Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls with Ground Turkey

4.72 from 7 votes

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls with Ground Turkey

When the craving for cabbage rolls hits, it hits hard. Which is why this quick and easy unstuffed cabbage rolls recipe is so darn awesome. In just 30 minutes you can dig in by skipping the tedious hand rolling and oven-baking, and still enjoy the flavors of cabbage rolls you grew up loving.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Overnight Cabbage Soak (See notes)12

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Eastern European, Polish, Ukranian

Servings: servings

Author: Dana Sandonato

Ingredients

1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, diced I like using sweet onion, but red or white are fine.
1 lb ground turkey
1 tsp sea salt, more to taste if needed
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 head of savoy cabbage, roughly chopped *See notes on how to prepare/blanch
4 cups 100% pure tomato juice
1 cup cooked rice I like to use arborio rice
Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, to serve

Instructions

Cook the rice a per the instructions on the package. Tip: For a little extra flavor, cook it in chicken broth.
While the rice cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large deep pan or skillet. Add the onions and sauté until tender and fragrant—about 3-5 minutes.
Add the ground turkey to the pan along and season with 1 teaspoon of sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon of cracked black pepper. Simmer until the turkey is cooked through, breaking it into crumbles with a spatula as you go.
When the turkey is cooked, stir in the garlic and let it simmer for about 30 seconds.
Add the chopped cabbage to the skillet and pour in half of the tomato juice. Stir, cover, and let it simmer on low for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the rice, add the rest of the tomato juice, and cover again, letting it all simmer for about 5 minutes or until the tomato juice thickens a bit.
The end result should be a nice thick mixture. Serve with a dollop of sour cream!

Notes

Preparing the cabbage the night before

Instead of spending time blanching the cabbage leaves, simply buy the cabbage ahead of time and freeze it. Then, the night before you plan to cook with it, fill your sink with cold water and set the head of cabbage into it overnight. By morning, your cabbage will be thawed and the leaves, perfectly pliable!

Nutrition