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Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
My Ukrainian mom calls these “Lenivi Holubsti,” which translates to “Lazy Cabbage Rolls”. They are a genius invention for unstuffed cabbage rolls!
As a Ukrainian these are authentic as can be! And probably one of my favorite dump dinners (made healthy with lots of cabbage and protein)!
No frying, no rolling, just dump and bake in one pot like a casserole.
You would think this doesn’t work, but it does! Simply put the raw ingredients together in a pot. Add some tomato sauce and bake. In 1.5 hours you’re going to have the most amazing cabbage roll aroma!
It’s really the best unstuffed cabbage roll recipe ever! One that has been on repeat every time I need to use up cabbage in a delicious way!
My kind of comfort food. Savory and tender. Perfectly bite-sized pieces of cabbage in every bite. Rice and ground meat cooked just right in a simple tomato sauce.
This deconstructed meal is everything an unstuffed cabbage roll should be! And it’s the easiest dinner to pull together!
If you’ve been into Ukrainian Food but don’t know where to start, these unstuffed cabbage rolls are where to begin.
Watch How Easy Lazy Cabbage Rolls are Made!
How To Make Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
Let’s walk through how to make unstuffed cabbage rolls (lazy cabbage rolls), step-by-step.
They’re different ways to bake this casserole. I’ve tried baking this in a heavy-dutch oven pot and casserole-style. Both work with great success, just make sure you can cover your dish during the baking time. So use foil or an oven-safe lid to your cookware.
Gather All the Ingredients
Prepare the pan you plan to cook this in (I’ve used the large 19×11 disposable pans before with great success). However, I find that a heavy 7-quart dutch oven pot does a fantastic job to keep all of the cabbage filling in and make super tender cabbage!
Measure out the rice, open the packaged meat, and add each ingredient into the pan/pot, one-by-one in no given order.
I do, dump my rice into a fine-mesh sieve first, and give it a good rinse before adding it to the pan.
I also like to chop the onion into diced-sized pieces and grate the carrots into shreds.
Once everything is in the pot or pan, it will look like a massive amount. This is normal and the cabbage will reduce in size drastically, so don’t change anything in the recipe. It works, trust me.
Mix All Together
Using your hands mix all of the deconstructed cabbage roll ingredients together. This is the fun part, to see all of the shredded and chopped ingredients come together.
There should be some liquid from the tomato sauce and water on the bottom of the pan. This is the liquid that will cook your rice and cabbage. Don’t drain it!
Cover
Cover your casserole pan with aluminum foil or use the lid to your oven-safe dutch oven. Make sure the knob is not plastic (to your dutch oven).
Bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). You want a steady medium heat to cook your casserole evenly. Nothing too harsh or high (when cabbage gets too browned it can give off a slightly bitter taste).
Bake for one hour and thirty minutes. The meat thermometer should read above 165°F if inserted to the middle part of the casserole.
Remove from the oven and keep the lazy cabbage rolls covered until it’s time to serve. I don’t recommend to keep it inside the oven, it tends to brown too much, even if the oven is off.
Serve
We love to serve this unstuffed cabbage roll recipe with sour cream! I like to smooth out the sour cream and dollop it into a saucer or small bowl. If you garnish the sour cream with dill it looks extra fancy and is so yummy!
Here are our most loved sides for this comforting dish:
- Dill pickles (the only ones you need)! Perfectly tart and crunchy! Did I mention they are homemade?! Marinate these cucumbers without canning.
- Crusty Artisan bread. I have notes on how to make this bread with yeast (quicker) in the post.
- A fresh cucumber and tomato salad (tossed in sour cream or olive oil) you pick!
Really any fresh green leaf salad or vegetables that you have can be served with this savory cabbage roll dish!
Mise en PlaceEverything you need to get started!:
Equipment:
- 7-quart Heavy Dutch oven pot (However, if using a large casserole pan, you will need aluminum foil).
- Large Measuring Cup
- Rubber spatula
- Set of measuring spoons and cups
- The Best Lazy Cabbage Rolls Recipe:
The Best Lazy Cabbage Rolls Recipe: (Ingredients & Substitutions)
This recipe works with any ground meat (turkey, pork, beef, chicken, etc.) You can also make this completely vegetarian by omitting the meat and adding extra cabbage and rice. I’ve also made this with brown rice, (just bake 30 minutes longer). Always bake this covered!
- Green Cabbage- it never hurts to add more. I’ve used both smaller and larger heads of cabbage with great results. The cabbage cooks down and shrinks. Use one whole head, shredded. I aim for medium-sized heads.
