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!
Ok, this looks good without all the work.
I love one pan dinners – they are easier to deal with and LESS to wash!
Shared on X.
Mishelle G
We love making cabbage rolls
We use beef and Italian sausage. Also substitute barley for the rice. Looking to try your recipe when looking for a quicker way to enjoy cabbage rolls.
This would be a great recipe to try when the weather is cool. Sounds yummy.
That looks delicious. I love one pot meals makes clean up so much easier. I also love Cabbage so I’m sure I will love this one.
I have tried several of your recipes and have not been great at commenting! If this is as delish as your other one pan dishes, I’m excited. Our family loves cabbage rolls and rarely gets them due to the amount of time it takes to make them. Thank you for an accessible version!
No hassel with this recipe rolling the cabbage. These one pan recipes are awesome!!!
Interested to try this dish. I was not a fan off the cabbage rolls but I think I’ll really like this version. My husband’s mother would make the cabbage rolls so I’m sure he’ll like this recipe.
A cabbage recipe that is simple and yummy! Can’t wait to try!
One pan/skillet dinners are the best! Cuts down on cleanup for sure! But also I find it helps blend the flavors together too!
We love cabbage! This will be a go to recipe for us from now on.
I love one pan recipes! They are so quick and easy, plus easy clean up! This looks delish! You’re the best ! Lovetocook23@yahoo.com
This sounds so delicious and easy! I love one skillet recipes, it makes things so easy to clean up and less mess! sbroughton61@yahoo.com
Looks delicious and making this weekend
My husband loves cabbage rolls, but I don’t make them often. This is so much simpler…he can even manage this one on his own!! Thanks for sharing your recipes with us! We use quite a few of them…especially the one pan recipes.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! My mother-in-law always made the stuffed cabbage rolls from scratch and the whole family loved them. This looks so easy and all in one pot makes clean up just as easy.
Love when I can do a one pan meal. Not only for clean up but all the tasty flavors make the food more flavorful!
My favorite recipes are one and done meals. Everything in one pot. This is a winner!
My favorite recipes are one and done meals, meaning everything for dinner is in one pot!
This recipe looks great! One pan dinners are the best for easy cleanup. Less dishes = happy mama!
I love one pan meals for the easier clean up and they save time so that I can spend more time with family
This looks so good. Can’t wait to try and make it. Would this work in a slow cooker?
Awesome recipe! Love one pot meals. Less clean up
I love one pan meals because they are easy to make and my husband loves them too. Also it is so easy to clean up after.
I love one dish meals. Easy clean up and delicious food
I do not care much for rice so I am going to try it with Orzo.
This looks easy to put together and sounds dlisf! Thanks!
I lean towards one pot/pan meals because I dislike trying to coordinate timing everything to finish at the same time.
Thanks for the recipes. I love the emails.
Rose
I love cabbage, growing up in a Portugese family cabbage was a staple in the house,
i am excited to try out your recipe.
i have tried several of your other recipes, very easy to make,
thank you for sharing them with us.
One pot meals make our life so much easier! Our family loved stuffed cabbage!
Sometimes a quick one pan recipe is needed. Nothing complicated. Just something quick and easy. And no time for all those dirty dishes.
Love one pot meals! This one sounds interesting, and much easier than the stuffing & rolling that is normally required.
I am curious, what are the golden raisins adding to this dish? I have not seen that before.
This is so much easier than the regular way. Like the fact of adding the Worcester sauce. Being single older man This is a new recipe I will keep in my little bag of tricks. I’m already a big fan of your book. Use it all the time.
I am happy that you I found your website. I am a busy woman and Love the fact that I can have a meal on the table in 30 minutes. My family has enjoyed every one of your recipes. I especially like this one for cabbage as I make coleslaw and use only half a head. I hate waste and wonder what to do with the other half. This recipe is perfect for that.
Love a one pot meal! Less dishes to wash and everything comes together at same time…no getting the timing off.
I actually haven’t made this recipe yet, but it sounds delicious, so I’m looking forward to making it. These easy one pan dinners are a plus for me, because now that I’m old and somewhat disabled, I can’t stand up to do a lot of cooking. So the less I have to do, the better. The only thing I worry about with this recipe is the rice. I’ve made a few recipes before that called for uncooked rice, and unfortunately the rice never got done, even when I let the dish cook longer than called for. But, I will try again with this recipe and keep my fingers crossed. I will post again as to how it turned out after I make it.
Can’t wait to try this yummy looking dish! It has ingredients that my family loves and you can’t beat a one pot meal!
I love one pot meals because they don’t require a lot of prep time but the flavors are still amazing. People always think I spent all day cooking! Perfect family dinners!
You had me at One Skillet
I cant wait to try this recipe and only have to wash one pan
I was looking for a simple version of unstuffed cabbage and once again you never fail me! These one pan dinners are the best! Thank you so much!
I love one pot meals! I have been busy with gardening chores and getting ready for spring planting. This recipe sounds delicious and so much easier then rolling cabbage leaves.
My mom used to make cabbage rolls from scratch and everyone loved them so much. This deconstructed version is an easy way to enjoy the same dish without spending hours in the kitchen. Quiz comfort food for my family!