Stuffed cabbage is an old-fashioned family favorite. It’s a hearty meal that’s easy to make. Using a slow cooker makes this dish even easier to prepare on a busy day. Make a flavorful combination of ground beef, pork, and brown rice stuffed into pre-boiled cabbage leaves. If you prefer using Italian sausage instead of pork, look for a lower fat variety. Each leaf is then nestled into the slow cooker and the whole thing is topped with a tomato sauce. Come back hours later to a filling and tasty meal. NOTE: If a family member can’t eat cabbage, make them meatballs with the filling and cook it in the sauce.
Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage
Use organic when available. Makes 13 or 14 cabbage rolls
Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage
Ingredients
Sauce
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 15 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper or to taste
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Filling
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork or Italian sausage
- 1 green cabbage head
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- 1 tsp paprika
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
Sauce
- Mix all sauce ingredients in bowl
- Stir well
- Place 1/3 of sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker
Filling
- In large bowl combine all Filling ingredients except for cabbage
Cabbage Rolls
- Bring large pot of water to boil
- Cut out core at bottom of cabbage
- Remove 1 or 2 outside leaves
- Place cabbage cut side down in boiling water
- Leaves will begin to separate
- Boil for several minutes until leaves are softened
- Remove cabbage from water to cool
- If inner core isn't softened, remove soft leaves and return rest of cabbage to water boil more
- Run cool water over cabbage leaves
- Make a v cut at bottom of each leaf to remove center rib
- You should have 13 or 14 large leaves
- Any small leaves left over can be put in bottom of slow cooker on sauce or saved for future use
- Flatten each large leaf
- Make an oval of about 2 tablespoons of filling in center of a leaf
- Fold the bottom of the leaf up and over the center
- Fold the sides inward, and finally pull the top of the leaf over
- You now have little packets of filling for the crock pot
- Place each packet in bottom of large slow cooker with seam on bottom
- Use toothpick if necessary
- When bottom is filled, spoon 1/3 sauce on top
- Make another layer of packets
- Top with all the sauce that is left
- Each slow cooker is different, but most need at least 3 hours on high to cook the packets or 5 to 6 hours on low
- I love cabbage rolls & sauce with mashed potatoes; place the rolls beside or on top of the mashed potatoes
- Serve with fresh parsley garnish if desired
Enjoy!
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…a nice fall meal.
Gotta give this one a pass, Carol! Cooked cabbage and I aren’t friends!
You can also make it cabbage free. Make meatballs and cook in the tomato sauce. I’m sorry you can’t eat cabbage. It’s one of my favorite veggies, but there are other popular veggies that my body doesn’t like. We all have our own needs.
Thank you for posting at #aclwcc. I love cabbage and this is a great recipe. Pinned and tweeted.
thanks for sharing!
Looks great, thanks for sharing.
Gracias por la reseña
I must try this recipe!
thanks! I hope you enjoy it.
I am not a fan of cabbage but this does look so good for people who do like it. Perfect for the colder weather that we’re having here. x
Try making meatballs with the filling and cook in the tomato sauce for a cabbage free meal.
I love stuffed cabbage but I haven’t made it in years. My co worker had some stuffed cabbage for lunch the other day. So it’s been on my mind. I should give in to my craving and cook some soon. Thanks for the recipe.
#mmbc
My kind of recipe, looks great! Thanks Carol!
You’re welcome my friend – have a great week!
Carol, it sure looks wonderful the stuffed cabbage , Yum, yum, yum.
thanks Paul, you’re a doll!
Your slow cooker loaded cabbage is a comfort food extravaganza all by itself. I love all of the yummy flavors you’ve incorporated into this dish!
thanks Heidi – Happy Wednesday!
YUM, looks good. I can just smell it cooking!
thanks Dee – Have a great Wednesday!
I’m half Ukrainian, Carol. so you know I love stuffed cabbage. I never tried to make it in my slow cooker and now I’ll add that on my list to try this winter. Pinned!
let me know what you think – have a great weekend!
I love “halupki” stuffed cabbage. I’ve never made it the traditional way, I make unstuffed cabbage in my slow cooker. I appreciate you sharing this recipe friend.
Visiting today from Encouraging Hearts & Home #20&21
sorry for the slow response – somehow your comment ended up in spam but I found you! Have a wonderful day.