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Cabbage leaves stuffed with a ground beef, pork and rice filling pressure cooked in a flavorful tomato sauce until they’re tender. These delectable Pressure Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are ready to eat in minutes instead of hours.
Today’s post is a guest post from a loyal Pressure Cooking Today reader and a sweet, virtual friend. Carol’s been pressure cooking for years using a stove-top pressure cooker, and now loves pressure cooking with her electric pressure cooker.
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Stuffed cabbage rolls are something we love, but I don’t make them often because they take such a long time to bake–a good hour and a half to 2 hours. What if I could make them in the pressure cooker? That would save me a kaboodle of time. I grabbed my go-to recipe and gave it a try.
Making Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in an Instant Pot
An Instant Pot is one of the most popular brands of electric pressure cookers. They are easy to use and your Instant Pot can help you create these delicious Stuffed Cabbage Rolls!
One of the things I love about this recipe is that I can get a lot of the prep work done for these early in the day. It makes putting it all together to cook fast and easy.
I used a mixture of lean ground beef and ground pork in these, but I’ve also made them with just ground beef and they’re delicious. I use whatever rice I have in the cupboard. I’ve even used leftover rice rather than cook a new batch. The filling is VERY forgiving.
The original sauce that I’ve made in the past uses tomato soup. It’s good, but I wanted to make a sauce that would give me plenty of liquid for the pressure cooker. I found this sauce in one of my pressure cooker cookbooks and adapted it to suit our tastes.
I got 15 average size cabbage rolls out of this recipe. The amount you get will depend on how large the cabbage is that you use. Just make sure not to overfill the pressure cooker with the rolls. It’s better to cook them in 2 batches than run the risk of the pressure cooker not coming to pressure because it’s too full. Once I stack the rolls in the pressure cooker and pour the sauce over the top of them, I take a long handled spatula and gently press all along the outer edge of the rolls to allow the sauce to run down the sides of them. I also add some of the cooked chopped cabbage left from the head to the sauce.
Since we like our sauce on the thicker side, once the rolls were cooked, I removed them from the pressure cooker to a platter, selected “Sauté”, brought the sauce to a boil and thickened it with a little cornstarch and water. The sauce was then poured over the rolls and dinner was served.
All it took was 18 minutes of cook time and 15 minutes under natural pressure to give us the most AMAZING stuffed cabbage rolls I’ve ever made. They’re tender and flavorful and that touch of Worcestershire really adds a nice pop to the homemade tomato sauce. This is the ONLY way I’m going to be making stuffed cabbage rolls from now on.
If you love stuffed cabbage, but don’t like all the time it takes to cook them, let your pressure cooker do the work. You’ll be glad you did!
Thanks Carol!
Yield: Makes about 16 rolls
Pressure Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Additional Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour13 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup brown or long grain white rice
1 large head cabbage
1 large egg
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, finely minced then "pasted"
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
3/4 lb. ground pork*
Sauce
2 tablespoon butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced, then "pasted"
2 (14 1/2 oz. each) cans diced tomatoes with their juice
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 teaspoon low sodium instant beef bouillon
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper or freshly ground black pepper
3-4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon cold water
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
Cook the rice according to the package directions. Fluff with a fork and set the pan aside.
Fill a large deep pot half full of water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Remove the core from the cabbage and place it, core side down, in the boiling water. Cover and let the head of cabbage boil for 7-8 minutes. Remove the softened outer leaves and place them on a plate to cool. Cover the pan and cook the cabbage for 6-8 minutes, checking and removing the outer leaves as they soften, placing them on the plate to cool. When you get down to the center of the cabbage and the leaves are too small for rolls, cover the pan and cook the cabbage until crisp-tender. When done, remove the cabbage from the heat, coarsely chop it and set it aside.
For the sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to turn light golden brown. Add the garlic and cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, vinegar, bouillon, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire (or black) pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well, taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from the heat. Stir in some of the chopped cooked cabbage. Set the sauce aside.
For the filling, in a large bowl, beat the egg, then stir in the onion, garlic, salt, pepper and cooked rice. Add the ground beef and pork and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands until all the ingredients are well combined.
Lay one of the cabbage leaves flat on a work surface with the stem end in front of you. Take 2 generous tablespoonfuls of the filling and place it at the bottom of the cabbage leaf. Fold the 2 sides in and roll away from you, making sure filling stays in the center and away from the top edge, until you reach the top of the leaf. You can secure the roll with a toothpick if you like-I don't find it necessary. They stay together quite well once rolled, and if they do start to unroll, they can be easily tucked back together.
