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. Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls is a deconstructed version of the classic cabbage rolls my mom made.
Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
This recipe is pretty 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!
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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
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Get all of your veggies chopped, and all other ingredients ready to go. Then turn on the pressure cooker's Sauté setting.
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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.
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Add the paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, cabbage, broth*, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire. Stir well and let heat up for a few minutes.
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Add the rice and stir well.
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Pour the can of diced tomatoes over the cabbage mixture, but don't stir.
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Put the lid on the pot and lock in place.
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Set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Cancel the Sauté function and then press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial. Use the + or - button or dial to choose 5 minutes.
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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.
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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.
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When the pin in the lid drops down, open the lid carefully and give the contents a stir.
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Taste and adjust salt, if desired.
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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 This Recipe and More
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This is the 8 Quart Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker.
These ekovana Stackable Stainless Steamer Insert Pans allow you to cook more than one type of food in one pot! I use them together, stacked, to make more than one thing at a time. I also use them separately for making rice, fish, cornbread, scalloped potatoes, stuffing, and so much more! One of my favorite Instant Pot accessories!
ekovana Stackable Stainless Steamer Insert Pans
I cannot tell you how happy I am with these measuring spoons! They FIT IN MY SPICE JARS! And, they are high quality stainless. I was pleasantly surprised at how heavy duty they are. The set even has a 3/4 teaspoon size! They are flat on the bottom (the rectangle shape, not sure about the oval), so if I need to set one on the counter, the contents won’t spill out. Did I mention they have a lifetime warranty?! I was not paid or anything to say this, I really love these!
Spring Chef Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Metal Measuring Spoons for Dry or Liquid, Fits in Spice Jar, Set of 6
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!