Un-stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Un-stuffed Cabbage Rolls. Yeah...the lazy girl's version of American style cabbage rolls which is great for a busy weeknight! My mom makes the best cabbage rolls in the world...German style that don't contain rice and have a brown sauce. They just melt in your mouth. This un-stuffed version is a friend's recipe for her cabbage rolls (American style)....except I converted it to a busy mom version that you don't have to roll up. Just cook it all in a large skillet.....and dinner is done. Quick, easy and one pan! I like simple recipes in the summer that don't require much effort and don't heat up my kitchen!

You can also stretch this out by adding broth or tomato juice + water and make into a soup. This recipe is so easy and very flexible. I keep mine simple but you can add peppers or anything else you want. I don't care much for peppers so I don't add them although they add a beautiful color! You can serve it over rice or gluten free pasta, fried potatoes or baked potatoes for a complete dinner. If you are doing a low-carb diet then you can just eat it plain.

I looked in my refrigerator and realized I had some lean hamburger, fresh tomatoes and a bag of shredded cabbage that needed used up. We were talking about cabbage rolls recipes with friends the other night and so I whipped out my recipes to see if I could modify one to make it "un-stuffed" to use what I already had in my refrigerator. You can substitute ground turkey, chicken, pork or sausage for the hamburger. You can use fresh or canned tomatoes. I also thought about adding some frozen roasted corn to add color but chose not to do that today. (However, I think I will do that next time for some added color and sweetness!) I cooked a large batch so we would have leftovers for tomorrow night's dinner but you can certainly cut the recipe in half for a smaller batch (or freeze half for later!)

Un-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe:

• 2 pounds lean meat (I used hamburger but you can substitute ground chicken, turkey, pork or sausage if you prefer)
• Onion, chopped (I used half of a large onion but you can add more or less)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped fine (or use 1 tbs. minced garlic in a jar) OR 1 tbs. garlic powder
• 2 pounds of shredded cabbage (I used the pre-cut coleslaw blend in a bag)
• 1 can or fresh diced tomatoes (about 12-15 oz), you can add more if you like a lot of tomatoes. If you like it a little spicier then you can add chunky salsa! Use what you have on hand!
• 3-4 tbs. tomato paste (or just use a gluten free ketchup for a slightly sweeter flavor or if you don't want to open a can of tomato paste. My mom always did this because I don't think we ever had tomato paste in our house growing up). If you like it really saucy then feel free to add the entire can of tomato paste.
• 1 envelope of gluten free onion soup/dip mix OR 2 tbs. gluten free beef bouillon granules (optional but I really like the extra depth of flavor it adds)
• salt & pepper to taste (add this last because you may not need to add very much)

Cook your meat in a large skillet along with garlic, onions and beef bouillon or gluten free onion soup mix (if you are adding it). I used my heavy duty "Paella pan" (I received it as a gift and I love it! I use it a lot for many meals besides Paella!) If your meat is extremely lean then you may need to add a tablespoon of olive oil. (The original recipe calls for 2 tbs of olive oil but I just leave it out if my meat has a little bit of fat. I just don't drain the meat fat if there is about 1 tablespoon left in the skillet because it has more flavor than the olive oil. However, if your meat contains more fat then you will need to drain some off to prevent having greasy food!). Add the shredded cabbage and cook until almost tender but not soggy. Stir in diced tomatoes and either tomato paste or ketchup. Cook until warmed through. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve over cooked rice, gluten free noodles, baked potatoes, fried potatoes or quinoa. If you prefer a soup then add either some beef broth, vegetable broth or vegetable juice (like V-8 juice) plus some water to thin it down. You can add rice, pasta or potatoes to the soup too. The recipe is very, very flexible!

Cooking the meat, onion, garlic & beef bouillon

Added the cabbage and will cook until tender but not soggy

Added my chopped tomatoes. You can add more if you want!

Ready to serve up!

Ready to eat. Served it on white rice today!

See the beautiful colors?!

Grab a fork and eat!

 

I hope you like my lazy Sunday version of Un-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls using ingredients that I already had in my refrigerator. My mom still makes the BEST cabbage rolls that I have ever had....but these are an easy, lazy alternative. I promise I will have my mom make her German version of cabbage rolls and I will post on the blog this fall. PROMISE! Until then....you can make the lazy version of the American style cabbage rolls.