• You do not need to register if you are not going to pay the yearly fee to post. If you register please click here or log in go to "settings" then "my account" then "User Upgrades" and you can renew.

HuskerMax readers can save 50% on  Omaha Steaks .

Grandma's Cabbage Burgers (aka Runzas)

This is almost identical to my grandma's recipe AZ. Can tell we both grew up in Western Nebraska! I'll see if I can dig up the recipe for the dough.

I keep meaning to post the recipe for homemade noodles, butter balls, and chicken noodle soup.

Small world as that is all stuff my grandma makes too!! Although dont tell her Im not a butterball fan. But the Grebel is dreamy!
 

2 yeast cakes
2 c. sweet milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. salt
7 to 7 1/2 c. flour


Dissolve yeast in 1/3 cup warm water. Warm milk, add sugar and salt and dissolve. Add beaten eggs and yeast. Add half of sifted flour, beat well. Add enough of remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Turn out on floured bread board and knead until smooth. Dough should not be too stiff. Place dough in greased dish, let rise in warm place until double in bulk. Punch down. When it rises again it is ready to use.
This makes great dinner rolls, too. See Runza recipe in "Meats" for filling.
 
Tried this yesterday, didnt roll my dough thin enough, so they are a little doughy. But taste good
 



Makes 2 dozen Runzas

Dough:

4 ½ to 5 cups flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 pkg dry yeast
½ cup shortening
½ cup water
¾ cup milk
2 large eggs (room temp)

Combine in large bowl/stand mixer:

1 ¾ cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. In a small saucepan Heat milk, water and shortening until lukewarm and add to flour mixture. Beat ½ minute on low speed. Add eggs and beat 30 seconds on low speed then 3 minutes on high speed. Add remaining flour and knead for 3 minutes until smooth. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.

Shape into squares and fill making sure you pinch the ends together securely. Let rise 40-50 minutes. Bake at 350 until golden brown.

Filling:

3 lbs browned hamburger well drained
2 medium sized heads of cabbage shredded (we buy the pre shredded stuff)
3 medium onions finely diced
1/3 cup butter
Salt and pepper

In a large pan melt butter. Add cabbage and onions and steam until tender. Combine with browned hamburger and season to taste with salt and pepper.

From the Schuyler St. Augustine Centennial Church Cook Book 1878-1978
Recipe contributed by Mrs. Galen Juranek
 
I don't know what it is about homemade runzas vs. Runzas, but homemade are much better. I'm thinking of trying to tackle this. Have to go light on the cabbage, though.
 
I don't know what it is about homemade runzas vs. Runzas, but homemade are much better. I'm thinking of trying to tackle this. Have to go light on the cabbage, though.

Indeed! We tinker with the cabbage/onion/burger ratio. We go heavy on the meat, and make about half a batch with cheese. I will say the versions using frozen bread dough do freeze/reheat better. The recipe I posted has a delicious soft, slightly sweet bread that I like way better than the frozen dough shortcut. But it's a bit more delicate and doesn't hold up to the freezer/reheating. No worries, I just keep eating them so there aren't any to freeze!
 




4 1/2 c. bread flour, divided
1/2 c. sugar
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs

FILLING:

1 lb. ground beef
2 sm. onions
4 c. chopped cabbage
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

In a large mixing bowl, place 1 3/4 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Heat milk, water and shortening to 120-130 degrees. Pour over flour mixture; add the eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low until blended. Beat 3 additional minutes on high. Stir in remaining flour; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, brown beef and onions in a skillet. Add the cabbage, salt and pepper; cook until cabbage is wilted. Punch dough down; roll into 12 6-inch squares. Top each square with 1/3 cup meat mixture. Fold into triangles. Pinch edges tightly to seal and place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot. Yield: 12 servings.


I have found this recipe to be as close as you can get to the originals. Just make sure your yeast is IN DATE!

Note: I brush melted butter on top of mine just after I take them out of the oven.
 
Last edited:
Thanks to everyone for the great ideas! I used to make these about 5 or 6 years ago and got extremely frustrated by not being able to make the Runza's consistently well. At that time, I was making them individually and most were usually too thick and very doughy. So, I stopped trying. I saw this thread and got excited by the idea of making one ginormous Runza. So that's what I did. It was a huge success! My wife and kids loved them!

I've provided a collage of the process. I used two loaves of Rhodes bread dough. One huge Vidalia sweet onion. A bag of store bought angel hair cabbage. Provolone ultra thin singles layered over the top of the meat mixture before the final layer of dough. I will make this again and again. Taking the short cuts saved me a lot of time and made the experience more enjoyable. If you try it - enjoy!!

collage-2015-12-19.jpg
 



Yes...we talking teaspoons, tablespoons?
almost getting to the magnitude of tablespoons!:Biggrin:

Made a small batch of Runzas for the family for Christmas Eve lunch.

I made filling with two pounds of hamburger; I wound up using a tablespoon of salt (3 teaspoons) and 2 teaspoons of black pepper. Used 1 cup of chopped onion.

I wound up using only half the filling. I was planning to use the rest in a makeshift Runza casserole, but yesterday my wife decided to use them with some flour tortillas (cabbage burger tacos?)... ummm... writing this last sentence opened up some risky double or triple entendre risks....:Biggrin:
 
Last edited:

Back
Top