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 love stuffed cabbage. I am all in favor of anything that makes it quick and easy…one pan and 30 minutes, who could pass this up?! I can’t wait to try this recipe…and I’m super curious to see how the golden raisins will incorporate with the other ingredients!
I love skillet or one pot meals on weekdays. It makes life so much easier and I just happen to have some cabbage leftover from making corned beef! I’m making this tonight! Thanks for posting!
I know that we will love this recipe because it has everything that we love. It has meat, veggies and flavor. I’m looking forward to making this recipe very soon! Thank you so much for sharing!
I have my grandchildren (and my kids) for dinner every Tuesday. Always looking for new dinner ideas that are easy to cook for seven of us (and reasonably priced ingredients).
Oh my it was just wonderful.
I’ve been making this for years but I mix everything together and put in a casserole dish and bake. It’s fabulous but I’m going to try your recipe next time I get the urge for cabbage rolls!!!
I love one pot meals! With life so busy these days, it’s a quick and easy meal solution. 🙂
This skillet looks really fast, nutritious and YUMMY!! I love cooked cabbage recipes!
I love 1 pan dinners because they are usually delish and so easy to make
One pan recipes are so good, easy and great for a busy lifestyle!
I am a 70 year old widower and these recipes make it easy for me to cook meals that are much better than fast food joints. Please keep them coming and when you can think about adding comments on freezing or reducing to 1/2 size instructions or even 1/4 size for the singles amoungst us. Thanks
Sounds like a good spring recipe
I’ll be making this next week. It will be on my weekly meal schedule!!! Thank you so much! Yummy!!!
Love this and most all of your recipes.
I always enjoyed my mother’s cabbage rolls but never felt like I wanted to mess with blanching cabbage leaves, blah, blah. This seems to be a way to have all the flavors of cabbage rolls without the work. My favorite soup is a deconstructed stuffed green pepper soup so a one-pot dish like this is right up my alley.
I love one pot dinners because they are easy to make on busy work night! Can’t wait to try this!!
This recipe is so good. I love stuffed cabbage but I hate having to fill and roll the cabbage. This makes it so much easier. This is a hearty meal and the leftovers (if you have any) are good.
I love one pot meals because clean-up is so much easier! I love one pot meals, soups, stews, and casseroles since almost everything you need for the meal is ready at the same time. You can add a salad, bread, biscuits, breadsticks, or cornbread and you’re good to go. Way back in 1980 when I got my first teaching job, a co-worker and I became roommates. Her grandmother on her mom’s side was Polish. She made golumpki (not sure about the spelling), which are stuffed cabbage rolls. You make them, put them in a skillet and add tomato sauce, (hers used homemade tomato sauce and cook until they are softened. They were delicious. I love how the flavors all meld together and just make you feel all warm inside.
I love cabbage both hot and cold. Your one pot recipe looks delicious and easy. Three great features in a recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
This looks so easy and comforting. Living in South Africa makes this looks like the perfect dish for winter that’s around the corner! I will Def give this recipe a go!
What I love about this recipe and one-pot dinners in general is the simplicity of preparation and ingredients!!