Now you can enjoy all the goodness of stuffed cabbage rolls in this easy, one pan – UNstuffed Cabbage Roll recipe – ready in just 30 minutes!
It’s a deconstructed version of the classic with ground beef, tender cabbage and fluffy rice all made in one pan!
The flavors in this stuffed cabbage roll skillet are what I would describe as cozy and comforting. It’s a tomato-based sauce with hints of garlic, oregano and a little tang from Worcestershire sauce, along with a surprise sweetness from golden raisins.
Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls
Gone are the days of boiling cabbage, making a filling, tediously filling that cabbage, rolling it up and baking it…
Now you can enjoy all that goodness in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients for Skillet Cabbage Rolls
Here’s the basic list of ingredients that you’ll need in order to make these unstuffed cabbage rolls. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients located in the printable recipe card below.
- Ground Beef – use a lean ground beef, but you can also swap for ground pork, chicken or even turkey if desired.
- Aromatics – onion, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and paprika all give this dish it’s signature cabbage roll flavor.
- Long Grain Rice – we’re cooking the rice directly in the skillet with the ground beef so it’ll absorb that flavor and use less dishes in the process. It’s a win-win.
- Cabbage – the star of the show! Use fresh green cabbage that’s chopped up into bite-size pieces.
- Tomatoes – both petite diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce give this dish it’s saucy texture. I prefer the petite diced tomatoes over regular diced tomatoes, but both will work fine here.
- Worcestershire Sauce – gives the dish a nice umami flavor, a little tang and deepens the overall taste of the dish – I highly recommend NOT skipping this.
- Golden Raisins – these add a little bit of sweetness to counter the acidity of the tomatoes, and they’re also a signature ingredient in classic cabbage rolls. You can, however swap this out for a tablespoon of brown sugar if desired.
How To Make Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
All the flavor of cabbage rolls in just one pan? Yes please!
Brown Ground Beef
Start by browning the ground beef and onion in a large skillet – make sure it’s pretty big cause this recipe makes a hefty amount. The pan I’m using is a 12″ cast iron skillet (with lid) and it works perfectly.
Season and Toast Rice
Toss in the seasonings and uncooked rice, giving it all a good stir till it’s nice and fragrant.
Toasting the rice in this method will give it more nutty flavor when it cooked, and give it a nice texture when cooked.
Add Sauce and Cabbage
Stir in the remaining ingredients, carefully folding in that cabbage – this is why that large pan was necessary.
Bring the whole mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and let the rice cook for about 15 minutes.
That’s it! The whole dinner is ready to enjoy and oh-so good.
Make Ahead and Storage
This deconstructed cabbage roll skillet is perfect for meal prepping. You can make this ahead of time, store in these handy freezer cubes and enjoy a hearty and nutritious dinner any time.
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Stuffed Cabbage rolls can last in the freezer for 3 to 6 months.
More Recipes that Use Cabbage
My kids actually REALLY love cabbage. I’m not sure what I did to earn that parenting badge, but I’ll take it. Here are a few more easy recipes that use cabbage, and are also family favorites.
- Cabbage Soup – nutritious and comforting!
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage – my kids go BONKERS for this one.
- Simple Coleslaw Recipe – so cool and refreshing with that perfect crunch!
- Teriyaki Shrimp Taco Bites – these are so fun and unique!
I can’t wait for you to give this Ground Beef Cabbage Roll Skillet a try! I know you’re going to love it as much as my family does.
Ground Beef Cabbage Roll Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 3 tsp garlic, minced
- ½ cup white long grain rice, uncooked
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- 15 oz petite diced tomatoes
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1 cup beef broth, or water
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp golden raisins, or substitute with 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 6 cups cabbage, chopped
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef with the onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess fat and return skillet to heat. Add in the garlic, rice, salt, pepper, oregano and paprika and stir to combine, cooking until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and raisins and stir till combined. Gently stir in the cabbage and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Let the mixture cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and cabbage is cooked. Enjoy!
I am excited to try this new recipe. I sure do love the easiness and quickness of one pot meals. They come together in a simple way and I usually have the ingredients to put it together. Thank you for such great recipes. Looking forward to more.
I can’t wait to try this.. One pan meals are the best especially for weekday dinners! Thanks for having so many.
So much easier than blanching the cabbage, pulling off the leaves and then rolling. what a time saver. Excellent.
I think this is the perfect way to use up the other half a head of cabbage from St. Patty’s day corned beef & cabbage dinner! Interesting on the worchestire sauce… not sure on the golden raisens… don’t they stick in your teeth?! haha The one pot meals are amazing for tiring days at the office. No thinking, add to pot & dinner is done in a short amount of time! Love this!
These ingredients make for a delicious one pot dinner! I like using ground turkey in most recipes calling for ground beef and no one can even tell the difference! I’m also a big fan of your Goulash, which is another very satisfying and easy dinner option. Thanks so much for all the great dinner ideas!
