These UNSTUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS have all the flavor of a traditional cabbage roll with minimal work! This low carb cabbage rolls recipe is super filling and totally easy for busy nights!
My family and I went on a cruise around the British Isles last year and it was a seriously amazing trip. We stopped at 11 different ports and I absolutely loved trying the different foods in each port.
But what I loved even more was watching my son get excited seeking out local restaurants to get an authentic taste of each country.
One of our ports had a little Russian restaurant that he insisted on trying.
We were in Scotland at the time, but he’d had enough shepherd’s pie and wasn’t interested in trying haggis, so we got a little taste of Russia. He ordered cabbage rolls and I was super skeptical over whether or not he’d like them.
Y’all, the kid LOVES cabbage. I’ve been making all kinds of low carb cabbage recipes for him since then. This unstuffed cabbage casserole might just be his new favorite.
How to make unstuffed cabbage casserole:
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Rather than take time wrapping cabbage leaves around a filling, we’re just going to dump chopped cabbage right in with the filling mixture and let it all cook together. So easy and you still get all of the flavor! To start, you’ll brown up some ground beef.
When the beef is partially browned and fully crumbled, toss in some diced onion and minced garlic.
Once your veggies have softened up a bit, stir in some marinara sauce and a bit of water.
I use Rao’s marinara because it’s the BEST tasting sauce I’ve found in a jar and it also happens to be the lowest in carbs. Isn’t that a win? Next, you’ll chop up a head of cabbage and add that to your pot. Just stuff it all in there and stir carefully.
The cabbage will cook down some and your pot won’t be quite so full.
Let the cabbage cook down until it’s nice and tender. These unstuffed cabbage rolls are ready to eat in just about 30 minutes.
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Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
Take the work out of cabbage rolls with this low carb cabbage roll casserole recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large head of cabbage, chopped
- 24 ounces marinara sauce, such as Rao's
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add the beef to a 5 quart dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the meat, crumbling as it cooks.
- When meat is partially cooked, add the onion and garlic to the pan and continue cooking, stirring often.
- Add the cabbage, marinara, water, and salt to the pan and stir to cover the cabbage in the marinara and beef.
- Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the cabbage is as tender as you'd like.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
We prefer to use Rao's marinara, but any will do. Be sure it contains zero added sugars.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 335Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 1030mgCarbohydrates: 12gNet Carbohydrates: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 34g
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Can I use just ground pork and coleslaw cabbage mix instead?
You can, but it’ll have a different result.
This is pretty tasty. Not sure what I was expecting but it’s spaghetti with cabbage instead of noodles.
Can I cook this in a slow cooker?
I’m sure you could, though I haven’t done it myself.
Made this as is and it is great!! We love it!!
I’ll be making this on a regular basis especially since it’s now getting quite cold here.
Thank You ☺️
Thanks, Susan!
I added a cup of ground cauliflower this time to “be the rice”. It added a nice addition to this already awesome dish!!!! I make it so much more now that I no longer have to roll and toothpick each cabbage!!!!
Sounds like a great addition!
I made this with a few very minor changes and it was fantastic! Added plus, it got better each day as leftovers. I used grass fed organic burger, one 16oz can tomato sauce and one large can smashed tomatoes, added a little parsley and thyme and used Himalayan pink salt.
Oh I forgot I also added some cauliflower rice and doubled the beef broth.
I made this using tomato juice in place of the marinara. I love this!
It is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS with ground lamb!!
Awesome! Thanks for coming back to let us know! 🙂
Absolutely great. We love it!
Karl. It says 6 servings. What size are the servings?
Thanks!
HI Kathy! Glad you enjoy the recipe! I didn’t measure by volume, just divided it out into 6 portions. 🙂
Thanks. I’m trying it today. I’ll post an update on how it turned out.
Would it work with ground lamb instead of beef? Thanks
I’ve never made it with lamb, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
I love it with lamb! 🙂
I am wondering if you could use Napa Cabbage (Chinese Cabbage) instead of the regular green cabbage for this?
I’ve never tried, so I’m not sure. I think it’d be fine though.
Napa might have a little more water in it so you could cut down on a liquid or throw in some tomato paste.
I meal prepped this dish as part of my keto diet plan. One of my favorites for sure. I added bacon and used less sauce with good results.
Makes a large batch that I can get at least 4 good size portions out of.
This came out great! I dissolved a beef bullion cube in the 1/2 cup of water instead of adding the tsp of salt. I used Prego No Sugar added for tomato sauce.
My household LOVED this! Thank you! I love your quick and easy recipes.
That’s great to hear! Thanks, Christie!
Just made this for supper tonight. I added celery, sweet peppers and seasonings in addition to the onion & garlic!
I just made this for the first time tonight and it was delicious!! Thank you for the recipe!!
LOVE this! Made last night, I could have halved the recipe for myself. Brought some to work for lunch today. Will freeze the rest for next week. Thanks for this great idea!
So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