Unstuffed cabbage rolls are one of my favorite comfort foods. I love stuffed cabbage, and so does my family. But making cabbage rolls is a lot of work! That’s where my savory unstuffed cabbage rolls come in. Traditional cabbage rolls requires several steps. This recipe is far easier! You simply make meatballs, then cook them with sauce on a bed of shredded cabbage. Presto! You’ve got a delicious and healthy low carb comfort food. All the flavor of stuffed cabbage, without all the work. Easy enough for a weeknight, delicious enough for a holiday… and if you use matzo meal (or omit the breadcrumbs), it’s kosher for Passover.
Making stuffed cabbage rolls is a process. The leaves need to be boiled or frozen, then trimmed. You must create and mix a meat filling. After that, the filling is rolled up into cabbage leaves one-by-one. A sauce must be made. Then it all needs to slowly cook. When you’re all done, you certainly feel like you’ve earned it… and of course, it’s delicious. But there is an easier way.
Many years ago, my dear friend Beth introduced me to concept of unstuffed cabbage rolls. The basic idea is to make a bed of cabbage, make the filling into meatballs, cover it all with sauce, and cook. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
Unlike my stuffed cabbage, my unstuffed cabbage rolls are a savory preparation (with no added sweetness). This is not a Polish-style sweet and sour sauce. I prefer this dish on the savory side. If you’re looking for a more sweet and sour flavor profile, try these (which can also be made kosher for Passover): Sweet and Sour Meatballs.
I typically use a combination of ground beef and ground chicken in these unstuffed cabbage rolls, but you can use either or. Dark meat ground chicken (versus white meat) will provide extra flavor. Note that if you use ground chicken only, the meatballs will be quite sticky when you’re trying to form them (especially if you leave out the breadcrumbs). They’ll firm up as they cook.
Normally stuffed cabbage has rice in the filling, but I typically leave it out here. These unstuffed cabbage rolls are very filling without the rice, and lower carb, too. It’s perfect for the colder months of the year, a warming and wonderful one pot meal. This recipe is also kosher for Passover, if you use matzo meal – and gluten free if you omit the breadcrumbs entirely. Enjoy!
Recommended Products:
Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 head of green cabbage, cored and cut into strips
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- Pinch ground cloves
- 15 ounces tomato sauce (you may substitute 3/4 cup tomato paste mixed with 1 cup of warm water for the sauce)
- 1 pound lean ground beef (you may substitute ground beef for all the meat, if desired)
- 1 pound ground chicken (you may substitute ground chicken or turkey for all the meat, if desired)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup unsalted bread crumbs or matzo meal (optional)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes (1 can)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional – omit for low carb)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
- Crushed red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)
NOTES
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of water into a large pot, bring to a boil. Place cabbage strips into the pot.
- Cover the pot. Steam cabbage over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn.
- Meanwhile, combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cloves, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of black pepper, and 1/4 the can of tomato sauce at the bottom of a large bowl. Stir until well blended.
- Add the ground beef and chicken, egg, bread crumbs or matzo meal, and fresh minced parsley. Adding the bread crumbs will help bind the meatballs and will allow you to make a few more meatballs (stretching the meat), but if you're on a low carb or gluten free diet you can omit them and still get very tasty results. They'll just be a little harder to form smoothly (the meat will be sticky) – but the meatballs will firm up as they cook.
- Mix with a fork or knead with clean hands until all ingredients are thoroughly blended and meat is evenly seasoned.
- Uncover the cabbage and reduce heat to low. Form the meat mixture into 2-inch meatballs and place them in a single layer on the surface of the cabbage. Take care when adding them to the hot pot—don’t burn your arm!
- Pour remaining tomato sauce into a mixing bowl with the diced tomatoes, lemon juice, and sugar (the sugar is optional – it cuts the acid in the tomato sauce). Stir until blended, then season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs.Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low. Cover pot and cook for 75-90 minutes hours over medium low heat until the meatballs are cooked and cabbage is very tender. Stir every 20-30 minutes. If the cabbage seems dry towards the end of cooking, add a little hot water to the pan.
- Give the pot a gentle stir at the end of cooking to blend the sauce, cabbage, and meatballs.
- Serve meatballs on top of the soft cooked cabbage. Garnish with more minced fresh parsley, if desired. Crushed red pepper flakes may be added for spice, according to taste. Serve.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Great recipe we have cooked it twice now. Used ground venison for the meatballs and cooked it in the instant pot because we were in a rush but it worked great. Cooked the cabbage for 2 minutes and then went back and cooked with the meatballs for 10. Thank you for such a tasty meal.
Very good and very like stuffed cabbage. Those people sharing their recipes for casseroles etc have missed the point, browned meatballs are very nice, but will lack that juicy succulence of stuffed cabbage. Thanks Tori.
Just found this recipe while I am in the process of cooking my Mother’s stuffed cabbage – but with a modern twist. She would make her sauce with sour salt, sugar, tomatoes, etc., and cook the sauce for hours. While the sauce was cooking, we’d steam the cabbage, separate the leaves and cut the spine out, then roll the beef-rice-egg mixture up in the softened leaves (that would be my job). My Father loved this, as it was his Mother’s recipe (Polish immigrant). My Aunt, my Mother’s younger sister, showed me an easy way to achieve the same flavor: combine one can of jellied cranberry sauce + 1 bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce. Play with the beef meatballs and cabbage (either traditionally rolled or cut/shredded with meatballs on top). Bury the stuff in the sauce and cook, either stovetop or oven. BOOM! I made it for my parents once and my Father didn’t taste the difference. I honestly think my Mom was a bit peeved, not sure if at me or my Father! I’ll try your recipe next time, looks yummy.
Would it be possible to get your grandma’s exact recipe? My mom used sour salt etc & she never had a recipe. I much prefer sour vs sweet. Thank you!
I don’t eat beef and usually substitute lentils. Do you know how it would work in this recipe?
Without testing it first I cannot give you advice on this. Sorry!
I used your recipe for inspiration. I do hate it when people say “I made your recipe, except I changed it”
I do like the strong sweet and sour variety (in spite of Litvak heritage). I used four tablespoons each of lemon juice and sugar. I followed your recipe for the meatballs. I will add more of the “warm” spices next time: 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teasp. cinnamon, perhaps cardomon too.
I loved it!!
Thank you so much. I had never considered “unstuffed cabbage” although I made a variation of cabbage soup from “Yiddish Cuisine” .
Can you publish a sweet and sour cabbage soup!!!!! Your recipes are the best!
Thanks
My unstuffed cabbage is a little different. After I make my meatballs, I bake them until almost well done in the oven. The meatballs are chopped beef, grated onion, egg, matzo meal and salt and pepper to taste. The sauce is tomato sauce and grape jam cooked on the stove until blended well. Then slice cabbage and put in in a large pot, put meatballs and sauce on top and cook on low flame until done.
My mother usd to make a sort-of unstuffed cabbage with meatballs, raisins, and rice. She cooked it in a pressure cooker. I never got the recipe before she died (in 2011), so I’ve been trying to recreate it ever since! This is very close to it, but hers had no tomatoes.
I did not have ground chicken, so just went with turkey and used half a cabbage and half an egg; also used almond flour for matzo meal. Amazing! Will be a go-to dish for holidays to come.
my mother added a hot dog or turkey necks, and a handful or two of sauerkraut, without the juice
Oh my! Thank you for the sauerkraut tip. I cannot wait to try it.