Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Skillet

This Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Skillet is a great weeknight comfort food! The same lovely deep flavor as slow-cooked cabbage rolls but a lot faster, with fewer dishes to wash, and with a healthy dose of vegetables in every serving.

I love cabbage. I always have. Sauerkraut has been one of my favorite foods since I was a kid. I'm happy to eat cabbage in any dish but I loooove cabbage rolls. Ground beef, rich and tangy tomato flavor, the bite of the cabbage. Comfort food at its best! However, making cabbage rolls requires a lot of dishes and a lot of time. Knowing that meals with rice and ground beef (or turkey) are pretty easy to get into my family on a busy weeknight, taking the pain out of cabbage rolls and throwing it all into one pot was a no-brainer.

Ingredients

• Avocado oil - avocado oil is my go-to neutral oil. It's a good source of heart-healthy monosaturated fats and it has a high smoke point.
• Aromatics - red bell pepper, onion, garlic
• Ground beef - you could also use ground turkey or lamb
• Seasonings - dried oregano, dried thyme, dried paprika, salt & pepper
• Tomatoes - my favorite canned tomatoes are whole peeled. I crushed them, chunk them up with a spoon or puree them depending on my needs.
• Water
• Apple cider vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce - adds a nice depth of flavor to this quick-cooking meal.
• Brown sugar - a little boost for the tomato flavor
• Cabbage - roughly chopped into bigger pieces. I like some heft to the pieces of cabbage. I don't want them to disappear in the sauce.
• Jasmine rice - or substitute your favorite rice.
• Toppings - parsley, sour cream or Greek yogurt for serving - a nice tang and cool finish on top!

How To Make Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Skillet

• Sauté - Add the ground beef, red bell pepper, onion, salt, and pepper to a heated skillet and sauté until the beef is browned. Add garlic and other seasonings and cook another minute.
• Add additional ingredients - Crush the tomatoes then add them and the remaining ingredients to the pan.
• Simmer - Cover the skillet or pot, bring it to a simmer, and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
• Serve - Add some fresh chopped parsley and a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream for a tangy cool finish. And, if like me you are a hot sauce lover, add a dash (or ten).

Tips & Options

• Storage- Refrigerate after allowing leftovers to cool completely and placing in an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to two months in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stove.
• Extra Veggies - Add grated zucchini to the pan when adding the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute to get another vegetable into the meal!
• Hot Sauce - I will add hot sauce wherever it seems even slightly reasonable. I like a healthy splash of hot sauce to garnish my bowl. My go-to not too hot hot sauce is Frank's RedHot.

Looking for more quick weeknight dinner ideas? Try this One Pan Lemon Garlic Shrimp & Rice!

Recipe

Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Skillet

Layla @ Poppy Trail Table

I love cabbage rolls but they are time consuming to roll and create more dishes than I want to deal with.  This is a faster weeknight version of cabbage rolls, loaded with vegetables and a perfect comfort food!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 350 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 small onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 small head cabbage roughly chopped
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• sour cream or Greek yogurt for serving

Instructions

 

• Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When heated, add ground beef, red bell pepper, onions, salt and pepper.  Break up the ground beef while it browns, 5 to 7 minutes. 
• Add garlic, oregano, thyme, and paprika, and sauté 1 minute.
• Crush the whole peeled tomatoes with your hands in a medium bowl.  Pour into the skillet.
• Add water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and rice.  Stir until combined.  Stir in cabbage.
• Cover the skillet with a lid, bring to a simmer and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. 
• Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream. 

Notes

• Storage- Refrigerate after allowing leftovers to cool completely and placing in an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to two months in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stove.
• Extra Veggies - Add a grated zucchini to the pan when adding the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute to get another vegetable into the meal!
• Hot Sauce - I will add hot sauce wherever it seems even slightly reasonable. I like a healthy splash of hot sauce to garnish my bowl.

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 21gFat: 13gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 2024mgPotassium: 762mgFiber: 10gSugar: 20g

Nutrition Facts

Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Skillet

Amount per Serving

Calories

350

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

13

g

20

%

Cholesterol

 

48

mg

16

%

Sodium

 

2024

mg

88

%

Potassium

 

762

mg

22

%

Carbohydrates

 

42

g

14

%

Fiber

 

10

g

42

%

Sugar

 

20

g

22

%

Protein

 

21

g

42

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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