- Ground Pork is what most Ukrainians use to make cabbage rolls. I like to use grass-fed ground beef or ground pork that I ground up myself using a meat grinder. You want a leaner cut of meat whether it’s beef or pork.
- Uncooked white Jasmine Rice is what I typically use. I also like using Uncle Ben’s brown rice (just cook casserole for 30 to 45 minutes longer). Sometimes I like to use a mix of short and long-grain rice to make a chewy dish.
- Carrots- I like them julienned, so you can see strands of carrot in every bite. A box grater works great, too.
- Onion- I usually use yellow onions for lazy cabbage rolls. Dice them into small pieces so you don’t see them in the finished dish. They add lots of great savory flavor.
- Tomato Sauce- any jarred tomato sauce that I have in the fridge goes into these cabbage rolls. If I have Rao’s marinara that’s what I’m using! If it’s my homemade marinara, I’m using that. It can be plain tomato sauce too, just season to taste.
- Bay Leaves- I always keep a stash of these whole ones.
- Spices & Seasonings- Essential spices to flavor unstuffed cabbage rolls are salt, pepper, garlic, and bay leaves. These are most of the spices I use to create Eastern-European flavors. Instead of using whole garlic cloves, I use garlic salt for ease and extra flavor.
FAQ’s about Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
How Long Do You Cook Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls?
You will need to bake unstuffed cabbage rolls at 350°F, for at least 1.5 hours to properly cook the rice and raw ground meat. Additionally, you will need to bake this casserole, enclosed to keep all of the steam in, in order to reach the desired cooked temperature. I will sometimes let this go up to 2 hours depending on how quick I need it.
How much does this serve?
This lazy cabbage rolls recipe feeds our family of 8 with leftovers. I’d say it can easily serve 12 people.
Can I use leftover cooked rice or parboiled?
Yes! Dry and packaged parboiled rice can be added in step 1 like you would with the uncooked rice. If you want to use leftover cooked rice omit the uncooked rice and add 3-4 cups of leftover cooked rice, the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
What sized casserole pan?
Like most shredded cabbage, it will look massive once shredded. Therefore plan on something large enough to hold in all the cabbage roll ingredients. The cabbage will eventually cook down.
For me, a 7-quart dutch oven works great or a large 19×11 disposable pan. You could get away with the larger 15×11 glass pyrex dish, too. And if that’s not enough just evenly divide the mixture into two smaller baking dishes.
Can I make this on the stovetop?
Yes, one reader has mentioned how she done it on the stovetop with great success. You will have to simmer and stir it frequently from time to time. Which is why I prefer the hands off method, by simply baking it in the oven.
More Cabbage Recipes You Will Love:
Cabbage is a popular staple to have on hand! We make it pickled, eat it raw for salads, or braise it for ultimate comfort food! Try these recipes!
My Best Tips for Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls:
- Cover your baking pan! You need to bake this covered to properly cook the raw ingredients!
- If you’re wanting to use leftover cooked rice, stir it in the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- To make this ahead for Sunday lunch prep it in the early morning and bake it at 250°F for 3-4 hours while you are at church. Come home to hot meal!
- If baking at 350°F remove it from the oven so it doesn’t continue to cook and brown (even if the oven is turned off). I don’t like the flavors of the cabbage when it overcooks and turns too brown.
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Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls (Mom’s lazy cabbage rolls)
Equipment
- 1 7-quart dutch oven, (or large pan) a 19×11 disposable works great!
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of green cabbage, outer leaves removed (about 2 pounds)
- 2 lbs ground pork, (beef, turkey, or chicken)
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice, (**see notes for brown rice)
- 2 carrots, (julienned)
- 1 onion, (diced)
- 12 oz tomato sauce (1 1/2 cups) , diluted with 2 cups water
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tbsp garlic salt
Instructions
Dump and bake:
- Place the shredded cabbage, raw ground meat, 1 cup of uncooked rice, shredded carrots, and diced onion into a large disposable baking pan or 7-quart dutch oven.
- Add 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce diluted in 2 cups water, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/2 Tbsp garlic salt. Mix everything thoroughly.
- Bake covered at 350°F for 1.5 hours. Serve with sour cream.
Notes
- This recipe works in the Costco disposable 19×11 foil pans.
- You can get away with 1 pound of ground meat in this recipe.
- **Brown rice needs to cook longer. Let this bake an additional 30-45 minutes if using brown long-grain rice.
- Parboiled rice can be used too. Simply add it in step 1 like you would with the uncooked rice. If you want to use leftover cooked rice omit the rice and add it to the last 30 minutes of cooking time. You will need 3-4 cups of cooked rice.
Nutrition (per serving)
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