According to WikiPedia, a runza (also called a bierock) is a yeast dough bread pocket with a filling consisting of beef, cabbage or sauerkraut, onions, and seasonings. They are baked in various shapes such as a half-moon, rectangle, round (bun), square, or triangle. In Nebraska, the runza is usually baked in a rectangular shape. The bierocks of Kansas, on the other hand, are generally baked in the shape of a bun.
According to my palate, I define a runza as ‘yummy goodness’ – a very technical term, you know ;)
Runza is a traditional food of the interior mid-western states; a local tradition with many different recipes, depending on the cook. Though Nebraska and Kansas are known for runza, the recipe has spread quite a bit. Runza restaurants have popped up all over Nebraska, one in Kansas, and a few in Colorado now, too.
I grew up watching my mother make these, and then waiting by the oven for them to finish baking — the smell moving through the house slowly … a tantalizing tease . Needless to say, runzas never lasted long in my house. Even now, with just the two of us, they don’t last too long.
Although I enjoy the original recipe for Runza, and do make it on occasion, I also enjoy making variations on it. I like to substitute half of the hamburger with hot Italian sausage (see recipe here) , add garlic, sometimes green peppers. Or at other times, adding cumin and ground dried chili, with jalapeno’s. There are many different ways to make Runza, though, traditionally, the recipe is as below – ‘Original Runza Recipe’.
Enjoy!
Original Runza Recipe
2 pound ground beef
1 large onion , chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 Medium Cabbage, chopped
2 batches of bread dough
Saute onion in a bit of oil until just translucent. Add hamburger and saute until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper. Drain away the grease, and return to the pan. Cover the mixture with the shredded cabbage and cook until the cabbage is done. Stir occasionally. This could take about 45 minutes or so.
Using an egg-dough recipe, roll small balls of dough thin to make a 5×5 square. Put about 1/2 cup of cabbage mixture in center of square and seal closed. Place seal side down on a parchment lined baking sheet (or a lightly greased sheet). Allow these to sit, covered lightly with a tea towel, for about 20 minutes – so the dough can rise for the second time.
Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 or until lightly golden brown.
Runza Recipe – Variation on the Original Recipe
1 pound ground beef
1 Pound hot italian sausage
1 large onion , chopped
Salt
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
Pepper
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 medium Green Pepper, chopped
1 Medium Cabbage, chopped
2 batches of bread dough*
Saute garlic, onion and green pepper in a bit of oil. Add ground beef and sausage and saute until brown. Drain the oil away. Place the mixture back in the pan and cover with the shredded cabbage (it will be heaping). Cook over medium heat, mixing together the meat mixture and cabbage, and cook until the cabbage is tender and sweet.
Set aside and let cool.
Roll small balls of dough thin to make a 5×5 square. Put about 1/2 cup of cabbage mixture in center of square and seal closed. Place seal side down on a parchment lined baking sheet (or a lightly greased sheet).
Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 or until lightly golden brown.
Notes:
Freezing:
Runzas freeze very well. Allow them to cool completely, uncovered. Once these are cool, wrap in aluminum foil. I usually then put 4 wrapped runzas to a gallon ziplock bag and freeze.
I’ve kept these 4-6 weeks with no problem wrapped as above. If, however, you wish to keep these longer, allow to cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap well, wrap in aluminum foil, and place in either a ziplock back or an airtight container. You can then keep these for up to 3 months.
Reheating:
If you have not frozen these, heat the oven to 400F and heat for 10-12 minutes.
If you have frozen these, heat oven to 400F, put frozen, (and still wrapped runza package) into the oven and heat for 20-25 minutes. The last 5 minutes, remove the foil.
Variation:
Add 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
OR
Add 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
I went to UNM in Lincoln and was introduced to runzas in the late 1960s early 1970s. My recollection was the there was cumin with the cabbage and beef…
hi, we grew up with runza, my grandmother who was german Russian, made them, she taught my dad who taught my mom. my daughter would like to write a report on them for school.
we just used regular dough not sweet dough, but the italian side made something similar with sweet dough with hamburger, carrots, onions, and potatoes and folded the dough in half and squished the edges wit ha fork like you do with peanut butter cookies, they are called pasties,
Traditionally, in Cornwall and the iron belt in the midwest, pasties are made with piecrust, not yeast dough.
