Lazy Cabbage Rolls Recipe (Quick + Easy for Classic Flavors)

If you're in the mood for Cabbage Rolls without all the fuss, this recipe is perfect for you! It’s a simpler, cheat version of the classic rolls for deconstructed cabbage rolls that taste exactly the same! Every bite has tender cabbage leaves, flavorful beef, and rice mixture, along with other pantry staples for a hearty, savory meal and satisfying crunch!

Cabbage rolls are a classic dish that's loved by many and for a good reason. They're wholesome, satisfying, and can be customized to suit your taste. Moreover, they're a great way to use up leftover ingredients and can be made in large batches, making them a perfect choice for meal prep or family gatherings.

This particular cabbage roll recipe stands out for its ease of preparation! But don’t let that fool you. You’ll still end up with the exact flavor of cabbage rolls! Plus, the creaminess of the heavy cream, the tang of the tomato paste, and the subtle sweetness of the carrots create a combination of flavors that will keep you coming back for more.

Want to learn how to make this cabbage roll recipe? Then, keep on reading. 

What are Cabbage Rolls?

Cabbage rolls are a delightful, flavorful dish that originates from Eastern Europe. They’re traditionally a savory mixture of mixture of ingredients, including ground beef, onions, and white rice within tender cabbage leaves. 

The cabbage rolls are then baked until they're beautifully golden, and the flavors have melded together, creating a hearty and satisfying meal. However, this process can be quite tedious and time-consuming. That’s where my recipe comes in! 

It features all the flavors and textures of the stuffed cabbage rolls recipe but without the fuss! It’s convenient, quick, and absolutely delicious. My kids love it with sour cream as well since it’s commonly enjoyed with cabbage rolls. 

So, when you get a craving for those hard to come by cabbage rolls, try out this simple version that will hit the spot with half the effort. Trust me, you’re going to love it!

What Makes This Cabbage Rolls Recipe Special?

Quick: Unlike traditional cabbage rolls, this recipe doesn't require hours of your time. Just mix the ingredients together in a large pot and bake. It is a time-saving solution for those busy weekdays when you crave something hearty and delicious.

Family favorite: This recipe is sure to become a hit with your family. The combination of tender cabbage leaves, flavorful meat, and perfectly cooked rice makes it a comforting and satisfying meal that everyone will love.

Versatile: This cabbage roll recipe is versatile, allowing you to tweak the ingredients to suit your preferences. You can use ground beef, chicken, pork, or even turkey for the meat. Also, you can adjust the seasoning to your liking, making it your own unique version of a classic dish.

What You Need to Make Cabbage Rolls at Home

All you need are some simple pantry staple ingredients to make this cabbage roll recipe at home. Let's look at them in more detail:

• Green Cabbage: This is the star of our cabbage rolls recipe. Its tender leaves will be filled with our savory meat mixture, providing a delightful contrast in textures.
• Carrots: Grated carrots add a touch of sweetness and a pop of color to the dish, enhancing its overall visual appeal.
• Beef: The main component of the meat mixture, beef contributes a hearty flavor and texture. 
• Rice: We use white rice in this recipe. It absorbs the flavors of the other ingredients and adds a great texture to the meat mixture.
• Yellow Onion: Onions not only add flavor to the meat mixture but also keep it moist and succulent.

• Olive Oil or Unsalted Butter: These fats are used for cooking the onions and add a rich flavor to the dish.
• Tomato Paste: This ingredient deepens the flavor of the meat mixture and gives a nice, rich color to the rolls.
• Heavy Cream: This ingredient gives a velvety and creamy texture to the dish, enhancing its overall mouthfeel.
• Cold Water: Used in boiling the cabbage leaves and cooking the rice, guaranteeing that they are perfectly tender.

• Parsley: Adds a fresh, herbaceous note to the dish and also gives a pop of color for presentation.
• Sea Salt: Essential for seasoning, it brings out the flavors of the other ingredients.
• Mrs. Dash Seasoning: This all-purpose seasoning adds an extra layer of flavor to our meat mixture.
• Garlic Salt: It provides a subtle hint of garlic, enhancing the overall flavor of the dish.
• Black Ground Pepper: It gives a slight heat to the dish, balancing the flavors perfectly.

