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Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls is a deconstructed version of the classic cabbage rolls my mom made. 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
Cabbage rolls are a comfort food in many cultures, mine included. Recreating a comfort food from my childhood brings me back to our tiny little kitchen (I called it our 1-butt kitchen, lol!).
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!
Two questions I get asked about this recipe are:
1) Is the rice cooked or uncooked when I put it in? It is uncooked. Rinse it well before adding it to get some of the starch off.
2) Will I get the dreaded “BURN” error from this being thick? You shouldn’t. As long as you pay attention to the amounts of the ingredients, and don’t stir in the tomatoes before pressure cooking, it should come to pressure with no burn issues.
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Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 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 ½ tsp Coarse Salt (or 1 tsp table salt) more to taste
- 1 tsp Pepper
- ¼ tsp Oregano
- 1 small-med Head of Green Cabbage, chopped in 2" pieces
- 3 ½ 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, uncooked
- 1 (14 oz) can Diced Tomatoes, with juice
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 tsp Sugar
Instructions
- 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, tomato paste, and sugar 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 4 minutes.
- When the cooking cycle is finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes (5 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Resources to Make Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe and More
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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.
Yes it does! We live on a boat and I make this ahead of time regularly for crossings.
Yes it does, we put in serving size containers & bring out as needed
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
Made these tonight and they were FANTASTIC!! thank you so much!
That’s awesome, Tracy! Thank you for letting me know!
5 stars! This was fantastic! Thank you so much!