🥬 Cabbage Roll Skillet (Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls)
This dish gives you all the cozy flavors of traditional cabbage rolls—savory meat, tender cabbage, and tomato-rich sauce—without the rolling and baking. Everything cooks in one pan.
🛒 Ingredients
- 400–500g ground beef or minced meat Beef
- 1 medium cabbage (chopped) Cabbage
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 can (400g) crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup cooked rice (optional but classic) Rice
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano or thyme
- Salt & black pepper
- 1/2 cup water or broth
- Optional: chili flakes for heat
🔥 Step 1: Cook the meat
- Heat oil in a large skillet.
- Add onion and cook until soft.
- Add garlic and sauté briefly.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned.
- Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and oregano.
🥬 Step 2: Add cabbage
- Stir in chopped cabbage.
- Cook for 5–8 minutes until it starts to soften and shrink.
🍅 Step 3: Build the sauce
- Add tomato paste and mix well.
- Pour in crushed tomatoes and water/broth.
- Stir everything together and simmer 10–15 minutes.
🍚 Step 4: Add rice (optional)
- Stir in cooked rice.
- Mix until everything is well combined and thickened.
🍽️ Step 5: Finish and serve
- Simmer a few more minutes until cabbage is tender.
- Adjust salt and seasoning.
- Serve hot, optionally topped with fresh herbs or sour cream.
😋 Result
You get:
- Tender cabbage with rich tomato flavor
- Savory, well-seasoned meat
- Comforting rice base (if added)
- All the taste of cabbage rolls in half the time
If you want, I can also make:
- 🧀 Cheesy cabbage roll skillet (baked mozzarella topping)
- 🌶️ Spicy Mexican-style version
- 🥘 Keto low-carb version (no rice)