Repeat this with the remaining filling and cabbage leaves. I usually get 15 rolls out of the batch of filling.
Place the rack in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Pour in 1 cup water. Place 7-8 cabbage rolls on the rack. Cover the rolls with about 1/3 of the sauce. Add a second layer of rolls to the pressure cooker, alternating the direction of the second layer. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the rolls. After adding the last bit of sauce, take a plastic spatula and gently go around the outer edge of the rolls to allow some of the sauce to drip down around the rolls. Make sure not to overfill the pressure cooker. It's easy enough to cook these in 2 batches, if necessary.
Lock the lid in place, choose High pressure and set 18 minutes cooking time. When the beep sounds, turn off the pressure cooker, unplug it, wait for 15 minutes, then use Quick Pressure to release any remaining steam.
Gently remove the cabbage rolls from the pressure cooker to a platter.
Select "Sauté" and bring the sauce to a boil.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth and the cornstarch is dissolved. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
Serve the sauce over the cabbage rolls.
Notes
*You can substitute all ground beef for the pork if you prefer
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
Update: There’s a modified version of this recipe in my cookbook, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, on page 216 with a streamlined process – cooking the cabbage and the sauce in the pressure cooker, and using uncooked rice. Thanks for all the tips and suggestions.
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I think cauliflower rice would be a great substitution! I’ve never made it that way, but since the recipe calls for cooked rice, I don’t think using cooked cauliflower rice in it’s place would change anything. I’d love to know how it works!
I would brown the cabbage rolls first in the pressure cooker on the Saute/Brown setting, then I would not place the rack in nor would I add the water. I think that will enhance the flavor of the rolls. I would also sometimes make a mushroom gravy. My mother always browned them and served them with the mushroom gravy
I am making this now . It’s cooking In the instant pot now . I seen another recipe to use the meat setting , which I haven’t used yet . Do you know the difference . We can’t wait till there done .I also added more seasoning to meat , I like alot if flavor. I am going to have to do two batches . I rolled more meat in mine so added couple extra minutes onto time also .
Hi, delicious but challenging recipe to follow. Which ingredients are for the sauce and which are for the cabbage? I must have guessed ok, because it tasted good, but please create two lists of ingredients, one for the sauce, and one for the stuffed cabbage. Also you might want to tell people to remove the rack when they remove the stuffed cabbage and before thickening the sauce. Also, made my clean-up easier to make the sauce in the Instant Pot, pour it into a bowl while i added the rack, cabbage rolls, water and layered with sauce. Was worried the cup of water would over dilute the sauce but it did not. Thanks for the recipe.
I had the same issue. The ingredients are similar to one my Grandmother used to make.
The recipe seemed confusing and after mixing the meat mixture first, I had to improvise when making the sauce because I had put the onions, garlic , salt and pepper into the meat.. I’ll try to stop by in an hour and update how this tastes. Thanks.
I love stuffed cabbage. I blanch my cabbage in my pressure cooker. Saves some time. Steam the cabbage, QR, run under cold water, core and your good to go.
In my cookbook recipe, I use the saute setting and bring a half pot full of water to a boil. Cook the cabbage head for 5 minutes, turning until the outer leaves are softened.
I really want to skip the blanching part of this! I might hate myself, but it really seems to me that these rolls should cook/ steam through once in the pressure pot. Going to give it a try. I also made tge version where one part has red wine or port and the other has white wine vinegar…..
I pre- cooked my meat and rice so Im going in to give it a non- blanched try.
I made this last year, 2017 shortly after I got my IP. Just had the last of them from the freezer, still delicious. Making it again now, with a couple of changes. I made the filling and put it in the fridge overnight. Then for the sauce, I used a 50-50 mix of dry red wine and apple cider vinegar along with 1/8-cup brown sugar. We’ll see how it comes out tomorrow. Report to follow…
I always freeze my cabbage heads whole when I can get a good price on them when they are in season. Take out and defrost cut core out and they are pliable so no need to boil, just fill. Faster and does not affect taste. I used to make 150 at a time.
I was going to make this recipe for dinner tonight, but I’m just wondering… Is the pork & ground beef supposed to be cooked before it’s rolled into the cabbage?
