Nebraska’s Homemade Runza
I love college football. Especially my alma mater, the University of Nebraska- Lincoln’s Cornhuskers. If you have ever had the opportunity to travel to Lincoln on game day and sit inside Memorial Stadium, there are three essential foods that make a Husker game day: Fairbury Hotdogs, Valentino’s Pizza, and of course a Runza! But, if you can’t get to Lincoln in the fall, there is no reason not to be able to make your own Nebraska’s Homemade Runza.
One of the reasons I love this recipe so much is that it is a great freezer recipe.
(Which makes it a great way to use up extra cabbage from your garden.)
Just make the Runza from start to finish and place into labeled freezer bags. When ready to eat, thaw the Runza and reheat either in the oven or microwave.
A great weekday lunch option.
Runzas are also known as bierocks.
They’re a staple recipe among US regions with strong Eastern European and German heritage.
Variations of this recipe fill all the local church cookbooks.
Just like my Grandma’s German Spaetzle recipe.
(I come about rich and hearty meals honestly. It’s in my blood.)
At Runza restaurants, they have different versions of the sandwich: Original, Cheese, Swiss Mushroom, Cheeseburger, BBQ Bacon, BLT, Spicy Jack, etc.
But my favorite is the Cheese Runza.
So when I decide to make this recipe, I usually always make a few of the cheese version, by adding a half slice of cheddar before wrapping the dough around the filling.
Nebraska’s Homemade Runza is perfect served along side a helping of crisp crinkle fries.
And a college football game on tv.
P.S. I’ve made this recipe before using thawed bread dough as a shortcut. Works beautifully!
Nebraska's Homemade Runza
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 2 pkgs (1/4 oz) Yeast
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 2 Eggs
Filling
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 1 Small Onion, diced
- 4 cups Cabbage, chopped
- 2 tsp Seasoned Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
Instructions
Dough
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Start by placing 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
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Either in a small saucepan over medium heat or a microwave safe bowl, heat the milk, water, and butter to 120-130 degrees F.
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Pour heated wet ingredients into flour mixture. Stir slightly before adding beaten eggs.
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Continue by adding the remaining flour, one cup at a time, until when kneaded the dough comes together and is smooth and elastic.
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Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
Filling
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While dough is rising, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain.
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Stir in the chopped cabbage, seasoned salt, and pepper. Stir gently until cabbage is cooked and filling combined.
Assembly
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Punch dough down, and divide into 12 equal portions.
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Working with one piece of dough, roll into a rectangle (approx 6 inches x 8 inches in size).
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Place a heaping 1/2 cup of filling into the center of each dough piece.
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Fold dough over filling. Seal and tuck edges.
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Place onto a greased baking sheet (edges can touch).
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Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Recipe Notes
Recipe Notes:
- These freeze well. Make multiple batches (through the baking process) and freeze any cooked extras. When ready to use, thaw and either bake or microwave until heated.
- Can use 2 (8oz) cans of sauerkraut in place of cabbage.
- Add a half slice of cheddar cheese to each Runza before sealing pouch for a Cheese Runza version.
- For a shortcut, use thawed frozen bread dough in place of making the dough from scratch.
I just made them and they were really like a Runza. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for the kind comment Tom! I enjoy hearing from people who love the recipe as much as my family does.
Do you have to activate east before putting in with flour and everything? Do you need to boil the cabbage before adding it in with the hamburger mixture?
Yeast
Hi Mel…. In this recipe the dough works just fine mixing together as directed. If you are concerned with the room environment the day you are baking or want to test your yeast to see if it is still good. Mix together the yeast, sugar, and warmed milk, water, and butter. Let sit to see if it “blooms”. Then add remaining ingredients. Also don’t worry about boiling cabbage first. The heat from the skillet and hamburger will wilt it down as it cooks for a few minutes. Any other questions let me know. Best of luck! Chanda
Followed exact, perfect! A taste of home!
Thanks for the review Patrick! I’m so glad it could bring a little taste of home to you.
As a Nebraskan who now lives in Kansas, these taste like home!! I used Rhoades bread dough and they were so easy and delicious. I foresee a lot of these coming out of my oven on Saturdays this fall!
So glad you love them Marianne! Isn’t using the frozen bread dough such a great shortcut? Football season is just around the corner and I for one can’t wait! Go Big Red!!!
Great recipe. We love them. Runza is the first place I stop when back visiting in Omaha. I introduced my son to them. He even said mine tasted better then “Runza”. Haha. I used the Rhoades rolls too. That is how my mom used to make them too.
Thanks Tanya for letting me know how it went. I think your son has great tastes!
I am in Kansas now also. My wife saw me reading this page and got so excited. Can’t wait to try it.
