This is a great twist on stuffed cabbage rolls! It’s kind of an unstuffed cabbage roll but kind of an unstuffed cabbage casserole. I started making this recipe about twenty years ago when my wife received it from her mom. We liked it, but we kept ending up with just cabbage at the end. My wife started making changes to it with some success. She then added fire roasted tomatoes, more beef, and it worked! No rolling cabbage just browning the beef (or turkey), layering the ingredients, and baking! This is a great make ahead dinner recipe! It is also an easy crock pot recipe or slow cooker recipe. You can serve it over rice, with roasted potatoes, or just on it’s own!
Preparing the unstuffed cabbage
The most difficult part of the unstuffed cabbage is dicing up the onion. So that is where we will start! Dice up one medium onion. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt one tablespoon of butter. Once melted, place the onion in the skillet and cook until the onion is soft. Next, add the ground beef and brown. Once browned, spoon off 2-3 tablespoons of liquid. The fire roasted tomatoes are next! I always have a few cans around to add to recipes. Add the two cans of fire roasted tomatoes to the ground beef mixture and cook until warmed.
Layering and baking the unstuffed cabbage
The first layer of the unstuffed cabbage is the bag of shredded cabbage. Place that in the bottom of your pot that you will be using. Next, spread the can of sauerkraut over the cabbage. Last, add the ground beef mixture. Cover and bake at 375 degrees F for 90 minutes. Do not stir the unstuffed cabbage. Just scoop it out to serve. Serve over rice or on its own!
Another great make ahead meal is my layered salad. It can be made a day ahead or earlier in the day before your get together! Give my Low Carb Turkey Chili a try!
Unstuffed Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 pounds of ground beef ground turkey, or a combination of both
- 1 teaspoon each of sea salt and cracked black pepper
- 1 16 oz bag of slaw mix or shredded cabbage
- 2 14.5 ounce cans of fire roasted tomatoes or tomato sauce
- 1 14 ounce can of sauerkraut
- Rice optional
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over a medium heat.
- Add onion and cook the onion until soft.
- Next, add the ground beef, sea salt, and cracked pepper, and brown the ground beef.
- Once the beef is browned, mix in the fire roasted tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are warm.
- Drain about 3 tablespoons of the liquid off and discard.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
- Line the bottom of an oven friendly pot with the cabbage. Next, layer the sauerkraut over the cabbage.
- Next add the beef and tomato mixture. Do not mix.
- Cover and bake for 90 minutes. When the unstuffed cabbage is done do not mix.
Decided to make this over cabbage rolls. I will definitely be using this recipe now as it saves so much time and is just as delicious. I added mashed potatoes and sauce and it was perfection!
Thank you!