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This is one of my favorite recipes. I’ve tried the unstuffed version and the oven version, but this is best cooked on low in the slow cooker.
Pioneering Today Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls
My picky seven-year-old will eat this with gusto and it’s even better the second day.
Best Ever Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls www.melissaknorris.com
Ingredients-Want more recipes like this? Over 40 in my new book, Pioneering Today.
10 cabbage leaves
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup minced onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper (I’m not a huge pepper fan so if you are increase to a tsp.)
1 lb. lean ground beef
Sauce
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
2 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Boil a pot of water and add head of cabbage, cook for 2 minutes and drain. (You can freeze cabbage then thaw and skip the boiling part. We just need the leaves soft enough to roll)
Combine rice, egg, milk, onion, garlic, beef, salt, and seasonings in large bowl. Place 1/4 cup meat mixture in center of leaf and roll, tucking ends. Place seam side down in slow cooker.
Mix all sauce ingredients together and pour over rolls. Cook on low 8 hours in slow cooker. Now ooh and ahh with your family. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and sour. The texture of the cabbage reminds me of pot stickers, another favorite.
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The sauce is especially good when sopped up with some homemade bread made in less than 5 minutes a day.
What’s your favorite slow cooker dish?
This recipe is featured on Kelly The Kitchen Hop’s Bog, This Chick Cooks Whole Foods Recipe Swap, and Miz Helen’s Country Cottage Recipe Swap, and The Prairie Homestead and Traditional Tuesdays.
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I am definitely trying this! I have been married for nearly 14 years and I have YET to make a good cabbage roll recipe!!! My favorite is a chili recipe made with black beans and ground turkey. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I do love black beans in my chili too, Becky. I haven’t tried turkey chili, but I do a chicken one. I’ll have to give the other poultry a try.
Let me know what you think of this recipe.
Definitely pinning to my Pinterest board! My mom makes the best cabbage rolls in the world, but I might try to give these a shot, since they look delish!
Thanks, Heather! I swear my mom makes the best everything, even when she gives me her recipe, her’s always tastes better. lol
Wished you had a print button as my computer is in the living room.
Oh wow! I’m excited to try this one! Please link this up to Foodie Friday
Hi Melissa,
We just love Cabbage Rolls and I especially love your recipe that can be made in the Slow Cooker. This recipe is going in my recipe box, we will really enjoy it! Hope you are having a great week end and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Thanks, Miz Helen. I do like my slow cooker, especially on those busy days when I don’t have time to spend all day in the kitchen, but don’t want to sacrifice taste and a home cooked meal. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do. Thanks for stopping by.
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Could you assemble these rolls ahead of time and freeze them then place the frozen rolls in the slow cooker in the morning of a really busy day?
Johanna, I don’t see why not. That’s actually a really good idea. Let me know how it works if you try it, and next time I make these I’ll try some frozen and update the post w/ tips if it works well. Thanks!
When making a big batch I perfer to freeze my cabbage rolls on a cookie sheet and transfer them to a freezer bag and put the sauce on before baking.
Thanks for the tip, Tracy!
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I’ve got mine in the crockpot now. I’m hoping it’s a BIG hit tonight for dinner. We will have an Artesian Bread that I baked the other night, which turned out AMAZING by the way. Thanks Melissa!!!
Yea! I’m planning on making these this week, too. Hope you guys enjoy.
Do u cook the meat before stuffing it in the cabbage?
No, you stuff it raw and it cooks inside the cabbage.
Can you use minute Brown rice?
Sara, you can use any rice that you have on hand. Brown instant should work fine.
I can’t eat rice, would this work without rice? It sounds delicious
Would I substitute something else like shredded.carrots maybe?
You could substitute shredded carrots. I think that would be yummy. If you can’t have rice, it should be fine to omit. Hope you enjoy!
You could sub in quinoa. It tastes great and is higher in protein. ;o)
Just made these.. They are in the crockpot, my only worry is if they will come apart once I try to scoop them out.. Any tips on getting them out? Lol.. Oh, and the sauce is delicious! Couldn’t resist trying it!
That sauce is awesome, I always take an extra spoonful on my plate.
The rolls will stay together, the cabbage keeps them held fairly well. I use a large spoon to transfer them to the bowls or plates when eating. If they do come apart, they still taste great. I have made them unstuffed, where I layer the ingredients kind of like lasagna, but I chop up the cabbage, for large events where I need to serve more than 10 people. Love to hear how they turn out!
Thank you so much! They are delicious! And you are right, they stayed together, I was afraid of them falling apart but that didn’t happen. Will save this recipe and make them again very soon!
Marcy, yea!! They’re even better the second day.