How to Make Cabbage Rolls (Step-by-Step)

Making these incredible cabbage rolls is easier than you think. Here's how to make them at home step by step:

How to Prep Ingredients for Cabbage Rolls

The first step to making delicious cabbage rolls is to gather your ingredients. You'll need to measure out your seasoning, which might include salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic. Once you've mixed your seasoning together, set it aside until it is needed.

Next up is the meat. Choose your preference from ground beef, ground pork, or ground turkey. Rinse the meat thoroughly, then cut it into small pieces. Season the meat using the mixture you prepared earlier. 

After seasoning, cover your meat in a large bowl - a gallon-size Ziploc bag can work really well for this, too - and let it marinate in the fridge for at least two to eight hours. The longer the meat marinates, the more tender and flavorful it will become.

While the meat is marinating, you can start preparing your vegetables. First, rinse your head of cabbage, then shred it into thin, tender cabbage leaves using a sharp knife. Next, grate your carrots and chop your onions. 

Once you're done preparing the vegetables, set them aside until you're ready to use them.

How to Cook Cabbage Rolls

After your meat has marinated, it is time to start cooking. Begin by heating a pan on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the meat and brown it.

Then add your chopped onions to the pan and sauté them for a minute. Afterward, add your grated carrots and continue to sauté for another minute. 

The next step is to add your tomato paste and heavy cream to the pan. Mix all these ingredients together until they're well blended. After that, pour in two cups of cold water and an additional half teaspoon of sea salt. Stir everything together and bring the mixture to a boil.

While your meat and vegetable mixture is cooking, rinse your white rice well. Then, in a large pot, combine the shredded cabbage, rice, and meat/cream mixture. Mix everything together until it is well combined.

Once your mixture is ready, cover your pot and place it in the oven. Alternatively, you can transfer the mixture into a baking dish. Bake your cabbage rolls for forty-five minutes at a temperature of 375 F or until the cabbage is tender and the rice is cooked through.

After baking, remove your cabbage rolls from the oven and let them cool for about fifteen to thirty minutes before serving. Be careful not to mash the cooked rice with the vegetables while mixing. 

Your delicious homemade cabbage rolls are ready to serve!

Tips for Making the Best Cabbage Rolls Ever

Marinate the meat: For a tender and flavorful meat mixture, marinate the ground beef for at least two to eight hours before cooking. This extra step will guarantee that the ground beef is rich in flavor.

Prepare the vegetables: Shred the cabbage, grate the carrots, and chop the onions ahead of time. This will not only save you time during cooking but also make sure that the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the cabbage rolls.

Let it cool: After baking your cabbage rolls, allow them to cool for about fifteen to thirty minutes before serving. This will make them easier to handle and enhance the flavors.

Pair with a salad: Serve your cabbage rolls with a side of your favorite salad. This will balance out your meal and add a fresh component to compliment the hearty cabbage rolls.

Serving Suggestions for Cabbage Rolls

• For a comforting dinner, serve these cabbage rolls warm, right out of the oven. Pair them with a side of mashed potatoes and some freshly steamed or roasted vegetables for a hearty meal.
• If you're in the mood for a lighter lunch, pair a couple of these cabbage rolls with a fresh green salad. The crispness of the salad will compliment the tender cabbage leaves and flavorful meat mixture perfectly.
• For a unique spin, try serving these cabbage rolls with a dollop of sour cream and some homemade pickles. This Eastern European twist will add a tangy kick that balances the richness of the cabbage rolls.
• For a Polish-inspired feast, serve these cabbage rolls with some pierogi and Polish sausage. Don't forget to pour a glass of Polish beer for the full experience!

Recipe Variation Ideas for Cabbage Rolls

This delicious cabbage rolls recipe is absolutely perfect as is, but if you're looking to change things up, here are a few variation ideas you can try:

Polish variation: Give your cabbage rolls a Polish twist. Substitute the beef with a mixture of ground pork and beef, and add a hint of sweetness with a tablespoon of brown sugar. This Polish cabbage roll recipe variation is popular for its unique blend of savory and sweet flavors.

Add some tang: If you enjoy a bit of tanginess to your meals, consider adding a squeeze of lemon juice to the meat mixture. The citrus flavor of the lemon will add a refreshing touch to the cabbage rolls, making them even more delicious.

