Lazy Cabbage Rolls Recipe

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Do you love the taste of classic cabbage rolls (oh, yes, me! me! me!), but don’t have time to roll them one by one, by one? This lazy cabbage rolls recipe gives you the same great flavors of stuffed cabbage with very little effort.

These are so so juicy and comforting. Did I mention my kids liked them? Actually, they loved them – it was a very enthusiastic “this is delicious!” from 7-year-old and my toddler quickly cleaned her plate. This recipe was shared with us by my Mom-in-law and it was an instant hit.

These come together in no time and completely satisfy the stuffed cabbage craving. It’s also a really great way to use up leftover rice and cabbage. It’s brilliant!

Ingredients for Lazy Cabbage Rolls:

4 cups cooked white rice (from 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice), cooled to room temp*
1/2 medium cabbage, sliced into 1/4″ wide strips (7 cups sliced)
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground turkey
1 large onion, divided (1/2 grated and 1/2 finely diced)
2 large eggs
Original Mrs. Dash, or any salt-free all-purpose seasoning
Salt and black pepper
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley or dill

For the Sauce:

1 Tbsp Olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
1 large carrot, julienned or grated
2 cups store-bought marinara or homemade Marinara Sauce
3 cups hot water

*We used Jasmine rice

How To Make Lazy Cabbage Rolls:

Prep: Oil a 9×13 casserole dish, preheat oven to 425˚F.

1. Slice cabbage into 1/4″ thin slices. Place in a heat proof bowl or pot, cover with boiling water and let sit 10 minutes to soften. Drain and squeeze out excess water with your hands.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 lb ground turkey, 1 lb ground pork, drained cabbage and 4 cups cooked rice. Grate 1/2 large onion into meat mixture. Add 2 eggs, 1 tsp Mrs Dash, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp salt, and 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley. Mix well. Form into potato-shaped patties with your hands, each with about 1/2 cup of the meat mixture. Arrange in prepared casserole.

P.s. my larger casserole dish was a smaller 9×12 so they didn’t all fit in 1 pan. This is why I baked it in 2 separate dishes. If you use a 9×13, they should all fit :).

3. For the sauce, finely dice remaining 1/2 large onion. Heat a large pot over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp oil and 3 Tbsp butter. Add diced onion and sauté 5 minutes, stirring occassionally or until softened. Add julienned carrot and cook another 3 minutes or until softened. Add 2 cups marinara and 3 cups hot water and bring to a boil. Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp Mrs Dash, or season to taste.

4. Pour sauce over patties until they are nearly covered. Cover with foil and bake on medium rack at 425˚F for 40 min.

To serve, plate the lazy stuffed cabbage and spoon the extra juice over the top. Serve with sour cream (my favorite) or plain Greek yogurt. 

Lazy Cabbage Rolls

4.95 from 196 votes

Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com

This lazy cabbage rolls recipe gives you the same great flavors of stuffed cabbage with much less effort. Lazy cabbage rolls are so juicy and comforting.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Ingredients 

Servings: 16 to 18 patties

For the Lazy Cabbage Rolls:

• 4 cups cooked white rice, from 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice, cooled to room temp
• 1/2 medium cabbage, sliced into 1/4" wide strips (7 cups sliced)
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 large onion, divided (1/2 grated and 1/2 finely diced)
• 2 large eggs
• Original Mrs. Dash, or any salt-free all-purpose seasoning
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley or dill

For the Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large carrot, julienned or grated
• 2 cups store-bought marinara or homemade
• 3 cups hot water

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Instructions

Prep:

• Oil a 9x13 casserole dish, preheat oven to 425˚F.

How To Make Lazy Cabbage Rolls:

• Slice cabbage into 1/4" thin slices. Place in a heat proof bowl, cover with boiling water and let sit 10 min to soften. Drain and squeeze out excess water with your hands.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, ground pork, drained cabbage and 4 cups cooked rice. Grate 1/2 large onion into meat mixture. Add 2 eggs, 1 tsp Mrs Dash, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp salt, and 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley. Mix well. Form into potato-shaped patties with your hands (each should be about 1/2 cup of the meat mixture). Arrange in oiled casserole.
• For the sauce, finely dice remaining 1/2 large onion. Heat a large pot over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp oil and 3 Tbsp butter. Add diced onion and sauté 5 minutes, stirring occassionally or until softened. Add julienned carrot and cook another 3 minutes or until softened. Add 2 cups marinara and 3 cups hot water and bring to a boil. Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp Mrs Dash, or season to taste.
• Pour sauce over patties until they are nearly covered. Cover with foil and bake on medium rack at 425˚F for 40 min. To serve, plate the lazy stuffed cabbage and spoon the extra juice over the top. Serve with sour cream (my favorite) or plain Greek yogurt.

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian

Keyword: Lazy Cabbage Rolls

Skill Level: Medium

Cost to Make: $$

Check out our original Cabbage Rolls Video Recipe here if you roll old school and really want to impress your peeps :).

Need more leftover cabbage ideas? Check out all of our cabbage recipes here.