These are in the crockpot on low right now, but I need to have dinner at 6. Should I increase to high in a little while? Any tips? Or keep cooking on low and have a really late dinner?
Candace, you can put them on high and then bring back to low. My slow cooker actually cooks a little warm even on the low setting. I’d do high for a total of 4 hours and low 6 to 8. Or a combination of approximate. Consider 1 hour on high the equivalent of 2 hours on low.
I’m compiling an ebook and was wondering if you would mind if I used some of your recipes/referred to this site/had a link to this site in my book. Feel free to email me at the above address with any questions. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Sincerely, Danielle Moore
Danielle, I sent you an email.
this sounds so yummy! Do you think these would be ok in the pressure cooker? If so how long?
Gina, a pressure cooker? I don’t think so. The magic happens when it’s cooked slowly over a long period of time as the flavors have a chance to really mingle. I love my pressure cooker, but not for this recipe.
Wild rice is not really rice. It is a grain and not in the rice Genus. When purchasing brown rice check the area of origin. Any rice from the south of the US I likely to have a high arsenic content and insecticide residue, due to the fact many rice producers in the south are using areas previously used to grow tobacco. Even the organic brands contain the residuals from the tobacco plants in the soil. Costco’s brand is organic but high in arsenic and pesticides.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm
Ack! my rolls are all rolled up and ready to go and I just realized I forgot the milk in the meat mixture!! I hope they’ll be ok!! Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks,
*Raven
They should be fine. Don’t worry about it. Love to hear what you think of them!
Not only did they turn out just fine without the milk, they were DELICIOUS. Big hit in my home. Thank you very much. Also, I put them into WeightWatchers and they came up as 4 points per roll. That’s awesome! Thanks again.
Yea!! Love to hear it. So we know it will work for folks who need to be dairy free.
Raven, you should be fine without milk (think of the filling as meatloaf) if anything they may be a little dry, but you’ll have that wonderful sauce to balance it out!
My grandmother, an old (97) Polish woman, has been making hers in the slow cooker (not crock pot) for more than 25 years, they are delicious! We always just used uncooked white rice. I think minute rice will cook too fast, making filling dry.
In Poland we call this dish golabki (guh-woomp-kee)
I love the idea of adding brown sugar to sauce! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Thank you for sharing, Melissa!
Tammy, excellent advice! I like to use my Dutch oven for slow cooking when I’m home, but the crockpot is my saving grace when I’m not here to tend it. Excellent tip on not using minute rice. Love the Polish translation. Hope to hear how it turns out for you.
Thanks!
These were amazing. My Grandma use to make these and it brought back so many memories eating these. Thank you so much for Sharing!
You’re welcome, Shelley. I’m so glad you enjoyed them. And my favorite recipes are ones that remind me of loved ones.
My daughter just forwarded me this recipe. She made it this week for the first time and loved it! Think I could make it with green peppers (like stuffed peppers)? I don’t like cooked cabbage. Also, do you ever double the sauce so you have lots/extra? Thanks!
Sue, I think it would be great to try it with green peppers. And you can definitely double the sauce. In my opinion, you can never have too much sauce.
Let me know how it turns out with the peppers.
I made these today and I used brown rice..the flavor was excellent, but my rice didn’t cook all the way (still a tad crunchy!) even after cooking on low for 8 hours (and assembling them the night before). Any tips?
Kara, I haven’t used brown rice, just white and now wild. You could cook the rice before hand or increase the cook time, but I think pre-cooking the rice would be best.
Thanks..I was thinking of cooking it halfway through before adding it to see if that helped. I don’t want to give up on the brown rice because of the health benefits, but crunchy rice isn’t all that appetizing
But like I said, it tasted REALLY good despite the rice! Also, I used a round crock pot (not my oblong one) and the rice in the ones on the bottom was cooked a bit more than the ones towards the top that were not submerged in liquid. I might try using the oblong crock pot next time to see if it helps to not have them stacked so high. Thank you for a great recipe!
Kara,
I think using the oblong crockpot and pre-cooking the rice should solve the problem. So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I made this for dinner last night. This is the best cabbage rolls I’ve ever made. My family loved them. Even my 5 year old who isn’t a cabbage fan had 2 of them.
Next time I plan on doubling the recipe. We didn’t have any leftovers.
Rebecca, I’m so happy to hear that! I always think the same thing, it never makes enough. I’ve got my eye on another crockpot so I can cook two batches at once.
I made this for dinner tonight and my hubby and I both LOVED IT! I used pre cooked brown rice and added the extra cabbage leaves just to the top of the cabbage rolls, it’s so YUMMY! THANK YOU!
Monica,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
There’s nothing like sitting down to a good home-cooked meal.