My wife makes Runzas in a casserole form so we eat them on a plate with a fork rather than like a sandwhich. We eat them with a dollop of sour cream – try it, it’s delicious!
How many runzas does this recipe yield?
12 to 15, depending on how you roll the dough.
Thank you! I’ll be testing this recipe out tomorrow :)
I hope you enjoy it!!!!
I grew up in Lincoln, NE, out by Pioneer Park and went to Yankee Hill Sch. in the 40′s and 50′s. I’m now 71 yrs old. So I do know. The original “RUNZA” drive-in was a small shack made out of 2×4′s and sheets of plywood. It was located about 1/2 mile or so, south of Gooches Mill. I think the road was called Van Dorn. This Runza was the only one in existance for decades. It always had plenty of customers from the time it opened until it closed. I had 2 brothers who worked there. Many of the kids in the area wanted to work there. The owner would only trust one person with the recipe and that was the manager. Sometime in the 80′s, disgruntaled relatives, I heard, took the recipe and changed it to contain sauerkraut instead of cabbage. That way they could peddle their Runzas-so-to-speak, legally. Such a shame. I now live in Oregon, but, every time we went back to Neb. or a relative came out here, they were required to bring Runzas with them from the original shack. I understand it was torn down to make way for a new highway. Another shame. I haven’t seen a recipe published yet that is the “real” recipe.
Note to Marie: If your daughter wants to write a paper on the original “Runza”, she should do so. If I can answer any questions , she can contact me at yankeehillsss@mail.com I think I have a newspaper photo of it when they were going to tear it down.
I was in Lincoln last week for my forty year high school reunion. I have fond memories of the original runza shack. I loaded up on runzas and brought a load back to Oklahoma where I reside. German cooks are nonexesistant here but I now have a frozen example and have downloaded the recipe. I know an excellant cook who loves to experiment and being retired he has plenty of time to do it right. Yankee Hill is great with Pioneers Park and the lake south of there. I used to take my Britney there to hunt quail. Long live Nebraska. WES
I would love to have the original recipee or what you believe the real recipee is.
Thanks for considering this.
I live in Texas now but grew up in Nebraska. I was in Lincoln this summer and brought 3 dozen runza home with me. I am particular whom I share the runza with- mostly for my Nebraska friends living here or with special friends. Runza are truly a “Taste of Home”. AF
They truly are a “taste of home”. Now, if I could only get good German Sausage, with the garlic, I’d be perfectly happy..lol
Schneiders in German town Columbus, OH … its the most authentic place around here. that & Der DutchMen …
I use a little sage in my Runzas as I can taste it in the ones sold here in Council Bluffs. I’ve made them for years this way and everyone loves them. And I only make the cabbage, beef & onion recipe, we don’t care for the other versions. We love carrots & green peppers but not in a Runza, I put them on a relish tray!
Ah, yes — if you are using sage, it adds such a flavor that it would overpower most other savory ingredients. I’ll have to try that :)
I lived in Omaha and raised my kids there. I had a wonderful Runza recipe given to me by a friend who swore it was the original. Sure tasted like it. The secret ingredient was Savory. Try it and you’ll see. That’s the flavor I remember. I live in Arizona now, but my kids still come over for Runzas when they have the craving.
Someone mentioned pasties being similar to Runza, and they are….as in meat wrapped in dough. However, pasties are made with potato, onion, rutabaga, and chopped meat, not ground, and baked in pastry dough. I grew up in northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, where a large number of Cornish people had migrated from the UK. They came to work the iron ore mines. Pasties were handy for a miner to take to work, a hand held meal wrapped in pastry. They are outstandingly delicious. I still make them although if I make a dozen, I freeze 10 to have for future meals. There is an ongoing discussion about whether they should be “dressed” with ketchup or gravy….but I’m in the ketchup camp on that.
