Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
Updated
Updated
Enjoy all the comforting flavors of classic cabbage rolls with a fraction of the effort. I developed this easy Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls recipe so that it comes together in one skillet and is ready in half the time.
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5 STAR REVIEW
Easy Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls Skillet
It’s hard to beat a classic stuffed cabbage roll, but sometimes I just don’t have the time or patience, yet I still want all the same components and flavors. Enter these Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls! This dish takes all the elements of regular cabbage rolls and deconstructs them, then cooks everything up in a skillet. There’s no stuffing, rolling, or baking needed!
I brown the ground beef in a skillet along with seasonings and then simmer it in a rich tomato sauce with chopped up cabbage and rice. I add golden raisins to mine, which lends a sweet balance to the tangy sauce. You can simply omit them if raisins aren’t your thing. The result is cozy, hearty, and unbelievably easy—exactly the kind of weeknight comfort food I love.
Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. lean ground beef, 80/20
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ tsp coarse salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ cup uncooked white rice
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1½ cups low-sodium beef broth, chicken or vegetable also work
- 1 small head cabbage, core removed, chopped (about 6 cups)
- sour cream or Greek yogurt, for serving, optional but recommended
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and onion; sauté, breaking the beef up into small crumbles and cook until no pink remains and onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Drain off the grease.
- Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Stir in the salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Add uncooked rice, raisins, tomato sauce, broth, and cabbage to the skillet; mix to combine. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for about 22 to 25 minutes, lifting the lid to stir a couple times, until cabbage and rice are tender.
- Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls Step by Step
Sauté the beef and onion: Add 1 lb. of ground beef and 1 small onion to a nonstick skillet with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Brown the beef, breaking it up into small crumbles, cooking until no pink remains and the onion is soft. Drain off the grease. Add 3 cloves of garlic and cook until fragrant, then stir in ¾ tsp coarse salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and ½ tsp paprika.
Add other ingredients: Add ½ cup uncooked rice, ¼ cup raisins, one 15-oz can tomato sauce, 1½ cups broth, and 1 small head of cabbage to the skillet; mix to combine.
Cover and simmer: Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for about 22 minutes, lifting the lid to stir a couple of times, until the cabbage and rice are tender.
Serve: Serve portions in bowls with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley.
What to Serve With Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
Because the protein and vegetables are all mixed in, I find it isn’t always necessary to prepare a side dish. This recipe is quite substantial on its own, but it does pair nicely with a side salad, this creamy cucumber salad, or crusty Dutch oven bread.
I like to serve portions with a dollop of sour cream. The cool tanginess really balances out the rich tomato beef flavor, but you can leave it off if you need this to remain dairy-free.
How to Store
Allow leftovers to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To freeze, cool completely, then store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Good recipe! I seasoned the beef with Worcestershire and Montreal Steak seasoning before draining and cooked a bit longer because my husband prefers the cabbage a bit soft. Also did not add raisins, instead added mostly cooked bacon and the drippings. Love the sour cream add!
This was a delicious meal! I have been craving cabbage rolls but do not have the time to make them, I may even prefer this version now. I skipped the raisins and added some bacon to the meat mixture as my grandma would do with her cabbage rolls and they were really close to tasting like hers! My only note was I could definitely not fit 6 cups of cabbage in my skillet- I maybe only had room for 4 and that was less than half of a medium cabbage.
My husband loooooves when I make his family recipe cabbage rolls for him but it is SUCH a process. I made this for him a while back and he was skeptical but loved it. I kind of forgot about this recipe and have made actual cabbage rolls a few times recently. We were chatting about easy meals the other night and he brought up this one so this is tonight’s dinner!! Easier and faster than traditional rolls. I also add pork because that’s what we add to the other recipe, so I kind of do a mash up of the two recipes to create perfection!
This was really good! I added a shredded carrot in.
Really good and oh so simple. I actually used ground pork also. No regrets
This was so good! Didn’t have hamburger so used ground pork. Also used regular raisins as that’s what I had on hand. The raisins take this dish to a new level. Don’t omit them. My husband doesn’t like cooked raisins but loved them in this dish!
My wife and I both grew up eating different kinds of cabbage rolls and this recipe satisfies us both. Flavors are very good. The one suggestion my wife had was to add some sourkraut to make them more like her grandmothers. We will try that variation the next time I make this.
This was easy and DELISH!
Delicious! Easy to make and full of flavor. The raisins are a brilliant add. Will definitely be making again. Thank you.
This was DELICIOUS!! I love traditional cabbage rolls, but this was definitely a fantastic shortcut to get the same flavors. Thanks for sharing!
My husbands Italian grandmother would make this the traditional way, but once I made this recipe my husband loved it! Great recipe Thanks!
For anyone who wants more Lebanese vs Eastern European, I take this recipe and then amend it with the spices I use for a Middle Eastern cabbage roll recipe: 1 tsp paprika, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp thyme, and 1 tsp red pepper flakes. More spice! I also add one chopped bell pepper, and if you have it, a jalapeño or two.
This was wonderful! For some reason, I bought a bowling ball sized head of cabbage at a farmers’ market last week and this was a perfect way to use up a nice chunk of it.
I made this for dinner last night and it was one of the best things I’ve ever ate! My husband loved it so much, too. Thanks for the recipe.
This unstuffed cabbage is so delicious! I will not hesitate to make it again and will enjoy all the flavor of cabbage rolls without any fuss.
This recipe is so much better than any I have tried over the last 40 years — so tasty.
This was amazing! I used my flat top outside and got it smoking hot. Browned up the meat and cabbage…maybe some bacon got in there by accident. Then I put everything in the pressure cooker for 30 mins. Holy money delicious and easy!!! I love cabbage rolls but they take forever. This was easy and tasted better. Thanks for the awesome idea, I’ll be making this often.
We love this recipe and cook it about once a month….and we don’t have many that we eat monthly.
This sounded too good to pass up and we loved it! We love traditional stuffed cabbage rolls, so this is a great replacement for busy weeknights. So delicious! Another quick meal never hurts to add to the menu.
One of our favorite meals!