These unstuffed cabbage rolls are my lazy man version of traditional Ukrainian cabbage rolls. Everything is cooked in one pot and is healthier than the authentic version.
Deconstructed cabbage rolls are packed with basic staple ingredients such as tender cabbage, ground beef, tomatoes, onion, and garlic.
Cabbage recipes are highly requested in our family, especially this one-pot meal Ground Beef and Cabbage, which has become pretty popular among readers too. It's even more ''lazy'' than this recipe.
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Why It's Yummy
- These unstuffed cabbage rolls are excellent for a low-carb diet, have lots of fiber from the cabbage, and are very fulfilling.
- Easy and quick - We like to make it whenever we don’t have much time for cooking. From start to finish, it will take you around 30 minutes for this delicious unstuffed cabbage rolls dinner.
- Simple ingredients. A great budget-friendly main dish made with minimal ingredients that are easily available in any store and won't break the bank. If you have ground beef, cabbage, and spices you can make this recipe! Super simple to customize.
We call it golubtsi (Ukrainian) and this lazy version is called ‘’lenivie golubtsi’’. Call it whatever you like but it has been our go-to lazy night dinner recipe 🙂
Ingredients
My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
- Cabbage - any cabbage will work here, savoy cabbage (sweetest leaves), napa cabbage, and red cabbage as well. But the best cabbage in my opinion for unstuffed or stuffed cabbage rolls is young green cabbage. This cabbage is also great for making a rich and fulfilling unstuffed cabbage roll soup. Be careful if using red cabbage as it will likely leach color into the rest of your dish.
- Ground beef - use lean ground meat whenever possible so you don’t end up with lots of meat fat in the pot. Any meat is suitable here. For a leaner version, lean ground turkey is your best bet.
- Maple syrup - I used what I had for this post, and it turned delicious! We also love to use brown sugar or coconut sugar whenever we make these unstuffed cabbage rolls. Don’t skip the sweetener here because whenever you use a tomato product, for the best flavor I recommend adding any kind of sweetener to offset the acidity that comes from tomatoes. You'll not feel the flavor of sweetener but it will balance the dish instead.
- Garlic and onion - without these aromatics, these unstuffed cabbage rolls would not be what they are called. In Ukrainian cuisine garlic, onion and cabbage are one of the main ingredients in dishes.
- To increase your veggie intake, we also like to add some grated carrots once in a while to have a variety of cabbage roll flavors.
- Tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes - different brands vary in taste and texture. I recommend using trusted Italian brands whenever possible. Simply because of the rich flavor.
Instructions
Heat up a large pot or dutch oven with some cooking oil (I like to use avocado oil spray) and one hot add in the onions.
Cook until onions have softened.
Add the ground beef and brown the meat crumbling it into small pieces until thoroughly cooked.
Add garlic, paprika, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper, and bay leaves and stir.
Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and maple syrup.
Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
Stir in the cabbage, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer with a closed lid for 15-20 minutes.
Cabbage should be soft, and tender but still a little crispy.
Stir in the cooked brown fluffy rice and stir to combine, and let heat through simmering for 3 minutes.
You can also use regular white rice for a quicker recipe, although brown rice is slightly healthier. In terms of flavor, there's no big difference.
Remove from the heat. Discard the bay leaves.
Serve with freshly chopped parsley and sour cream.
We like to serve it with plenty of sour creams, fresh dill or parsley, and black ground pepper.
Traditionally this dish is not served with cheese, but it doesn't mean you can't add it here.
A delicious melty cheesy topping is what will make this dish better and kid-approved.
Top it up with grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese.
Add it during the last 5 minutes of cooking time to get the cheese extra melty or serve in individual bowls.
Don’t overcook the cabbage. Although many versions recommend differently, I still stand strong on the belief that cabbage should be tender yet still crisp by the end of cooking. I don't like my cabbage being mushy.
Tips
- Lean meat - opt for a low-fat and leaner version as it will cook better and you won’t end up with lots of extra fat and liquid in the pot.
- Let it simmer enough for the flavors to blend nicely and cabbage soaks up all the sauce mixture.
Serving Suggestions
The unstuffed cabbage rolls are already a meal itself.
A small side portion of healthy cucumber salad, crusty bread, or a portion of steamed or mashed potatoes or Colcannon is our go-to serving options.
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- For the best flavor and texture make as much as you'd consume right away or within 24 hours.
- Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- To freeze, the same steps and for 2-3 months.
