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 require several steps. This recipe is much easier! You simply make meatballs and then cook them with sauce on a bed of shredded cabbage. Presto! You have 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 leave out the bread crumbs), it’s kosher for Passover.
Making stuffed cabbage rolls is a process. The leaves should be cooked or frozen and then trimmed. You need to make and mix a meat filling. Then the filling is rolled up one by one into cabbage leaves. A sauce needs to be made. Then it all has to cook slowly. When you’re all done, you’ll definitely 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 the concept of unstuffed cabbage rolls. The basic idea is to make a bed of cabbage, make meatballs from the filling, cover everything with sauce and cook. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.
Unlike my stuffed cabbage, my unstuffed cabbage rolls are a savory preparation (without 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 sweet and sour flavor profile, try these (which can also be made kosher for Passover): Sweet and Sour Meatballs.
I usually use a combination of ground beef and ground chicken in these unstuffed cabbage rolls, but you can also use or. Minced chicken with dark meat (instead of white meat) provides extra flavor. Keep in mind that if you only use ground chicken, the meatballs will be quite sticky when you try to shape them (especially if you leave out the breadcrumbs). They firm up as they cook.
Normally stuffed cabbage has rice in the filling, but I usually leave it out here. These unfilled cabbage rolls are very filling without the rice, and also contain fewer carbohydrates. It’s perfect for the colder months of the year, a warming and delicious one-pot meal. This recipe is also kosher for Passover if you use matzo flour, and gluten-free if you omit the breadcrumbs altogether. To enjoy!
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Unfilled cabbage rolls
Deliciously simple recipe for deconstructed cabbage rolls – unstuffed cabbage. Capture the taste of savory stuffed cabbage without all the work. Kosher for Passover.
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Kosher key: Meat, kosher for Passover
Portions: 8 portions
Preparation time: 30 minutes minutes
Cooking time: 1 o’clock o’clock 30 minutes minutes
Total time: 2 o’clock o’clock
Ingredients
- 1 head of green cabbage, cored and cut into strips
- 1 teaspoon Bell pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- Squeeze ground cloves
- 15 us tomato sauce (you can replace the sauce with 3/4 cup tomato paste mixed with 1 cup warm water)
- 1 lb lean ground beef (if desired, you can replace all the meat with ground beef)
- 1 lb ground chicken (if desired, you can replace all the meat with ground chicken or turkey)
- 1 big egg
- 1/2 cup unsalted breadcrumbs or matzo meal (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 15 us sliced ​​tomatoes (1 can)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional – omit for low carb)
- 1/2 teaspoon salty, or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
- Crushed red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)
COMMENTS
Comments: If you choose to use only ground chicken, the meatballs will be quite sticky when you try to shape them (especially if you leave out the breadcrumbs). They firm up as they cook.
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of water into a large saucepan, bring to a boil. Place the cabbage strips in the pot.
- Cover the pot. Steam the cabbage over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure it does not burn.
- Meanwhile, combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 can tomato sauce in the bottom of a large bowl. Stir until well mixed.
- Add the ground beef and chicken, egg, breadcrumbs or matzo meal, and freshly chopped parsley. Adding the bread crumbs helps bind the meatballs and allows you to make a few more meatballs (by stretching the meat), but if you’re on a low-carb or gluten-free diet, you can leave them out and still get very tasty results. It will just be a little more difficult to form them 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 well mixed and the meat is evenly seasoned.
- Uncover the cabbage and reduce the heat to low. Form the meat mixture into 2-inch meatballs and place them in a single layer on the surface of the cabbage. Be careful when adding them to the hot pot; don’t burn your arm!
- Pour the remaining tomato sauce into a mixing bowl with the diced tomatoes, lemon juice and sugar (the sugar is optional – it reduces the acid in the tomato sauce). Stir until combined and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs.Bring the mixture to a boil and turn the heat up to medium. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 75-90 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the cabbage is very soft. Stir every 20-30 minutes. If the cabbage seems dry towards the end of cooking, add a little hot water to the pan.
- At the end of cooking, gently stir the pot to mix the sauce, cabbage and meatballs.
- Serve meatballs on top of the soft-boiled cabbage. Garnish with more chopped fresh parsley if desired. For flavor, ground red pepper flakes can be added as a seasoning. Serve.
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Nutrition facts
Unfilled cabbage rolls
Quantity per serving
Calories 248
Calories from fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated fat 3g19%
Trans fat 1g
Cholesterol 107 mg36%
Sodium 580mg25%
Potassium 998 mg29%
Carbohydrates 17g6%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 8g9%
Egg white 26g52%
Vitamin A 645IU13%
Vitamin C 52mg63%
Calcium 96mg10%
Iron 4mg22%
*Percent Daily Values ​​are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