Lance that is great! I’ve heard the quote a time or two… “Happy wife. Happy life.” 🙂
And if you are really lazy Pillsbury pizza dough in the cardboard roll works great as it is already flattened. You only need to cut to size. I make mine small and get 8 half size Runzas from each can.
Diane that is such a great idea! I will have to give it a try sometime.
Delicious recipe! I should have added more cheese to the ones I made because I love lots cheese, but this recipe is definitely a keeper!
Beth I am so happy you loved the recipe! And yes… I always love a little extra cheese! 🙂
This recipe was spot on! Satisfied my Runza craving over here in Indiana ❤️
I’m so excited to hear that! Glad I could help out. 😉
thank u i lived up there for 10 yrs. it was perfect
Sawyer I am so glad you enjoyed them and they gave you a taste of Nebraska again!
Thank you for posting this! I have been trying to track this recipe down. My mother always made these
Cathy I hope you love them and they bring a taste of mom’s cooking into your kitchen!
Wonder if I can use GF 1to1 flour. Rhodes was a great short cut til we had to go GF. So hungry for a homemade Runza.
Susan I have never tried this recipe with gluten free flour, but I think your one to one ratio should work. I’d love to hear how well it turns out for you. It’s hard to beat a good homemade runza.
Do you know what adjustments to the dough recipe are needed at altitude? It tough sometimes up her in Colorado.
Darn beautiful Colorado making baking difficult. Unfortunately, I don’t have much experience with changing the dough recipe for higher elevations. If you are afraid the dough may not turn out the way you would like, I have had success using thawed Rhodes frozen bread dough or roll dough in place of making the homemade version in the recipe.
I don’t ever adjust and I live near Denver. Never adjust my cakes either. Haven’t had any flops yet.
Thanks so much for sharing! I know others had questions about the dough for high altitudes. I appreciate you letting us know how well it worked.
I have not tried yet, but will leave a five star rating as they sound delicious and just what I was looking for. I am eating gluten free now also and would appreciate anyone’s comments for what gluten free dough they have used. I have gluten free bread mix and I might try that. I will definitely let you know how they turn out.
Peggy
Peggy I hope you love them! Let me know how the bread mix works. I’d love to know. Thanks for being the gluten free “guinea pig” for Runza 😉
HI Peggy
I’ve been eating paleo and still love a good Runza. I actually wrap them in cabbage instead of bread and they are delicious. Just put the cabbage leaf in hot water for 10-30 seconds to soften enough to use as a wrap. I’ve also used collard green and lots of different types of cabbage,
I also add a small can of sauerkraut when cooking the meat and let it all cook for at least 2 hours to let the flavors meld more.
Molly, that is great to know! Thanks so much for sharing.
Can’t wait to make these October 5 for the game. Last year my 77 year old husband celebrated his birthday at our first time ever home game in Lincoln and ate a Runza that our son raved about. When back in So Cal I made a batch. They were awesome. Thanks for the recipe.
Marilyn, it is a Husker game day staple! Here is hoping your batch of Runza’s tomorrow helps bring home a victory over Northwestern 🙂
Excellent recipe! Have made a few batches already and they are eaten quickly here and at friends Thank you 🙂 And I agree, a Husker winner:)
Laura I am so happy you and your crew enjoys this recipe. Go Big Red! 😉
Great recipe! I was intimidated by the dough but it was super easy and turned out great!!
Chris I am so happy it worked out well for you. I feel once someone masters a great dough recipe you can make almost anything!
my son found this recipe (he likes to cook, too!) and we made it together! SUPER AWESOME and even better than the restaurant because it’s homemade!!! I, too, am from NE and now live just one state away, but so fun to be able to have the taste of home here. I do live around 6000 feet and the only thing I did was to use my standard Hungarian high altitude baking flour (easily bought in the local large grocery store). I did nothing else and they look just like your pics… well, I don’t wrap them as nicely as you do… but we’ll work on that. :). thank you for the incredibly tasty and easy to make recipe! my son has requested these for his next x school lunches. 🙂
Kris I am so happy they were SUPER AWESOME! And thank you so much for the information about the high altitude baking. I know others have asked and since I live in the flat plains, your insight is much appreciated.
I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe! Mind if I ask what the fat content of the ground beef is? I’m worried about fat rendering out during the baking process resulting in soggy buns.
Hi Tommy! I have used both 80/20 and super lean ground beef for this recipe. Mostly whatever is available in our freezer. Since the beef and onions are cooked before being put into the dough, I just pay attention and if there is excess grease in the pan I drain it off of the beef before starting the filling process.
This looks so darn good!!!! I miss my bread! I am doing Keto and for others I’ve seen here looking for Gluten Free alternative, I am going to try the Bobs Red Mill Low Carb Baking Mix and see what I can pull off.
Lisa thanks so much for being the GF tester! Please let me know how the baking mix works out for you.
Bragged to my friends here in the UK about Runzas and that they were only available in Nebraska. To back up my claims, I made some today. Delicious and took me back home without the cost of airfare. Thanks for posting the recipe!
Julie I love that this recipe was able to give you a little taste of home! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve been watching very old episodes of “Postcards from Nebraska”…..from maybe 30 years ago. The host mentioned runzas and I finally googled long enough to find this recipe. I can’t wait to try it. My Grandparents were Germans from Russia.
I love “Postcards from Nebraska”. Roger Welsch is a gem! This recipe is a favorite around here, so I hope you love it as much as we do.
Quick question 🙂 if using frozen bread dough in place of other, do we still do the step of “punching down the dough” before separating into sections?? Thanks!!
Hi Monica! If using frozen bread dough, it most likely will “deflate” some when dividing into sections to form the buns.
Hi. I am looking forward to making these. My husband is from Nebraska. I fell in love with the runza when I visited. I am wondering if you could make the dough in a bread machine on the dough cycle. Any thoughts?
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.
Hi Tammy! As much as I love using my bread machine, I haven’t tried this dough in there! But, that being said, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let me know how it goes!
Hello! Question- I’m having trouble finding frozen bread dough. Do you think pizza dough would work?! Thanks 🙂
Hi Shannon. No frozen bread dough? Life is harsh! 😉 I’ve used frozen dinner roll dough for these as well. Rhodes brand is my go to. Even though I haven’t tried the recipe with pizza dough, it should be a great substitute. Let me know how it turns out.
Hello! Question? My family and I love Runzas and I am looking forward to using your recipe for my next batch. However, for the first time I will be using the Rhodes frozen dough as a shortcut. After thawing, does the dough need to rise before using and, if possible, can you tell me approximately, how many Runzas can be made out of each loaf? Thank you!!
Hi Roger! I do let the dough rise for a little bit after it thaws. It doesn’t have to be for long, but I feel letting it rise slightly helps the dough to roll out better. Out of each loaf I usually do 4 Runzas. It should give plenty of dough to roll and fill. I have done 6 to a loaf before, but it was a little tight to get all of the filling in.
My parents lived in Grand Island back in the late 80’s early 90’s That’s when I was introduced to the awesome Runza. Living in Georgia there is no where one can get the Runza. I have a friend who will bring some back for me when they go to Nebraska. I did a search for Homemade Runza and yours came up. It was the closest I found to the original.
Well today I gave it a try…. WOW! I followed yours to the letter and much to my surprise They are Aweome.
Just as I remembered. I made a combination of Cheese, Mushroom & Swiss and Pepper Jack. I even made your bread dough. (First time making bread dough)
Thank you so much!!! God Bless
Frank
Frank, first off, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review and comment on here! I love hearing everyone’s story about how this recipe helps to bring a little taste of Nebraska to Runza lovers across the country (and world).
Oh and congrats on conquering bread dough! I’m so glad it worked out for you.
Have a wonderful day!
Chanda
What do you think about using pastry dough
Hi Mary! Pastry dough should work for the Runzas. It won’t be an exact replica, since most Runzas use more of a bread dough, but pastry dough should serve the purpose and still be delicious.
Your recipe was the best I’ve tried! We had family stationed in Lincoln, Nebraska and fell in love with runzas 60 years ago. I followed your recipe and they were perfect! They took longer to bake but were definitely worth the wait! Thank you!
Lynn, I am so excited that they turned out for you! Runzas hold a special place in so many people hearts, I am happy to share.
I’m a Nebraskan who’s been in Colorado twenty years. Love me some Runza! In our current times, I made the dough and stuffed them with leftovers. Tonight I did half pulled pork. half sloppy joe mix. Didn’t adjust the dough at all, even with the altitude. Still feels like home ❤ Lost this recipe from from my gramma, thanks for sharing!
Cori, what a brilliant idea to use for leftovers! Watch out Runza, the half pulled pork/half sloppy joe mix is coming down the pipeline. Also thanks for sharing about making the dough in high altitudes. I know other readers were wondering.
This recipe is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing. I used cooked hamburgers from the George foreman and different kinds of cheeses – each one had a different kind of cheese, plus some chopped onion and bacon for the filling. Also, I added butter to the top and put in for 6 more minutes and then added butter again when they came out. So good!!! I ran out of meat so made some with pepperoni and pepper jack cheese. They turned out incredible. Made my day! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Thanks for the review Chelsea! I love how versatile the recipe is. The pepperoni and pepper jack combo sounds AMAZING!
