All of the delicious flavors of your favorite old fashioned dish come together in a lighter, faster, one skillet meal! This Stuffed Cabbage Roll in a Bowl is a quick and healthy dinner with just 10 minutes of prep!
Forget about steaming or blanching the cabbage leaves and tediously wrapping each individual portion! There’s almost no prep work necessary for this 10-minute dinner idea. It’s a shortcut twist on my Polish grandmother’s famous recipe, and it’s sure to become a tradition in your house as well!
We all have those comfort food meals that remind us of our childhood, and "Golumpki" is definitely one of mine.
What are Stuffed Cabbage Rolls?
Many different cultures have their own version of this classic dish. Generally speaking, most involve cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings including meat and grains. The stuffed cabbage is baked or steamed and served with a sauce.
Sauces vary depending on the region. In Scandinavia, the cabbage is often accompanied by lingonberry jam, while in Eastern Europe, you'll typically find tomato-based sauces or plain sour cream (source).
My updated version of my Polish grandmother's original recipe is more like a stir-fry, which cooks in one pot and won't weigh you down! The chopped cabbage and meat is simmered in a tomato-based sauce for a hearty and satisfying meal -- without rice!
How to Make Stuffed Cabbage Rolls without Rice:
First, start by chopping or shredding half of a large head of green cabbage. You'll need a total of about 8 cups of chopped cabbage, which looks like a lot -- but it cooks down!
Next, cook the ground beef and onion in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Drain off the fat, and return the meat to the pan.
Next, stir in the cabbage, diced tomatoes, condensed tomato soup, beef broth, salt, garlic powder and pepper.
Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 25-30 minutes (or until the cabbage is tender). If it looks like there's too much liquid in the pan, you can remove the lid during the final 5-10 minutes of cooking.
What do you serve with Stuffed Cabbage Roll in a Bowl:
For a light, grain-free meal, this one skillet dinner is perfect on its own. If you want a supper that's more filling, here are a few options that go well with the cabbage mixture:
- Rice
- Riced cauliflower
- Pasta
- Crusty bread or dinner rolls
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:
- These healthy stuffed cabbage rolls omit the rice, so there are just 255 calories in each large portion. For an even more filling meal, serve the cabbage mixture over rice or riced cauliflower.
- I've shown ground beef here, but you can make Chicken Stuffed Cabbage Rolls by using ground chicken, or try substituting with ground turkey or ground sausage.
- Can I make Stuffed Cabbage Rolls ahead of time? Yes! This dish can be prepared in advance and then reheated throughout the week for quick lunches or dinners.
- How to reheat Stuffed Cabbage Rolls: individual portions of this cooked cabbage mixture can be reheated in microwave-safe bowls in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes, or until warmed through. To reheat a larger portion, place the leftovers in a skillet or large saucepan and warm (uncovered) over low heat.
- Can you freeze Stuffed Cabbage Rolls? You can freeze the leftover cooked cabbage mixture; however, the cabbage will be more watery and mushy when thawed. It's not my preference!
- Cooking just for two? Cut all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
More easy cabbage recipes that you might enjoy:
- One Skillet "Egg Roll in a Bowl"
- Dump-and-Bake Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
- 5-Ingredient Cabbage Casserole
- Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onion
- Dump-and-Bake Sausage and Cabbage Dinner
- Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup
Stuffed Cabbage Roll in a Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or ground sausage (I used extra lean ground beef here)
- 1 small sweet onion, finely diced
- ½ of a large head of cabbage, roughly shredded or chopped (about 8 cups total)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup, NOT diluted (I used Campbell’s Healthy Request)
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- For serving (optional): cooked rice or riced cauliflower
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat a little bit of olive oil in a Dutch oven or a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat and the onion to the pot; cooking and stirring to break up the meat until the meat is no longer pink (about 5-7 minutes). Drain; return meat and onion to pot.
- Add cabbage, diced tomatoes, tomato soup, beef broth, salt, garlic powder and pepper.
- Bring to a boil; cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer (covered) for about 25-30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally. If it looks like there is too much liquid in the pot, remove the lid and allow the cabbage to simmer uncovered during the final 5-10 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve over cooked rice, if desired. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
- These healthy stuffed cabbage rolls omit the rice, so there are just 255 calories in each large portion. The recipe yields a total of about 7 cups, so each serving size is about 1.75 cups. For an even more filling meal, serve the cabbage mixture over rice or riced cauliflower.
- I've shown ground beef here, but you can make Chicken Stuffed Cabbage Rolls by using ground chicken, or try substituting with ground turkey or ground sausage.
- Can I make Stuffed Cabbage Rolls ahead of time? Yes! This dish can be prepared in advance and then reheated throughout the week for quick lunches or dinners.
- How to reheat Stuffed Cabbage Rolls: individual portions of this cooked cabbage mixture can be reheated in microwave-safe bowls in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes, or until warmed through. To reheat a larger portion, place the leftovers in a skillet or large saucepan and warm (uncovered) over low heat.
- Can you freeze Stuffed Cabbage Rolls? You can freeze the leftover cooked cabbage mixture; however, the cabbage will be more watery and mushy when thawed. It's not my preference!
- Cooking just for two? Cut all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
I will start by saying great flavor and easy to make, this is the second recipe I have tried out and so far they are awesome, Now I did have a bit of trouble with it due to the fact it took a lot longer than the time listed to cook down on simmer than listed, but it is a matter of preference of done-ness and the stove I would guess.
Next up either the Chile or a chicken dish. Great site glad I found it.
Thanks, Pete! I appreciate that you take the time to leave a note. Enjoy the recipes! 🙂