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This easy Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls recipe delivers the flavor of cabbage rolls with a fraction of the effort. With tender cabbage, saucy rice, and savory meat simmered together in one pot, this recipe uses simple ingredients and minimal prep to deliver a cozy, hearty meal.
Looking for more one pan dinner recipes? Don't miss Stuffed Pepper Casserole, Homemade Hamburger Helper, and Ground Beef Stroganoff.
A Family-Favorite Made Easy
My sister's all-time favorite meal has always been cabbage rolls. But growing up, they weren't on the table often. Between parboiling, stuffing, rolling, and baking…it was a lot for my busy mom of four.
Let's be honest, it is a lot for ANYONE. Especially on busy weeknights.
This recipe brings all those cozy, familiar flavors, without the extra steps. It's simple, satisfying, and made for real-life schedules.
And my sister? As a busy mom herself now, this is the ONLY version of cabbage rolls she makes.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Kristen's Keys for Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
Before we dive into the step-by-step process of making unstuffed cabbage rolls, I want to point out a few small details that make a big difference when making this recipe.
- Remove the core and chop the cabbage evenly. Aim for about ½-inch pieces so it softens at the same rate and blends nicely with the rice and meat.
- Don't skip the vinegar and sugar. That little balance of tangy and sweet is what gives cabbage rolls their signature flavor.
- Use a large, deep heavy-bottomed pan. I love my Dutch oven for this recipe, but any large, lidded stock pot will work.
- Use brown OR white rice. I typically opt for brown rice for added fiber, but have included tested timing for white rice, which is convenient when time is short and dinner needs to get on the table.
- Rinse the rice before adding to the pan. This removes excess starch and helps keep the texture fluffy instead of sticky. I have skipped this on accident and regretted it!
How to Make Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
No rolling, no stuffing, and no baking dish required. Everything cooks together in one pot for a simple, flavor-packed dinner.
Step One: Brown Meat and Toast Seasonings
Heat a bit of oil briefly, then add in the ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken) and minced onion, sauté, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is fully cooked. If needed, drain off any excess grease.
Add the garlic, paprika, oregano, and onion powder to the mixture and cook for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. This quick step deepens the flavor of all the spices and makes a big difference.
Step Two: Layer Ingredients
Pour the beef broth into the pan and and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Those browned bits add a ton of flavor to the dish.
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, brown sugar, vinegar, bay leaves, diced cabbage, and rinsed rice and stir until everything is well combined and the rice is submerged into the liquid.
Step Three: Simmer
Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes brown rice, 15 for white rice. Uncover, quickly stir, recover, and continue to simmer until the rice is tender.
Resist the urge to peek. Keeping the lid on traps steam, which is essential for evenly cooking the rice and cabbage.
Step Four: Rest Before Serving
Remove the pan from the heat, and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. This allows the rice to soak up that extra liquid and fully soften.
To serve, I love to add a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh dill to balance the rich, savory flavors and makes everything taste just a little extra special. But both are optional.
Recipe Modifications
- Swap out the Beef: Feel free to use ground turkey or ground chicken in place of the ground beef. Even a plant-based alternative will work here.
- Gluten-Free? Ensure your Worcestershire sauce and beef broth are gluten-free.
- Half the Recipe: Cut the ingredients in half, but leave the cook time the same.
- Note on Rice: Use long-grain white or brown rice. Do not be tempted to use Minute rice, short-grain rice, or parboiled rice, as the cooking times and liquid ratios will not be accurate.
More Easy One-Pot Meals
Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
Video
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef, or ground turkey/chicken
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups low-sodium beef stock
- 1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 4-5 cups diced green cabbage, core removed, diced into ½-inch chunks
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice rinsed and drained, *see note for white rice
- sour cream and dill, for serving
Instructions
- n a heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat for 30-60 seconds. Add ground beef and minced onion and cook, breaking the meat into small bite-sized pieces as it cooks. Once fully browned, remove from the heat and drain off any excess grease if needed and then return the pan to the heat.
- To the pan, with the heat still on medium-high, add minced garlic, 2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1 teaspoon onion powder, and cook until the garlic and spices are toasted and fragrant. No more than 1 minute.
- Add 2 cups low-sodium beef stock and scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add 1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground pepper, 2 dried bay leaves, diced cabbage, and rinsed rice to the pan, stirring to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, undisturbed. After 30 minutes, remove the lid, stir quickly, recover, and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, uncover, and stir well. If your rice is not tender, return to the heat for 5 minutes, adding up ¼ cup of water or broth if needed. A bit of residual liquid is okay and will absorb as the dish rests.
- Let sit for 10 minutes, then serve with a dollop of sour cream and fresh minced dill if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The flavor was fantastic, but the brown rice was still very chewy after cooking it for an additional 10 minutes. I didn't want to cook it any longer since the cabbage was getting overcooked. It was really good otherwise.
I will make this again, but will only use white rice and not brown. Do you think this recipe is a candidate for the Instant Pot using white rice? If so, how would you do it?
Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes. I know you put a lot of time and effort into your wonderful creations and it is so very much appreciated.
Hi Sharon! Thanks so much for your feedback. As for the brown rice not being cooked through, did you happen to use short grain? It needs a bit longer cook time. As for an Instant Pot Version - I need to work on that! The ratios will be a bit different to account for coming to pressure.
Thank you Kristen. I used long grain brown rice.
Hi Sharon! Thanks for clarifying that for me. It may have simply been the heat was too high and the liquid evaporated a bit too quickly. Try lowering the heat, not peaking as often, etc. And if that was not the issues, sometimes the acidity of the tomatoes can make brown rice a bit harder to soften.