Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

This cabbage roll recipe doesn't require you to roll any cabbage. It has that delicious flavor with just a fraction of the work! This is an inexpensive recipe, especially when cabbage is on sale (in the fall and around St. Patrick's day). This is an easy way to get the healthy taste of cabbage rolls without the work!  Call them deconstructed, unstuffed, or whatever you like.  

This is an easy and delicious cabbage roll casserole, but the cabbage rolls are deconstructed! Believe me, it's much easier to chop some cabbage than roll a cabbage roll.

Love healthy cabbage-based recipes? You will love this easy vegetable cabbage soup!

What are unstuffed cabbage rolls?

This is THE recipe I make when we need to have a healthy, vegetable-based meal. You know, when you are looking for a dish with lower calories. There is a HUGE amount of cabbage in this (can we say high fiber!). The added bonus is it's super easy. Some call this a deconstructed cabbage roll casserole because there is no rolling of the cabbage rolls. It's so much easier to chop and layer.  No need to make the cabbage rolls. Plus, it's delicious!

I  make this in either a casserole dish OR a dutch oven.   Often, I prepare this meal the night before, and then I can pop it in the oven and cook it.  I have this casserole dish with a lid and a pot similar to this Dutch oven.

Ingredients

1 medium cabbage, chopped into thin strips (estimate how much you can get in your casserole dish).

1 chopped lightly sauteed onion

3 lightly sauteed garlic

1 ½ lb cooked ground beef (can use ground pork or ground turkey)

2 cans of Campbell's Tomato soup (do not dilute!)

1 can beef broth or chicken broth

1 ½ cups pasta (uncooked) OPTIONAL
salt and pepper, to taste

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 1
Before assembling the ingredients,  prep the hamburger by browning it in a skillet on medium heat. Set aside. Drain any fat from the hamburger.

Step 2
In the same skillet, saute onions and garlic.  Be careful not to burn the garlic!  Set aside.

Step 3
Chop cabbage into long thin strips. You are aiming for ½-inch strips about 3 inches long (ish). I cut the long strips in ½.

Step 4
Spray the casserole dish with cooking spray. Fill the casserole dish about ⅔ full of cabbage. Spread cooked hamburger crumbles evenly over the cabbage.

Step 5
Sprinkle uncooked noodles as the next layer. Use lots if you like noodles, none if you are avoiding carbs. Your choice 🙂

Layer on the rest of the cabbage. Keep adding. It often is heaped.

Add the two cans of tomato soup with ½ can of water mixed in. Spread it evenly over the top. Put the lid on. If the cabbage is layered too high, it'll cook down, and the lid will eventually fit.

Step 6
Bake at 325 for about 2 ½ to 3 hours.
Enjoy!

I love this recipe!  I hope you do, too.

Does this deconstructed cabbage recipe freeze well?

I regularly portion this into airtight containers and place them in the freezer.   I thaw it in the fridge for a day, heat it in a small saucepan, or microwave it in an appropriate microwaveable container.

FAQ's

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5 from 5 votes

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

A delicious cabbage roll dish without the work of cabbage rolls!  Same hearty flavor without the need to rolling the cabbage rolls. Can easily be adapted to a vegetarian or gluten-free meal.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course: one pot meal

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

Calories: 328Kcal

Author: Susan Moncrieff

Ingredients

• 1 medium cabbage
• 1 ½ lb lean ground beef cooked
• 1 medium onion chopped sauteed
• 3 cloves garlic minced and lightly sauteed
• 2 cans Tomato soup I use Campbells
• 1 can beef broth or chicken broth
• 1 ½ cups pasta uncooked (using pasta is OPTIONAL)
• salt & pepper to taste remember the soup is already salty.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Prior to assembling ingredients,  prep.  hamburger by browning in a medium heat skillet and set aside. Drain any fat from the hamburger.In the same skillet, saute onions and garlic.  Be careful not to burn the garlic!  Set aside.
• Chop cabbage in long thin strips. You are aiming for ½ inch strips about 3 inches long (ish).
• Spray casserole dish with cooking spray
• Fill casserole dish about ⅔ full of cabbage.
• Spread cooked hamburger crumbles evenly over cabbage.
• Sprinkle uncooked noodles as the next layer. Use lots if you like noodles, none if you are avoiding carbs. Your choice : ).
• Add some salt and pepper, to taste. Easy on the salt though 'cause the soup is already quite salty.
• Layer on the rest of the cabbage. Keep adding. It often is heaped.
• Mix the can of broth into the tomato soup in a small bowl.  Spread it evenly over the top.
• Put the lid on. If the cabbage is layered too high, it'll cook down and the lid will eventually fit.
• Bake at 325 for about 2 to ½ hours.  It will start to simmer and cook within the casserole dish or dutch oven.

Notes

You can use any variation of ground meats you have on hand.

This can easily be gluten-free if either gluten-free pasta is used or no pasta (it's fine without!).

If you choose to make this a vegetarian dish, use vegetarian crumbles for your protein.

Nutrition (I am not a nutritionist. These are estimates only)

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 328Kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 743mg | Potassium: 1306mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 533IU | Vitamin C: 70mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 4mg

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