Definitely going to try runza original recipe..sounds like it would be a hit here.
My in -laws are from Nebraska and my father in law made some for me and made a “gravy” with it using tomato soup and velveta cheese. Pretty good!!
My mom and her side of the family are from Upper Michigan, too, and whenever we drive up there from Wisconsin to visit, my mom stops to buy pasties for us on out way there. It’s a great memory of my trips up to see my grandparents. I would love to make pasties myself; do you have a recipe that you would be willing to share, or a website with a recipe you’d recommend? Thanks!
Here’s the Runza secret ingredient. The recipe posted here is PERFECT but it lacks that one little item: White Pepper. Not Sage. Be generous with it and enjoy the perfect Runza!
I’m a 2nd generation german from the volga river area of russia. My Grandmother made these and I knew them as Bierooks. I live in Oregon and they are unkown this far west. the recipe is almost identical but I remember my grandmother using a pinch of allspice in her recipe. Ah, the smell of growing up German.
Though I am originally from Nebraska, I did not taste a runza until I was in college in Colorado. They were introduced to me as “kraut burgers”. I make them with hamburger, onion and cabbage. I add a couple of spoonfuls of dry brown gravy mix and use a sweet dough. They are wonderful!
I MAKE RUNZA STROMBOLI, AND IT IS DELICIOUS!
We have a bakery in McCook, NE that makes runza’s everyday, both cabbage & kraut. They use to be called runza’s but since “Runza” moved in they call them bierocks. I prefer the bakery’s. All family & friends, who come back home, have to stop and have a “bierock” before they head back to where they are living now. Kind of like our “Pizza Burger” from Mac’s Drive-in.
I remember that Bakery, I used to work there, The Bierocks were so Delicious. I live in Texas now and you can’t get them here so I make my own. Some were stuffed with cheese too. I think it was “Ivanhoes”
We hit the Runza Huts EVERY TIME my husband & i drive into OMaha… they are also in Council Bluffs, IA.. .right across the river. My Grandmother taught My Mother , who tried to teach me.. but i will re-start the tradition as one of our Holiday foods !! I always eat a Runza when i visit Omaha…just like i always go to Joslyn Castle to get my childrens pictures & we always Visit Henry Doorly Zoo… my kids are entering High School now & we will continue our Omaha Traditions wherever we live !!
My husband and I are from Upper Michigan and my husband is a HUGE Nebraska Cornhusker Football fan. We were in Lincoln last year for the Missouri game (what a great game!) and my husband’s friend, Dave, who was our host, introduced us to the runza. Now Dave has lived in Upper Michigan and he said that the runza was the closest thing he could get in Nebraska that compared to the pasty from Michigan. While I am not a huge pasty fan, due to the side effects of the rutabaga, I tried the runza while in Nebraska. In my opinion, out of the two of them, I have to say I prefer the pasty. I think what it boils down to is the type of dough used to make it. I like the pastry dough versus the bread dough. But, that is just my opinion. I have found the runza recipe and plan on making the runza’s tonight for my husband. Nebraska is playing the Wisconsin Badgers and I think my husband will be more than appreciative that I gave it the effort (I was just going to go to the local pasty store!) So, hopefully I can make Nebraska proud today by trying the runza recipe! Oh, and “GO BIG RED!”
I’m originally from Illinois, but I attended school at Nebraska Wesleyan back in 1983-1984. Obviously, the typical college student is usually strapped for cash. My first Runza was delicious and relatively inexpensive. It was a real treat, but I have yet tried to make my own with some of the recipes that I’ve seen on the Internet. Can somebody out in cyberspace explain to me why they haven’t expanded to Illinois and other surrounding states? It’s 3:00 am right now and I swear, I would do any thing to have a cheese Runza with some crinkle cut fries on the side. Ha-Ha!
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Well to top it all, I used to make the Runzas back in Lincoln Nebraska. I worked there for 9 years and was known as the Runza king. I could wrap runzas so to speak behind my back. We still make them out here in Oregon once in a while and I do know the real secret that will remain a secret to making the perfect Runza.