Spice it up: For those who love a bit of heat, add a teaspoon of crushed red pepper to the meat mixture. The red pepper will give your cabbage rolls a spicy kick that you'll definitely enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Store Leftover Cabbage Rolls

If you've tried your hand at a cabbage roll recipe and found yourself with leftovers, don't fret! Storing and reheating these delicious parcels is a breeze.

First, allow the cabbage rolls to cool completely. Then, place it in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.

You can easily reheat the mixture on the stovetop or in the microwave in thirty-second increments. Heat it until it's warm all the way through. 

If you’re looking to freeze it, I would advise against it. I don’t recommend freezing this dish since the texture and crunch of the vegetables will be lost. Considering it’s a ‘lazy cabbage rolls’ recipe, you can make it fresh or store it in the fridge for up to three days to have later instead of storing it in the freezer.

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Recipe Card

Lazy Cabbage Rolls Recipe (Quick + Easy for Classic Flavors)

Valya's Taste of Home

Love cabbage rolls but find them too time-consuming to make? My recipe is what you need! It has all the flavors and textures of cabbage rolls without the fuss!

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

.5x1x2x3x

For Lazy Cabbage Rolls Recipe

• ▢ 1 medium – green cabbage
• ▢ 2 large – carrots
• ▢ 1.5 lbs. – beef
• ▢ 1 medium – organic yellow onion
• ▢ 2 cups – rice (of your choice, I used white rice)
• ▢ 2 tbsp. - olive oil
• ▢ 3 oz. – organic tomato paste
• ▢ ½ cup – heavy cream
• ▢ 2 cups - cold water
• ▢ 1 tbsp. – parsley
• ▢ ½ tbsp. – sea salt + 1 tsp. - sea salt for the meat sauce
• ▢ 1 tsp. – Mrs. Dash seasoning
• ▢ ½ tsp. – garlic salt
• ▢ ¼ tsp. – black ground pepper

Read More

Instructions

 

How to Prep Ingredients for Cabbage Rolls

• ▢
  The first step to making delicious cabbage rolls is to gather your ingredients. You'll need to measure out your seasoning, which might include salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic. Once you've mixed your seasoning together, set it aside until it is needed.
• ▢
  Next up is the meat. Choose your preference from ground beef, ground pork, or ground turkey. Rinse the meat thoroughly, then cut it into small pieces. Season the meat using the mixture you prepared earlier.
• ▢
  After seasoning, cover your meat in a large bowl - a gallon-size Ziploc bag can work really well for this, too - and let it marinate in the fridge for at least two to eight hours. The longer the meat marinates, the more tender and flavorful it will become.
• ▢
  While the meat is marinating, you can start preparing your vegetables. First, rinse your head of cabbage, then shred it into thin, tender cabbage leaves using a sharp knife. Next, grate your carrots and chop your onions.
• ▢
  Once you're done preparing the vegetables, set them aside until you're ready to use them.

How to Cook Cabbage Rolls

• ▢
  After your meat has marinated, it is time to start cooking. Begin by heating a pan on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the meat and brown it.
• ▢
  Then add your chopped onions to the pan and sauté them for a minute. Afterward, add your grated carrots and continue to sauté for another minute.
• ▢
  The next step is to add your tomato paste and heavy cream to the pan. Mix all these ingredients together until they're well blended. After that, pour in two cups of cold water and an additional half teaspoon of sea salt. Stir everything together and bring the mixture to a boil.
• ▢
  While your meat and vegetable mixture is cooking, rinse your white rice well. Then, in a large pot, combine the shredded cabbage, rice, and meat/cream mixture. Mix everything together until it is well combined.
• ▢
  Once your mixture is ready, cover your pot and place it in the oven. Alternatively, you can transfer the mixture into a baking dish. Bake your cabbage rolls for an hour and twenty minutes at a temperature of 375 F.
• ▢
  After baking, remove your cabbage rolls from the oven and let them cool for about fifteen to thirty minutes before serving. Be careful not to mash the cooked rice with the vegetables while mixing.
• ▢
  Your delicious homemade cabbage rolls are ready to serve!

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This recipe was originally posted on September 14, 2017 (original picture below), and updated for a better user experience. The post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure.