These homemade Runzas, also called Bierocks by a lot of people, are fluffy dinner rolls stuffed with a filling of savory cabbage, ground beef, and onions. Simple, hearty, and filling!
Runzas are famous in Nebraska and surrounding regions. They even have a restaurant called Runzas. We had friends in Nebraska who introduced them to us. But we also had family in Kansas who call them Bierocks. Same thing, different name. They’re just handy little hearty hot pockets!
I make my own dinner roll dough but you can buy frozen dinner roll dough and use it for a quicker recipe. I’ve even used my bread dough sometimes.
And my kids always like to fill a couple with pizza sauce, pepperonis, and cheese for a pizza hot pocket. You can stuff these with any filling you want.
True Nebraska runzas do not add any cheese to the filling but that is something you could add if wanted. The original runzas are so simple and basic. Just cabbage, ground, beef, and onions with some seasonings.
Ingredients Needed for Homemade Runzas:
- water, lukewarm with a temperature between 105-110, warm enough to activate the yeast and not too hot to kill it
- sugar
- salt
- yeast, I use instant dry yeast
- butter, I use salted butter for everything
- bread flour
- ground beef
- onion
- cabbage, I usually double this recipe for our family which is nice because then I use the whole head of cabbage
- pepper
- garlic powder
- egg, for the egg wash
How to Make Runzas:
- Make the dinner roll dough and let it rise.
- While the dough is rising, make the runza filling.
- Punch down the dough and divide it into equal pieces and shape each piece into a smooth ball
- Roll out each dinner roll and spoon some filling on it.
- Bring the dough up over the filling and pinch it shut
- Place on a baking sheet and brush with the egg wash.
- Bake for 25 minutes in 375 degree oven until lightly browned and golden
- Enjoy!
I always make a double batch of this recipe for our family. It uses the whole head of cabbage and there’s some leftovers for lunches the next day. These also freeze well but we usually don’t have enough to freeze!
I use my cast iron skillet to make the filling. Cast iron is my favorite and I can’t get enough of it! It lasts forever and works so well for so many things. When I double the recipe I use my 13” skillet but when I make a single batch, a 10” skillet works just fine.
If you are looking for more hearty family dinners check out these other recipes of mine:
Enjoy the runzas! It’s a great recipe to make with the kids. They love helping roll out the dough, spoon the filling, pinch the dough shut, and brushing on the egg wash.
~Rachel Ballinger ☕️💕
“A lot of living happens in the kitchen. ~Rachel
Homemade Runzas also called Bierocks
Ingredients
Method
- In the bowl of a mixer, put the water, sugar, salt, and sprinkle the yeast on top. Add the melted butter and gradually add the flour as you mix and knead the dough. Add flour gradually until you have a nice smooth dough. Knead for about 5 minutes.
- Turn the dough over and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
- Punch down dough and divide into 12 equal pieces with a dough cutter. Shape each piece into a smooth roll by pinching the dough together and then rolling it in the palm of your hand.
- While the dough is rising, go ahead and prepare the filling.
- In a large cast iron skillet, brown the ground beef and season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add the onion and sauté until ground beef is cooked through, about ten minutes.
- Add the chopped cabbage and stir. Cook until the cabbage is tender.
- Roll out each ball of dough and spoon filling onto the center. Pick up each corner of the dough and pinch it together on top, bringing the rest of the dough together until it’s pinched shut. Flip over and place on baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water with a fork and using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the runzas with it.
- Bake in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
