Runzas

by Peter on Jun.07, 2009, under sandwich

If you are asking yourself what a Runza is, well, you are not alone. Up until about 1 1/2 years ago I had never heard of them either. At the time, I was helping a couple of guys develop the menu for a sports bar. A gentleman came in hoping to book one of the viewing areas, for his group of Nebraska Huskers alumni, to watch the the Nebraska football games. He also wanted to know if we would be willing to menu Runzas during the games. I had never heard of them before, but I figured with a little research I could come up with the answer and a recipe. A quick search of the Internet provided me with plenty of information and a number of recipes from which I could create my own version of this “sandwich.” I found out that the Runza is dish consisting of dough that is stuffed with a ground meat and cabbage filling and then baked. This stuffing is usually made of beef and cabbage and a good dose of onion for flavoring, but it can also be made with pork and/or sauerkraut. It is of German-Russian origins and is very similar to the many meat stuffed doughs and dumplings of the area. It was brought here to Midwest by German immigrants and has slowly disappeared in most areas. It has remained popular in Nebraska, especially around the University of Nebraska, mostly thanks to a chain of restaurants called “Runza.” Runzas are one of those foods that people seem to become fanatical about and now alumni groups, from Nebraska, spread across the country make their own Runzas to serve during game time. In fact, many alumni view hosting a football viewing party and not serving Runzas as something akin to sacrilege.

I, personally, am not quite so enamoured by Runzas as some alumni are, though I do really like them. There’s just something about baked dough filled with meat that makes my mouth water. It must be my German heritage or something. One of the great things about these is that they freeze beautifully so go ahead and double or triple this recipe. Once made and before the rise and baking, freeze them. To do this I usually freeze them on a cookie tray lined with wax paper. After they are frozen I wrap individually in plastic wrap and stack them in the freezer. To cook them from frozen, remove them from the freezer, allow to come to room temperature and then follow the instructions for rising and baking.

One note about the recipe below: the garlic and the Worcestershire sauce are not traditionally part of the recipe. I find most recipes make a Runza that is a little bland for my taste so I’ve added these ingredients to up the flavor a little bit. If you want something more traditional do without.

Runzas
Makes 8-10

1 pound Ground Beef
1/2 head Cabbage, shredded or grated
1 each Onion, finely diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
Salt
Pepper
2 loaves Frozen Bread Dough

Allow bread dough to come to room temperature. Meanwhile make the filling by browning the ground beef along with the garlic and the onions. Season with salt and pepper. When done, drain off the fat and add the cabbage and Worcestershire. Cook until the cabbage is tender and all the liquid has evaporated. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as needed. Chill thoroughly before moving to next step. Roll out each bread dough to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut out rectangles of 4″x8″. Place about 1/2 cup of filling in the middle of each dough then fold over the short sides followed by the long sides totally enclosing the filling. Place on a greased tray, seam side down, and allow to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 and bake the runza for approximately 20 minutes or until brown. Allow to cool and rest 5 minutes before serving.

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