Made these today!! Perfect! My first job was at Runza West O in Lincoln. This filling is perfect! I cut open after baking and add cheese. Your dough recipe was great and easy. I used my Kitchen Aid with dough hook.
Jodi thanks for the review! I’m glad it hit the mark. Sounds like you are an expert after working at Runza in Lincoln. I’ve actually been to that location a few times on West O when I was at UNL for college.
This recipe was a great success. We will miss the CWS in Omaha this year so will miss our annual RUNZA trip. These hold up so well to any filling and freeze beautifully. My only question, as a consummate bread maker is do you really need TWO packages, 1/4 oz each, of active dry yeast? Or is the recipe saying yeast to equal 1/4 oz?
Thanks Sarah for the review! Yes, I’m so sad that we are going to miss out on the CWS in Omaha this year. The recipe is for two – 1/4 oz packets of yeast. For the amount of flour in the recipe you will need at least the two packets or 1/2 oz of yeast total. Let me know if you have any other questions.
These were just the best quarantine recipe for our family and my elderly in-laws. I used Rhoads frozen bread loaves. It was delicious! ( I’ll probably never make the bread portion again). I did let the dough rise a good long time and as they were loaves I didn’t fight the shape….. mine looked like empanadas (half moons) :-). Seriously so much fun to send the recipe around to Nebraskans away from home and with the frozen dough (and pre-chopped cabbage) its practically a convenience meal. Thank YOU!!
Tracy, the frozen bread dough is such a wonderful way to make these Runzas! Like you said, it makes them almost as easy as driving through at the restaurant. This is my favorite recipe on the blog for the very reason you listed. I love hearing everyone’s story about Runzas and how they remind them of their Nebraskan home!
My parents are from Lincoln and my mom used to make homemade Runzas. She used the extra dough to make cinnamon rolls, which were awesome because they were sweet but not super sweet, so you could eat more of them. Needless to say, this was my favorite meal as a child. She gave me the recipe when I left home and I made them and they were just like hers. But I lost the recipe for the dough and I’ve tried various frozen bread/rolls, pizza dough, crescent rolls and pita pockets but they weren’t as good as the homemade dough my mom made.
I am making these tonight and based on the ingredients (I vaguely remember her recipe) I believe these will be as good as my moms. I plan to use the leftover dough to make a small batch of cinnamon rolls, just like my mom 🙂
Can’t wait to try it!
Terri I hope this dough is exactly how you remember from your mom’s recipe. Nothing would make me happier!
These are fabulous!!! I hadn’t had a Runza for years so I’m so thankful to have found this recipe. My hubby and boys love them! I’ll be taking these to the next church pot luck and sit back and watch them disappear! I use the Rhonda dinner rolls. A great time saver!!! Thank you for sharing 🍽 💜💜💜
Sherry, I am so happy to hear that your family loved these Runzas. The frozen dinner rolls make them so easy and equally as delicious. You will be the talk of your next church potluck when arriving with this recipe in tow.
can I use 2-1/4 packets of active dry yeast? I am from York, ne and all of our stores are out of regular yeast!
Yes Niki! Active Dry Yeast works well!
So, the way I learned from the Bohemian girls in Osceola and Loup City was to use a little bit of caraway seed and some smoky paprika. I don’t know what you mean by seasoned salt. Jonny’s? Frank’s? Some bled of salt and parsley??
Jerry those sound like good sources to learn from. For seasoned salt I use Lawry’s seasoned salt from the grocery store spice aisle. As a substitute you can use regular salt.
I’ve been trying to reproduce the Nebraska Runza since we moved to Texas 14 years ago. For us, the frozen bread dough just didn’t get it done. I found your recipe… best batch of Runza for us, I used a seasoning mix of blessed salt with pepper with a seasoning salt, prayed and asked Jesus to help with the bread part. Seriously good Runzas. We made a new Runza convert in our Texan son-in-law. Thank you so much for the recipe. Btw – I used a bread dough flour for the dough.
Peace
Catherine in Fort Worth area
Catherine, Thanks for the laugh. I completely understand the “prayed and asked Jesus to help with the bread part”. Story of my life! 😉 But I also love that you found a recipe to help create a little sense of home. Oh and converting a Texan is a nice bonus!
Hey! I’m wondering if can do without yeast? Because I don’t have any of it. Is it ok without?
Hi Bradee. I have not tried this recipe without yeast. You most likely will need the yeast in order for the bread dough to come together. Yeast helps form the gluten in the bread dough and help the dough rise.