure =D Happy New Year!
Terri Gilson
Hi Heidi,
I’m so happy to hear that it worked out!!!
Happy New Year to you too!
Heidi Fraser-Kruck
Dear Terri, I wanted to say that our family is thinking of you & yours at this terrible time of war in Ukraine. I am just listening to a radio show on CBC encouraging people to host "Cook for Ukraine" events to raise money. Made me think of the wonderful evening my family & I shared with your recipes. God bless.
Terri Gilson
Thank you, Heidi for your thoughts and kind words!