If you like stuffed cabbage rolls, you’ll love this easy-prep skillet unstuffed cabbage. There’s no parboiling, rolling, and stuffing—everything is cooked in a large skillet or Dutch oven. The dish combines all the familiar ingredients and flavors of stuffed cabbage in a skillet. It’s a complete meal with ground beef, rice, cabbage, tomatoes sauce, and seasonings. Feel free to customize it using seasonings and additions from your favorite stuffed cabbage recipe.
PrintSkillet Unstuffed Cabbage
Try this skillet unstuffed cabbage recipe. It’s a hearty one-pot meal that’s easy to make.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Cabbage
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound 85% ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1/2 head cabbage (coarsely chopped, about 3/4 to 1 pound)
- 1 cup long-grained rice (uncooked)
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet, sauté pan, or Dutch oven. When the oil is shimmering, add the ground beef and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Break up the beef and add the onions and bell peppers. Cook, stirring for 3 minutes longer or until the beef is no longer pink.
- Add the cabbage and rice and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and seasonings. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Remove the bay leaf before serving.
