Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls are much easier to make than Stuffed Cabbage Rolls but with all the same flavors. There’s ground beef, cabbage, diced tomatoes and rice. Makes and economical and delicious meal.

Easy To Make

I love Stuffed Cabbage Rolls but it’s a lot of work to precook the cabbage leaves, make the filling, roll up the filling in the cabbage leaves, make a sauce, and then bake the stuffed cabbage leaves. Whew! I’m tired just thinking about it.

This Unstuffed Cabbage Roll recipe is so much easier. Made with ground beef, plenty of chopped cabbage, diced tomatoes, and a little rice, Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls make a comforting and filling weeknight family meal. It’s just a little bit soupy, but plenty thick and you could add a can of tomato sauce and more beef broth if you want it to be a soup.

If you love Cabbage Rolls, be sure to also try my Stuffed Cabbage Rolls recipe.

Tuttorosso Tomatoes

I used Tuttorosso Tomatoes for this recipe and let me tell you, they are the best tasting tomatoes out there. They are made in Indiana and have only recently become available in the Carolinas. Tuttorosso Tomatoes are made by Red Gold Tomatoes, a 4th generation family-owned company and they can be purchased all along the east coast.

I really don’t think you can  find better tasting tomatoes. The tomatoes are grown and packaged in Indiana and are picked at peak ripeness.

But you don’t have to trust me. Do a taste test for yourself and I think you’ll come to the same conclusion that you just can’t buy higher quality canned tomatoes.

If you are like me, you have probably never thought to taste plain canned tomatoes straight out of the can, let alone compare the taste of different brands.

Well, last month I was invited to a Tuttorosso Tomato event at Hugh Acheson’s restaurant Empire State South in Atlanta.

Me with Chef Hugh Acheson

And we did just that. Tasted tomatoes straight out of the can. We compared the taste of whole peeled Tuttorosso Tomatoes to that of its competitors.

We all agreed that Tuttorosso had the best taste hands down. I was quite surprised to find that two of the brands I often buy had a rather displeasing taste when eaten on their own. It was a really interesting and eye-opening taste test and it would be a blast to do at a dinner party. It would really get the conversation started. We do wine tastings. Why not tomato tastings?

But really y’all. If you haven’t tried Tuttorosso Tomatoes, give them a try. And if you’re in the Atlanta area, check out Empire State South. The food is amazing and there’s even a bocce court outside. And if you’re lucky, maybe celebrity chef Hugh Acheson will be there. 🙂

More Cabbage Recipes

• Sweet and Sour Cabbage
• Smothered Cabbage and Potatoes
• Cabbage and Kielbasa Skillet
• Crock Pot Cabbage Roll Casserole
• Old-Fashioned Cabbage Casserole
• Southern Cabbage

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

4.91 from 10 votes

By Christin Mahrlig

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

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Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls have all the flavor of stuffed cabbage rolls. Ground beef, rice, cabbage, and tomatoes combine to make a filling and hearty meal.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pounds lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 medium onion,, chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic,, minced
• ▢ 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 1 small head green cabbage,, roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes,, undrained
• ▢ 1/2 cup beef broth
• ▢ 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• ▢ 1/4 cup uncooked white rice

Instructions 

• Lightly coat a Dutch oven with cooking spray or vegetable oil. Add ground beef and onion and cook until ground beef is no longer pink, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Drain off any fat.
• Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
• Add tomato paste and stir in well.
• Add all remaining ingredients except rice.
• Partially cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Stir in rice and continue to cook partially covered for 15 to 20 minutes.

Notes

To make this recipe spicy, add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 274kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag us @spicysouthernkitchen on social media!

Originally published December 9, 2015.

Disclosure: I was the guest of Tuttorosso Tomatoes at this special event, but I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are mine.