This Runza Recipe is made with already prepared frozen bread dough and browned ground beef mixed with onion, cabbage and seasoned with salt and fresh ground black pepper. The end result is absolutely delicious, quick and much easier than mixing the dough from scratch.
These are always a hot commodity and a huge hit with family and friends. I love to serve them with homemade French fries or onion rings.
How to make Runzas
Start by taking the frozen roll dough out of the freezer and placing on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Space them several inches apart. Then cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until double in size. This can take up to several hours so plan accordingly.
Meanwhile brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. When the beef is about halfway browned add the butter, onion and cabbage. Then cook until the beef is browned and onions and cabbage are soft. Drain any excess grease. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Now using your fingers work each dough ball into a circle patty looking like a miniature pizza dough. Next scoop a rounded spoonful of hamburger mix into the center of the dough. Then using your fingers bring up the edges of the dough and pinch to seal. Now gently roll the dough ball in your hands to smooth the pinching. Place back on the parchment paper seam side down. Continue working until all the dough balls are filled. Cover again with plastic wrap for about 30 minutes. Then whisk together the eggs and milk. Gently and lightly brush the balls with the egg wash. Bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven.
Recipe notes and helpful tips for Runzas
- Timing is important with this recipe so plan ahead knowing that your dough needs several hours to rise. On the flip side if it rises too fast and you are not prepared yet pop it in the refrigerator for up to an hour.
- Rhodes brand ready made frozen roll dough is available in the frozen food section at most local grocery stores. I have always found it a good product but I am sure there are other good brands you can use as well.
- Finely chop the onions and cabbage so the mixture is easy to stuff in the dough.
- For a change of pace add cooked chopped bacon or mushrooms.
- If the dough is sticky lightly flour your working surface.
- Don’t skip the egg wash. It really makes them look so bakery fresh.
- A true Nebraska runza does not have cheese in it however a little sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, mozzarella cheese, or Monterey Jack cheese is delicious. Add it right on top of the spooned in meat mixture before pinching up the dough.
Can you use fresh yeast roll dough?
Feel free to use your favorite yeast dinner roll recipe, It will work just as well and may even taste better. After rolling the dough into balls place on parchment covered baking sheets with several inches between each ball. Then cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size. Follow the rest of the instructions as written. Be sure to allow time for the runzas to rise again for 30 minutes after stuffing and don’t forget to use the egg wash for that delectable fresh bakery appearance.
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Easy Runzas
Nebraska style Runzas are made easy with ready made frozen roll dough and a delectable five ingredient beef filling.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes plus rising time
- Yield: 18 runza
- Category: lunch
- Method: stovetop/bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 16 Rhodes rolls (frozen unbaked roll dough)
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 cups finely chopped cabbage
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Place frozen rolls several inches apart on parchment covered baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until double in size. This can take 3-5 hours so plan accordingly.
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. When the beef is about halfway browned add the butter, onion and cabbage. Then cook until the beef is browned and onions and cabbage are soft. Let it cool for a few minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Using your fingers work each dough ball into a circle patty looking like a miniature pizza dough. Scoop a rounded spoonful of hamburger mix into the center of the dough. Using your fingers bring up the edges of the dough and pinch to close. Roll gently between your hands to work the seams. Place back on the parchment paper seam side down. Continue working until all the dough balls are filled. Cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes.
- Whisk together the egg and milk. Gently and lightly brush the dough with the egg wash. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown rotating the baking sheet halfway through.
Notes
- Timing is important with this recipe so plan ahead knowing that your dough needs several hours to rise. On the flip side if it rises too fast and you are not prepared yet pop it in the refrigerator for up to an hour.
- Rhodes brand ready made frozen roll dough is available in the frozen food section at most local grocery stores. I have always found it a good product but I am sure there are other good brands you can use as well.
- Finely chop the onions and cabbage so the mixture is easy to stuff in the dough.
- Don’t skip the egg wash. It really makes them look so bakery fresh.
- A true Nebraska runza does not have cheese in it however a little sprinkle of shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese is delicious. Add it right on top of the spooned in meat mixture before pinching up the dough.
Keywords: runza sandwich, homemade runzas, how to make runzas
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Dana K
I served these to a UNL alumni & he thought they were great! I used a can of Grands biscuits & American cheese slices. Very tasty & easy!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Dana! I am so glad that you all enjoyed them!
Sue
Just put these in the oven and I already know we’ll love them. Hubby helped and we had a few laughs while working with the dough! We live in Nebraska with a Runza about a mile away, but I’ve always wanted to try homemade. So excited!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Sue! Enjoy!
briannemanzb
I love how mine turned out. It’s definitely a repeat in the house! Thank you for this.
★★★★★
Toni
Can you freeze these?
Beth Pierce
You can freeze them after they are baked. Be sure to let them fully cool before freezing. Then you can flash freeze them or wrap them individually and freeze. Bake from frozen at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Ty Rosenow
It’s a good basic recipe and I know there’s many variations out there for the Runza (aka Bierocks). I have been able to substitute the cabbage for the sauerkraut.
★★★★★
Lois
Well I made these Runzas today! Hubby is from Nebraska, and loves Runzas. We don’t have them in Canada. This was a fabulous recipe. I did add parsley and garlic; personal preference. Thanks so much for another great recipe! Hubs has asked to have these every Thursday! Ha, no promises; but if I’m home it is possible.
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Lois! So glad that you both enjoyed them! 😉
Debbie
So good and easy to make. I used a bread recipe to make mine. Can’t wait to try different meats or seafood in them.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Debbie! So glad that you liked them! They are so yummy!
Diane
I have made these every week since I first saw this recipe. I add a little Monterey Jack cheese and brown mustard to the mixture and I also use sauerkraut instead of cabbage. Adding a little mustard to the meat mixture let’s my family truly eat these on the run. Delicious.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tip Diane! A little mustard sounds delicious!