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What would you recommend in place of the rice if I’m trying to make this low carb? Would cauliflower rice work? Looking forward to trying this recipe!
I think cauliflower rice would be a great substitution! I’ve never made it that way, but since the recipe calls for cooked rice, I don’t think using cooked cauliflower rice in it’s place would change anything. I’d love to know how it works!
Can they be frozen? I am a household of one adult. Thank you
Yes, they should freeze and reheat very well.
I would brown the cabbage rolls first in the pressure cooker on the Saute/Brown setting, then I would not place the rack in nor would I add the water. I think that will enhance the flavor of the rolls. I would also sometimes make a mushroom gravy. My mother always browned them and served them with the mushroom gravy
I am making this now . It’s cooking In the instant pot now . I seen another recipe to use the meat setting , which I haven’t used yet . Do you know the difference . We can’t wait till there done .I also added more seasoning to meat , I like alot if flavor. I am going to have to do two batches . I rolled more meat in mine so added couple extra minutes onto time also .
Hi Jessica – here’s a post that explains the different buttons https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/instant-pot-duo-and-smartcooker/ Enjoy!
Hi, delicious but challenging recipe to follow. Which ingredients are for the sauce and which are for the cabbage? I must have guessed ok, because it tasted good, but please create two lists of ingredients, one for the sauce, and one for the stuffed cabbage. Also you might want to tell people to remove the rack when they remove the stuffed cabbage and before thickening the sauce. Also, made my clean-up easier to make the sauce in the Instant Pot, pour it into a bowl while i added the rack, cabbage rolls, water and layered with sauce. Was worried the cup of water would over dilute the sauce but it did not. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for the suggestion Kate. I updated the recipe. Glad it was a hit.
I had the same issue. The ingredients are similar to one my Grandmother used to make.
The recipe seemed confusing and after mixing the meat mixture first, I had to improvise when making the sauce because I had put the onions, garlic , salt and pepper into the meat.. I’ll try to stop by in an hour and update how this tastes. Thanks.
I love stuffed cabbage. I blanch my cabbage in my pressure cooker. Saves some time. Steam the cabbage, QR, run under cold water, core and your good to go.
Great! Thanks for sharing Lola.
How long did you put the cabbage in the pot? What setting?
In my cookbook recipe, I use the saute setting and bring a half pot full of water to a boil. Cook the cabbage head for 5 minutes, turning until the outer leaves are softened.
I really want to skip the blanching part of this! I might hate myself, but it really seems to me that these rolls should cook/ steam through once in the pressure pot. Going to give it a try. I also made tge version where one part has red wine or port and the other has white wine vinegar…..
I pre- cooked my meat and rice so Im going in to give it a non- blanched try.
Hi Melodie – they’re much easier to roll after blanching, but you’re right they will cook through once in the pot.
I made this last year, 2017 shortly after I got my IP. Just had the last of them from the freezer, still delicious. Making it again now, with a couple of changes. I made the filling and put it in the fridge overnight. Then for the sauce, I used a 50-50 mix of dry red wine and apple cider vinegar along with 1/8-cup brown sugar. We’ll see how it comes out tomorrow. Report to follow…
Great – I’ll look forward to hearing how you like the changes.
These remind me of the cabbage rolls my grandmother used to make.
My family really enjoyed this! A great meal for weeknights!
So similar to my mom’s recipe. These cabbage rolls are simply perfection.
Beautiful flavors in this recipe!!
Is this Pot in Pot?
Hi Nichole – no, you cook them right in the inner pressure cooking pot.
Can you freeze the cabbage rolls?
Hi Benni – yes, you can freeze them before or after cooking.
Thank you!
I always freeze my cabbage heads whole when I can get a good price on them when they are in season. Take out and defrost cut core out and they are pliable so no need to boil, just fill. Faster and does not affect taste. I used to make 150 at a time.
Thanks for the tip Barbra!
New to making cabbage rolls. When you say “remove the core” do you mean to just slice of the bottom, or to remove the whole core somehow?
Remove the whole core – here’s a picture that will help http://www.dlc.fi/~marian1/gourmet/7_3.htm
I was going to make this recipe for dinner tonight, but I’m just wondering… Is the pork & ground beef supposed to be cooked before it’s rolled into the cabbage?
Hi Diana – no, the meat will cook inside the cabbage.
Made this tonight. Easy. Added a little more seasoning to meat but other then that followed recipe as written. Excellent. Thank you for sharing.