Looks great!! Love one pot meals!
Even my husband could make this! And, he loves raisins (bonus points). I used to make Cabbage Cacciatore, but quit because it took too much time. I look forward to making this recipe!
I’m excited to try this one-pan dinner! I love cabbage and am excited to have a different way to incorporate it. Your website is my go-to for recipes. Thank you!
Svworley6253@gmail.com. sounds really good I used to cook lot but hsve had 4 Spinal lumbar surgeries in last 3 years the last was a failed 3 level lumbar fusion surgery gonna have have 5th surgery next month to remove loose screws and rods hitting the nerves in my lower back I’ve lived with debilitating pain everyday. Your recipes make it so much easier to put together and sit back down . This one sounds like a winner. Oh took me a while but I made your beef stew today.
This sounds simple and delicious! I have printed a copy of the recipe and plan to give it a try!
I love one pot dishes. Especially cabbage. This one looks to be really simple to put together and sounds delicious. I can’t wait to prepare it for the family. Although I have a son that does not like things all mixed together. But he will try it.
Well I surely love a one pot meal, mainly for the cleanup advantage. Now that my husband is retired he is in charge of dishes so I am not as concerned. Who am I kidding I still just love a good one pot meal!
I really like this recipe. I v
Can’t wait to make it.my night to cook is on Thursdays, so I think I will make it next Thursday. It sounds yummy. It looks easy to make.
I love how you gave incorporated Golden Raisins in this recipe definitely going to try it. Your recipes are always so delicious ! ❤️
I really like this recipe. I v
Can’t wait to make it.my night to cook is on Thursdays, so I think I will make it next Thursday. It sounds yummy. It looks easy to make.
As a mom of 3 littles I rely heavily on convenience and quick cook meals . One pot meals are one of my main goto’s especially meals like this.
Very appropriate for the season and helped us with a wonderful recipe to use our additional Corned Beef and Head of Cabbage! Brought it to a Wedding reception and all loved it.
Sheet pan and one pot meals are fast and don’t dirty a lot of pots and pans. Good meals for week night dinners.
I live on one pan meals! As a working mom, I need quick, easy, and good! I wash you dry is one of my go to’s for good recipes! Sometimes I let my son go through and pick what he wants and he gets so excited to help me prepare dinner!
One pot meals are a favorite for us. They are easy to throw together and generally the leftovers reheat well. That’s a big bonus for extra busy nights. This one sounds delicious.
I love cabbage recipes and one pan makes it easy. I don’t eat beef, so I would use ground chicken, or even tofu.
This sounds delicious! I was planning to make cabbage rolls for Easter, but this is the recipe I will be using. I love the ease of one pan dinners.
I love one-pot meals. It means less dishes!
I love this. I make a big pot of it every fall and then freeze to enjoy all winter long. A quick and easy meal when rushed.
i have made this before it’s just sooooooo yummmyyy
I love sheet pan and one pot meals! I’m a single mom with two kids and going to grad school while working full-time. Anything that saves time, dishes, stress is perfect! This recipe looks yummy, straight forward, and I have almost everything already!
I have recently discovered one pan meals and I love them!! Such easy clean up and they seem healthier too.
A win win chicken dinner!
I will be trying this recipe this week. Thanks for sharing.
My family loves cabbage rolls, this has the same ingredients but much easier to make!
I love 3 things about 1-sheet or 1-pan or 1-Skillet meals like this: 1. Just plain whole-food ingredients; 2. Quick & straightforward preparation; and 3. Flavor that brings the entire family to the table to share a meal!
I can’t wait to share this one with my family!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Sounds delightful.
This looks delicious! I’m not sure if my family will eat it with raisins, but I’m definitely going to add this to the list!
I have a HUGE family of 9 to feed constantly- 1 pot meals come together so much faster to me to get them all fed faster and not have to spend 2hrs on an elaborate dish that destroys my kitchen everyday. Can’t wait to try it!!
I don’t o7ke the raisins because I love savory but same as the stuffed taste wise just easier than stuffing
Love cabbage make all time easy and less trouble than cabbage rolls . Love to try
I love the addition of the golden raisins and the easy steps of the recipe. Looks like I will be trying this very soon. The fact that you can freeze it is also a big plus!
Will definitely try. Looks good.
This looks like fun! I love your one pot recipes (our favorite is your stuffed pepper skillet!)
(No sure my comment was posted) Sound delicious! Will definitely make this!
This recipe looks very easy and delicious as I love cabbage rolls but don’t like how much time it takes to make them. It certainly will be sometime to try in the near future. Thanks for sharing!
This sounds delicious Will definitely make it!
Looks great !!
I’m not much of a cabbage fan, but I do love almost all your recipes as I bought your cookbook and make them quite frequently