Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls – Gluten Free!

Affiliate links may be used in this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.ย Read the full disclosure policy here

No need to be intimidated by those little ole cabbage rolls. Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls to the rescue. This is a  paleo friendly and gluten free recipe I suspect even those on the fence about cabbage will enjoy.

I admit I don’t necessarily covet cabbage except with corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day, but I make an exception for cabbage rolls. Fire up the slow cooker or crockpot, dive into rolling a few cabbage rolls and your efforts will be aptly rewarded with this easy and gluten-free Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.

Cabbage roll with tomato sauce on a white platter.

 

Cabbage roll topped with tomato sauce on a white platter.

This easy breezy recipe serves 6-8. Can be made in a slow cooker or crockpot (or the oven, see below). This is my favorite slow cooker as it is no frills, not a bell or whistle and tried and true.  This replaced my beloved one from  years ago. 

Ingredients

  • 1 large head of green cabbage
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb lean ground pork
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • ยฝ white onion, diced finely
  • 1-1/2 cups of rice (rice does not need to be precooked)
  • ยฝ tsp garlic powder
  • ยฝ tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 8 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 4 oz tomato paste

How To Make Grandma’s Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

  1. In a large bowl, mix the beef, pork, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  2. Put a large pot of water on the stove over high heat. To prepare the cabbage for rolling, lightly boil it whole and peel the leaves off a few at a time.
  3. Cut the core out of the cabbage and place in the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. As the leaves soften, you can peel them off with a spoon or pair of tongs.
  4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of coconut oil.
  5. Then add the onion and sautรฉ for 3 to 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.
  6. Combine the onion and rice with the meat, and mix by hand to incorporate all the ingredients.
  7. Take a cabbage leaf, with the edges facing up and with the stem toward you, and place a large spoonful of the meat mixture at the stem end.
  8. Then roll forward, fold the sides in and end with the seam down.
  9. Mix the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce in a bowl.
  10. Put about 1 cup in the bottom of the slow cooker. Lay the cabbage rolls in with the seam side down. Cover with the remaining tomato mixture once the slow cooker is full.
  11. Cook on low for 5 hours.

No need to be intimidated by rolling a cabbage roll, a little practice and you are good to go!

Veteran cabbage roll makers know that that cabbage rolls are also friendly as a freezer meal and one tip for slow cookers is to use a liner to make the clean up even quicker.

How To Make Stuffed Cabbage Rolls In The Oven

This recipe can also be made in the oven.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spray a 13 X 9 glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Follow the directions above through step 9. 

Place the stuffed rolls with the seams down in the glass baking dish.

Pour the tomato mixture over the cabbage rolls.

Bake 1-1.5 hours until the rolls are tender.

Comfort Food Recipes To Enjoy

Grandma’s Hungarian Goulash

Mince & Tatties

Grandma’s Mac N Cheese – old school!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Easy! Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls is an easy to make gluten-free dinner recipe.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword stuffed cabbage rolls recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Servings 6
Author The Savvy Age

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 large head of green cabbage
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb lean ground pork
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • ยฝ white onion diced finely
  • 1-1/2 cups of rice rice does not need to be precooked
  • ยฝ tsp garlic powder
  • ยฝ tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 8 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 4 oz tomato paste

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix the beef, pork, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  • Put a large pot of water on the stove over high heat. To prepare the cabbage for rolling, lightly boil it whole and peel the leaves off a few at a time. Cut the core out of the cabbage and place in the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. As the leaves soften, you can peel them off with a spoon or pair of tongs.
  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of coconut oil , add the onion and sautรฉ for 3 to 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.
  • Combine the onion and rice with the meat, and mix by hand to incorporate all the ingredients.
  • Take a cabbage leaf, concave side up with the stem toward you, and place a large spoonful of the meat mixture at the stem end.
  • Then roll forward, fold the sides in and end with the seam down.
  • Mix the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce in a bowl. Put about 1 cup in the bottom of theย slow cooker. Lay the cabbage rolls in with the seam side down. Cover with the remaining tomato mixture once the slow cooker is full.
  • Cook on low for 5 hours.

Notes

Veteran cabbage roll makers know that that cabbage rolls are also friendly as a freezer meal.ย 
TIP!!! Use a liner for the slow cooker to make clean up a breeze.
No need to be intimidated by rolling a cabbage roll, a little practice and you are good to go!

11 Comments

  1. This brings back memories of my one and only attempt to making cabbage rolls. Do you cook the rice first? Can you use toothpicks to hold them together? Do you cook the meat and cabbage? How to core the cabbage. With a 50/50 chance on guessing correctly I got all the questions wrong! Maybe I should try again? Pinned and shared. Thanks for linking up at #overthemoon! I hope you will join me at #thursdayfavoritethings.

  2. This is very similar to Serbian Sarma, one of my husband’s favorites. I’ve never tried making it in a crock pot. That would eliminate the need to shake the pan every now and then to keep it from burning. I’d make it more often, except I hate rolling the cabbage.

  3. I do love cabbage rolls, and I also love cooking in my slow cooker. You’ve just given me a great opportunity to put them together. Love the recipe, thanks for sharing.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.