Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls is a deconstructed version of the classic cabbage rolls my mom made. Cabbage rolls are a comfort food in many cultures, mine included. They are inexpensive to make, and you can feed the family a nutritious, tasty meal for very little. This pressure cooker unstuffed cabbage rolls recipe is like a stew, and is very good.
Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
This recipe is rather old fashioned. Nothing fancy, except for maybe the balsamic vinegar! I was going to make this into more of a soup (and you can), but I really wanted the thickness of a casserole, and for it to be more like when you mash up a cabbage roll.
If you decide you want to make Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls into a soup, just increase the broth, and adjust the seasonings a little, to your liking. Easy!
I love shopping at my local farmers market for fresh cabbage for my Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls, and other seasonal vegetables and fruits. Supporting local farms is important to me.
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Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls is a heart, thick stew with the same ingredients as a cabbage roll - unstuffed! This pressure cooker unstuffed cabbage rolls recipe is delicious, and a little old fashioned comfort food.
- 1 lb Ground Beef or Ground Turkey (93% lean), or use sausage or half sausage for added flavor.
- 1 large Yellow Onion, chopped
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 4 large cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp Coarse Salt (or 1 tsp table salt) more to taste
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Oregano
- 1 small-med Head of Green Cabbage, chopped in 2" pieces
- 4 cups Beef Broth,* low sodium (or chicken, if using gr. turkey)
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 cup Long Grain White Rice, rinsed
- 1 14oz can Diced Tomatoes, with juice
Get all of your veggies chopped, and all other ingredients ready to go. Then turn on the pressure cooker's Sauté setting.
If using ground beef, add it to the pot and start browning it. Then add the onions.
If using ground turkey, add some olive oil to the pot and add the onions first. Then add the ground turkey when the onions just start to turn translucent.Add the bay leaves and garlic. Sauté, stirring frequently, for a minute.
Add the paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, cabbage, broth*, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire. Stir well and let heat up for a few minutes.
Add the rice and stir well.
Pour the can of diced tomatoes over the cabbage mixture, but don't stir.
Put the lid on the pot and lock in place.
Set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
Cancel the Sauté function and then press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial. Use the + or - button or dial to choose 5 minutes.
When the cooking cycle is finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 8 minutes (8 minute natural release). Then do a controlled Quick Release to manually release the remaining pressure. This will take a few minutes as the pot is full.
To do a controlled Quick Release, use a spoon handle to gently push the steam release knob towards the Venting position, but don't turn the knob fully over. The reason is that with a full pot there is a risk of sauce spewing out of the knob with the steam. It make a huge mess, and could burn you. So just feather it and when you feel sure that only steam is coming out, turn it fully to Venting. If sauce starts to come out, just turn it back and feather it some more.
When the pin in the lid drops down, open the lid carefully and give the contents a stir.
Taste and adjust salt, if desired.
Serve with some soft dinner rolls.
*If you want this to be more of a soup, add 1 more cup of broth. If you have the 8 qt size pot or larger, you can add 2 extra cups of broth. You may want to increase the pepper and paprika.
Resources to Make Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe and More
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Made these tonight and they were FANTASTIC!! thank you so much!
That’s awesome, Tracy! Thank you for letting me know!
This is the first meal I cooked in my new Instant Pot! I had a 28oz can of diced tomatoes and could only use 2 cups of vegetable broth on hand. The extra tomatoes totally compensated for the broth… it came out AMAZING! The rice was beautifully cooked! I used turkey for this recipe to lighten it up for my lunch this week! YUM
Hi Amber, what a great workaround! I’m so happy that this recipe worked out well for you! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and let me know!
I used Turkey and I doubled the recipe in my 8Qt Duo. We love it and I’m glad I made enough to freeze and take to my sister.
That’s nice, Brenda. I often cook with ground turkey and love it! I’m glad you liked it! Thank you for leaving a review!
Thank you for the recipe Sandy. This just finished making in my IP, and it taste delicious.
Like the other lady, I used a 28oz can of tomatoes, because that’s all I had on hand, and
I cut the broth down to two cups. I also used riced cauliflower instead of the rice because
I had to use my cauliflower before it went bad. I also added in some red pepper flakes for a kick.
That sounds so good, Donna! I’m glad you enjoyed this unstuffed cabbage rolls recipe! Thank you for your review!
The whole family enjoyed this tonight in the UK – I used a mix of ground beef and pork, thanks for a super easy and tasty recipe 🙂
That’s great, Angie! Thank you for your review!
Great recipe! As a retired Paremedic the ol station cook comes out from time to time. I stayed pretty much on the recommendation, however, I used 1/2 beef 1/2 pork sausage and added adobo and Goya SOFRITO in the meat. Nothing but praise!!!! Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Mike! I know we always thank military, police (I’m a cop’s daughter), and firefighters, but I want to thank you for your service, too. My gosh, being a paramedic must be so intense! Okay, back to the food. I love your tip of adding sausage! I’m really glad you liked this recipe. Thanks for your review!
Hi there, made this yesterday. It is delicious. Thank you for posting
Hi Carly, I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you for your review!
My husband and I were craving something like this but I wasn’t expecting my kids to like it as much as they did! Definitely a keeper! Followed the directions exactly and it was hearty and delicious. Thank you for the detailed recipe for us instant pot newbies!!
Hi Amy, yay! I always cheer when the kids like a dish with lots of veggies in it! I’m so happy that you all enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your review!
This recipe is in my regular rotation, I love it. I do cut the cabbage into larger pieces however because I found the 2 inch pieces turned to mush.
Good to know. I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for your review.
Does this freeze well?
I’ve never froze this recipe. I would just try it in serving sized containers and see how you like it.
I doubled it and will be putting some leftovers in the freezer for lunches. Even the little ones liked this!
I’m so happy to know that the littles liked this, too! That’s always a win in my book! Thank you for your review!
I made this tonight using ground pork, stewed tomatoes and chicken broth. I omitted the Worcestershire sauce, just because I didn’t have it on hand, and used brown rice. It was delicious and the timing was perfect according to your recipe. Next time I think I will add more tomatoes for my own taste, but the recipe is great and, best of all, easily adapted. Thank you for sharing!
Dayna that sounds absolutely wonderful! Thank you for sharing your version of this recipe!
I am newish to my Instant pot and am always confused when doubling a recipe. I can see doubling the tomatoes but what about the broth? My recipes come out with too much liquid.
I would double everything and cut back a little on the broth, maybe by 1 cup or 1 1/2 cups.
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing!! My husband and my 2 younger boys gave it a “9” Lol I did make slight modifications: added an extra can of diced tomatoes and an 8oz can of tomato sauce. Definitely making this again!!!!
Hi Angela! I’m so happy that your family liked this recipe! Thank you so much for your review!