Anne
Sounds good. I know these as a ND Germans from Russia dish called Bierocks.
Diane
These were amazing. Made them 3 weeks ago and my family is asking for them again. Followed recipe except used sauerkraut instead of cabbage. They were delicious dipped in a little bit of course ground brown mustard.
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked them! Great idea with the brown mustard! So yummy!!
Valerie Peterson
My dad is from Nebraska and every time we went to visit my grandma would make these. We grew up calling them cabbage burgers. Never had a runza before, only grandmas. Her fresh bread dough was amazing. I am lazy so I use Rhodes most of the time. Love them.
Beth Pierce
They are delicious little bundles! Rhodes works well and it is easy!
Glenn Matthews
My mom and dad first date was at Runzas first shop in Lincoln Nebraska. Mom has made these for years using homemade yeast roll dough. It’s now a family tradition in my house. I use skirt steak course chopped in my food processor. Thanks for bringing back some great memories.
Beth Pierce
My pleasure Glenn. What a fond memory every time you see, smell, or taste Runzas.
Bree
Made these and they were of course delicious. I started off with triple the cabbage per husband’s request. The rhodes rolls were quite sweet for our taste so will use homemade dough next time, although they certainly were a dream to work with! Also will leave out the butter next time, just a personal preference, he doesn’t care for the flavor and the meat had plenty of fat. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Bree! So glad that you and husband liked them! They are quite yummy!
Claire
That filling! Looks SO good! Haven’t heard of this before and I am so excited to give this a try!
★★★★★
Maria
This looks so filling!!! Thank you for the recipe, do you think it’s okay to reheat?
★★★★★
Jeannette
What a fantastic on-the-go meal! Love how it’s portable and stuffed with a delicious meat filling!
★★★★★
Anjali
I hadn’t heard of Runzas before but I’m so glad I came across your recipe!! These look so cute, savory and satisfying – they are going to be the perfect side for our dinner tomorrow night!
★★★★★
Nina Greeley
I followed your easy recipe using the Rhodes rolls except I combined two rolls and made them rectangular like the ones you buy in Nebraska. I’m originally from Nebraska, but now live in New Mexico, so I added some green chili and pepper jack cheese to give them a little kick. Love your recipe. It’s as authentic as the real deal.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Nina! So glad that you liked it!
Jane
I made them using a frozen bread loaf. They came out with way too much bread. Love the idea to use rolls instead of the whole loaf. Thank you
★★★★★
Patsy
Made these this evening…my husband wanted me to add fried potatoes…the potatoes made them truly delicious!!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
That does sound delicious! Thanks for the suggestion.
Colleen
I’ve never heard of these before, but wow how amazing they look! I can’t wait to try these and I know they’ll be a huge hit.
★★★★★
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats
Wow I’ve never heard of runza before, but after reading this, recipe I can’t wait to try it!
★★★★★
Biana
These runzas look amazing and the filling sounds so good. And what a great idea to make them out of roll dough.
★★★★★
Jill
I had not heard of runzas but now I need to try them. They look and sound delish!
★★★★★
Cathleen
My husband has been wanting to go to Nebraska just to try these hahahaha.This came at the most perfect time, I am going to have to make these for him so we don’t need to make the long trek 🙂
★★★★★
Heidi Weinert
I have never tasted a homemade Rnza that even comes close to the flavor. They have a secret blend of spices and most of the homemade versions just have salt and pepper.
I guess you will have to come visit!
P.S. You can have them shipped to you but I have no idea what that would cost.
P.P.S. I am making this for dinner because I grew cabbage for the first time and could not think of a better way to use it.
Michelle
I’ve been making these for years this way. You can use tue Rhodes bread loaf too to adjust tue size of your runzas. I have never let the dough rise. I thaw in fridge in bag over night, Roll out the size I need, fill, then pop in oven. Bake time is about what I use. Very delicious.
Jenny
My Dad was from Scottsbluff, Nebraska. I will make some Runza and think of dear Fritz. Thank you!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Jenny! Enjoy!!
PAPPAW
I lean more to the German Bierocks and use half and half cabbage to sauerkraut! Also some extra spice to bring out the beef flavors!
★★★★★
Debbie
We put cheese in them also
Heidi Weinert
I live in Lincoln and I always get the cheese Runza when I go through the drive through.
Pam
Approximately how large is your dough circle before filling it?
Beth Pierce
4-5 inches
Amanda Livesay
Such a yummy simple dinner! My kids love them.
★★★★★
Patricia @ Grab a Plate
So yummy! These make the perfect snack or light meal! I love finding different uses for cabbage and this is a good one!
★★★★★
Michelle Boule
My friend keeps talking about runzas, i’ll need to make these soon!
★★★★★
Mahy
I don’t think I’ve ever made runza before. Such a great recipe to keep handy throughout a busy week!
★★★★★
Tara
I love how you made these runzas using frozen dough. They look so good and that filling sounds amazing! Yum!
★★★★★
Andrea
These Runzas look fantastic and I love how easy they are to make.
★★★★★
Chris Collins
I’ve actually never had Runzas before but they look right up my street! Will definitely give them a go on the weekend 🙂
★★★★★
Cathy
Love the idea of making these as a side dish!
Toni
Oh! This is so good! And so easy to make, too!! I love it!
★★★★★
Allyson Zea
These are so flavorful and delicious! I loved them!
★★★★★
Erin
These look incredible! I can’t wait to give them a try! So fun, too.
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
This Runza Recipe is looks perfect!
★★★★★
Marty
Can theses be frozen and reheated?
Beth Pierce
Yes they can. Thaw in the fridge overnight and to reheat wrap the sandwich in foil, place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.