Have you ever doubled it? I have a large slow cooker, was wondering if they would turn out ok
Jamie, I haven’t doubled it as this recipe fills my slow cooker up. But if you’re slow cooker is large, I think it would be fine. Let me know how it works if you double it.
I was wondering if anybody had used quinoa instead of rice? I’d cook the quinoa first I think though. I was also going to ask if anybody had problems with the rice not cooking? I’ve always made cabbage rolls with cooked rice and beef, but I may give this a try, I’ll make a lot more than 10 though! Double up on the sauce mixture.
Sharla, I’ve not cooked with quinoa enough to know, but I’ve never cooked the rice or beef before hand and haven’t had a problem. One reader had brown rice turn out slightly crunchy, so she’s cooking it about half way done before hand. But wild rice and white rice are fine used uncooked.
This is so yummy! I made a batch yesterday and plan to make another tonight to take down to my family who lives out of town. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Pleased to hear, Vicki! I love it when family members bring dishes when they visit.
Love your site, just found it. Did you ever try freezing in advance? Also, should the rice be cooked? I am assuming no, since the meat isn’t. Thank you!
Stephanie, welcome! Glad you stumbled upon the site.
I haven’t froze them in advance, but I think they’d lend themselves nicely. I don’t cook the rice before hand and never had an issue.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I have been missing my grandma’s cabbage rolls for a very long time but she was never able to pass along a workable recipe. I made these earlier this week and my mom and I were practically in tears (the good kind) while eating these. I could tell as they were cooking that they smelled right. I would get home from school and that’s exactly how the house would smell…amazing. When I tasted the first bite it was just like hers. I’m so excited that my kids won’t miss out on these now.
Katie,
Thank you so much for sharing your story. Recipes are a beautiful thing in that they hold so many memories, they tie us to the people who prepared them, even after they’re gone. I’m honored that this recipe did that for you.
Can I cook this in the oven? If so what temp. and for how long? Thank you!
I haven’t done it that way, but here’s an article that tells you how to convert the times to an oven. http://www.ehow.com/how_4926523_convert-cooker-times-oven-time.html
I want to make this for dinner tonight for some friends. One of my friends is allergic to eggs though. Would it still come out right if I leave out the egg?
The eggs help bind it, kind of like meatloaf. You could try it without, it might not stick together quite as well, but I don’t think it would ruin it.
I’m really excited to make this for dinner! How many rolls would be considered a serving? Do you know the calorie count per serving?
Katie, I consider two rolls to be a serving for an adult. One is just not enough. Calorie count will depend on how lean your beef is, but I’m guessing around 120 calories per roll.
Holy Cabbage Head, Batman! These were wonderful! How nice to come home on a Monday night and have dinner ready and waiting. I haven’t had cabbage rolls in years, but you can bet I’ll be having these again soon!
Suzanne, you made me giggle. I love these, too. And shouldn’t the slow cooker go down as the best kitchen appliance ever?! So glad you enjoyed these.
Can you use quinoa instead of wild rice? Or would it cook differently?
Alyssa, I haven’t cooked with quinoa (it’s on my to do list), in this recipe, but another reader used it and said it worked great!
I found this on Pinterest yesterday and immediately went to the shops to get some ingredients. I made it in the afternoon for my family and added a few other ingredients. We all loved it. Highly recommended. Great instructions. Thanks for sharing
:):)
I prepped this yesterday and made it throughout today. I did change the meat to ground turkey, but you couldn’t even tell. My family loved it and I’m looking forward to making it again (soon!). Thank you for this delicious recipe! : )
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I’m making your stuffed cabbage recipe on Sunday and was wondering if I can make the cabbage rolls and sauce the night before refrigerate them and put in the crockpot the next day.
I don’t see why not. I think they’d be fine.
Thanks Melissa.
Stuffed cabbage was a hit. Thanks Melissa for posting the recipe.
This was excellent!!! Very yummy! Next time though I will be doubling the sauce. Fantastic!
I cannot wait to try this! Have you ever used it with ground turkey or ground chicken rather than beef? I don’t eat red meat. What about substituting the cabbage with collard greens?
Shannon, I’ve never cooked with collard greens so I’m not sure how that would be. You can sub in ground turkey and chicken just fine.
Would love to know if this could be veganized.
My little man is allergic to eggs and we don’t eat meat. Any thoughts on the changes needed?
Kristin, sorry, I’m not sure what you could use in place of the hamburger.
Has anyone tried using barley instead of rice. AMAZING!! I wanted to try something different, and i’m glad I did.
To give an extra flavor lay 3/4 stripes of bacon on the bottom of the crockpot and a couple on the top. Try it, you’ll like it!
Nancy, thanks for the tip. Because bacon makes everything better, right?