🥬🍅🧅 30-Minute One-Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls with Rice are a fast meal full of flavor! They taste like the real thing, making for a hearty comfort food perfect for busy weeknights!
Easy Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
I have fond memories of my Polish grandmother making traditional cabbage rolls and the whole family enjoying them in her dining room, complete with floral wallpaper. Her recipe was delicious, but boy, did she ever slave over the rolls. Meticulously rolling them up and so many steps and so many hours.
Ain’t no one got time for that. At least not me.
Enter: this easy recipe for deconstructed cabbage rolls that’s made in one pot and is ready in 30 minutes. It’s a perfect weeknight family dinner when you need to get something on the table fast.
This is hearty comfort food that the whole family will love and will keep you full for hours. It’s naturally gluten-free as a bonus. There are layers of flavors and textures, including onions, garlic, ground beef, cabbage, rice, tomatoes, Worcestershire, paprika, and a pinch of cayenne.
Tip: For all the cabbage fans, please check out my Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Soup and my Slow Cooker Corned Beef Cabbage Soup, too!
Wonderful recipe, my whole family enjoyed it!
Lilia
What’s in Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls?
For these unstuffed cabbage rolls, you’ll need:
- Olive oil – I prefer the strong, peppery flavor of olive oil, but avocado oil works well, too, if you prefer a slightly more neutral taste
- Ground beef – I use 85% lean ground beef for this recipe, allowing the fat to add flavor to the dish. If needed, you can swap out any other ground meat like ground turkey, pork, or even chicken.
- Veggies – Sweet Vidalia onion and garlic add sweet, pungent flavor. Then, canned diced tomatoes create a broth-like consistency, and green cabbage is the star of the show
- Cooked rice – To save some time, I use packaged precooked rice in these cabbage rolls. You can also make the rice yourself, of course. I prefer white rice, but brown rice also works. Don’t try to make this unstuffed cabbage rolls recipe with uncooked rice, as there’s not enough liquid in the pot for the rice to absorb. I haven’t tested this recipe with cauliflower rice and can’t guarantee the results
- Tomato sauce – This creates a saucy, almost soup-like consistency
- Worcestershire sauce – Infuses the dish with a rich, savory, smoky flavor
- Spices – Note that the cayenne doesn’t make the dish spicy but rather gives it some flavor because let’s face it, a head of cabbage can be bland, and no one wants bland food. That said, if you love spice, feel free to add more
- Granulated sugar – This is optional, but I sometimes add it in to balance the acidity of the tomato mixture.
How to Make Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
- Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven along with the ground beef and onion.
- Cook until the beef is browned and the onion is softened. Add the garlic and cook another minute or so until fragrant.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and cook uncovered for a few minutes until the cabbage begins to wilt.
- Then, pop the lid on and let the mixture simmer until the cabbage has softened.
- Once cooked through, garnish with fresh parsley and serve!
Stew-Like Consistency
This cabbage rolls recipe is not as brothy as a cabbage roll-inspired soup, but could venture into soup territory if you add another can of tomato sauce.
I’d call it a hearty stew texture as written.
30-Minute One-Pot Cabbage Rolls Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef, I used 85% lean
- 1 medium/large sweet Vidalia onion, diced small
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, finely pressed or minced
- one small/medium head green cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4 cups cooked rice, use two 8.8-ounce bags precooked rice to save time
- one 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, do not drain
- one 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 to 3 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste; divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ to 1 teaspoon paprika
- pinch or two of cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
- pinch granulated sugar, optional and to taste
- 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced
Instructions
- To a large Dutch oven, add the olive oil, ground beef, onions, and cook over medium-high heat to brown the beef, crumbling it with a spatula as it cooks and stirring frequently to ensure even cooking. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes or as necessary until beef is cooked through and onions are soft.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir frequently.
- Add the cabbage, rice, tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons salt, pepper, paprika, and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until cabbage begins to wilt a bit and tomato juice is gently boiling.
- Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and allow to cook covered for about 10 minutes or until cabbage is as tender as desired. Stir once or twice while simmering.
- Taste, and if desired, add additional salt, optional cayenne (doesn’t make it spicy, makes it not bland and adds flavor), optional pinch of sugar (balances the acid from the tomatoes), and stir to combine.
- Garnish with parsley to taste and serve immediately.
Notes
- Recipe will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Originally posted April 4, 2018 and reposted with updated text January 27, 2023.
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