Thank you Don for the opportunity to learn how to make this awesome sandwich.
I met my current wife while working at the Runza drive inn. That was back in 1973. Now we have 3 children and 7 grand children who all love runzas.
We still follow the Huskers even though we are Duck fans in Oregon now.
Where the recipe talks about freezing runzas, are they talking about cooked or uncooked runzas?
I was a teacher ( 70s – 90s ) at Littleton 70s-90s High School and the cafeteria used to serve Runzas at least once a week. The cook was a wonderful lady who came from Lincoln, NE. I was single at the time and I used to take runzas to parties away from school. I never told anyone that it was “cafeteria food.” They all thought it was a family “secret.”
My apologies for repeating 70s-90s. Littleton is a Denver suburb.
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im going to test the recipie and if all goes as planned…im going to make it
for my 2nd grade sons christmas party next week! i am excited…when i was 12 my mother made them once. i was young, but remember i thought that i was going to die! they were so wonderful. She was born in Bethany, NE in 1925 and so she grew up with them. When she made them it was off of PURE manual research! in 1973 we did NOT HAVE the internet to google, research and share a plethora of information like we do now! I look back in retrospect and can sweetly, fondly and lovingly appreciate the LOVE my mother displayed in doing something like that to bring back a memory. I wish now I would have expressed how greatful i was she did that!
I am going to carry on a wonderful, yummy tradition! She wasn’t even German. She was Czech!
I have also used the prepared pizza dough that you can buy in the deli section of the grocery stores. It has worked out very well and I haven’t had the mess.
I grew up in Lincoln, and the bakery I worked at, Geiers on South Street, made kraut beirocks twice a week. We sold tons of them on football Saturdays!
I just made runzas a couple days ago. I prefer hamburger with a small can of sour kraut with a bit of caraway seed and pepper rather than the usual cabbage-based stuffing. I let them raise on the baking sheet for about 90 minutes before baking them. They turn out huge but light weight, and so tasty!
I lived in Lincoln for 25 years and we visited the original Runza Drive-In on the way to Pioneers Park whenever we could. Today’s Runza’s are very similar to the originals except they are quite a bit smaller. I always liked the ones that were near the pan sides as the bread got a little crustier. We made these at home and they never lasted a day before they were gone. My mother would make bread dough and the filling, and we would wrap and crimp the ends together. The simple recipe with ground beef, onion, salt and pepper and cabbage is the way to go. Don’t scrimp on the pepper as this is what makes these sandwiches what they are noted for. Make sure you cook the mixture after the cabbage has wilted to steam off excess water. You need a fairly dry mixture, otherwise the dough get gummy. Some day Runza may go national – I don’t know why they haven’t yet.
In the 1960′s, I was in a 4-H club with the son of the owner’s of Geier’s Bakery and we took on the Food Nutrition project. Once a week each member of the club would host the club at their home and cook for the group. My mother was there taking copious notes and was able to produce excellent runzas for decades. I now do the same. As I read the previous comments I see only one mention of caraway which, along with black and white pepper are truly the key to the distinctive taste. So this recipe was NOT in the 4-H preparation guides but added to only our club’s regimen, but with pretty good authority considering Mrs. Geier was right there in the kitchen. I recall back in the day when RDIA’s were better because the proportion of filling to bread was more substantial then today’s cost-cutting ratio. I also remember the lawsuit that forced Geier’s to rename their “Runza” a “Bunza” because the name is protected from infringement by being a registered trademark and still is.
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Love Runzas! And can’t get them in Tennessee, but have them whenever we get to Nebraska. What an awesome surprise to find runzas at the bowl game in Orlando this year!!!! We ate our share and introduced runzas to our soon to be family!!! What a treat!!!!! It certainly made our day!
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Oh, the gravy with these would be excellent. And since my son and I are making these tomorrow, (using frozen bread dough as well), I am absolutely going to make gravy. Yumm!!
Thanks for the idea :)