- To reheat, thaw first if frozen and reheat in a pot over the stovetop. You may need to add some extra water or stock/broth to thin it out. I don’t recommend reheating this in the microwave as the cabbage will or may become too soggy.
FAQs
The unstuffed cabbage rolls are already a meal itself. Some side portion of healthy salad, crusty bread, or a portion of steamed potatoes is our go-to serving options.
Cabbage is a healthy source of fiber, is low fat and with plenty of nutrients for your skin. It's rich in antioxidants (including vitamin C and beta-carotene).
Thinking About Dessert?
Easy Cabbage Recipes
Love more cabbage recipes? Check out this extensive roundup collection of the best cabbage recipes or one of these easy recipes below:
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Recipe
Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls With Rice (Lenivie Golubtsi)
INGREDIENTS
- 6 cups green cabbage (chopped into 1-inch pieces)
- 2 ⅓ cups cooked brown rice
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup warm water or beef broth
- 1 onion very finely diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- 15 oz can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 2 ¾ cups can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven with some cooking oil (i like to use avocado oil spray) and one hot add in the onions. Cook until onions have softened.
- Add the ground beef and brown the meat crumbling it into small pieces until thoroughly cooked.
- Add garlic, paprika, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper, and bay leaves and stir.
- Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and maple syrup. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Stir in the cabbage, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Cabbage should be soft, and tender but still a little crispy.
- Stir in the cooked brown rice, stir to combine, and let heat through simmering for 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Discard the bay leaves.
- Serve with freshly chopped parsley and sour cream.
Video
PRIVATE NOTES
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Margarita
Just made this.I used ground turkey.It is very good and the kids love it too.Very easy to make.
D
Just made this for my family. Had to sub apple cider vinegar and Jasmine rice but it was hearty and delicious!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
hi Dina! Thankas for the comments, what did you use instead?
Mary
Delicious meal! Thanks for sharing!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you!
Gwen
Sounds like a great recipe! Why not put in uncooked rice and let it cook with other ingredients?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
it could work, but it would be a different recipe and liquid ingredients will need to be changed.
Tiha
When you say tomato sauce do you mean can of crushed Tomato's? From Australia.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
It’s tomato puree in AUS if i’m not mistaken or you can use tomato passata in AUS.
nancy brown
I have been making this for a long time not same recipe. It happen by mistake couldn't get rolls to stay together so chopped it up .Never made rolls again. So easy to make.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you Nancy, so much easier right!
Laura
Just made this, substituted veggie crumbles for meat and riced cauliflower for the rice. Also added an extra can of diced tomatoes. Great flavors.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
oh yum!Thanks for the comment Laura! This is one of my favorite childhood recipes in our family!
Tiha
Do you mean actual tomato sauce or a tomato passta just asking as from Australia.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Tiha, you can use both. Tomato sauce - the one I used was simple and cheap from my local grocery store. If you use passata puree (AUS Tomato passata), it should add even more flavor. Tomato sauce is a little more runny which works in this recipe well. Thank you!
Liette
Julia! Will definitively make this but will use dark ground turkey. I saw that cauliflower rice was used instead of brown rice. What are your comments on that and if ok, would the mount of rice would be the same for cauliflower rice? Tks can’t wait to try this this weekend.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
hi Liette, unlike grains cauliflower rice doesn't soak up moisture or liquid in the same way. So you'd need to add enough to make sure that cauliflower rice is fully coated in the sauce. I haven't personally used it in this recipe, but some readers have reported great success with this popular grain substitute. If you add it, please let us know how and how much worked for you.
Susan Taylor
Just made this recipe…. DELICIOUS!!! Used brown sugar. This recipe is easier faster and better than another one I had.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you Susan!
Sally
I tried this recipe because I love cabbage rolls and was intrigued by the the simplified, deconstructed approach. So while this dish is certainly not bad tasting, it was not the "stuffed cabbage" taste I had in mind, which I believe is either Hungarian or Polish in origin. I am not familiar with how Ukrainians flavor theirs, so possibly that's the difference here. I found the vinegar and smoked paprika flavors off-putting, maybe also the Worcestershire sauce. The amount of tomato product combined with the vinegar made the resulting taste too tart for my lenivie golubtsi experience, and this is even after I omitted 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce and used an extra half pound of ground beef in the recipe. I'll likely try making this again but with alterations as noted. Thanks for the recipe, definitely agree with the concept.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you Sally for sharing!