Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Casserole

This Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Casserole is one of the best unstuffed cabbage casseroles. It's a set-it-and-forget-it dinner that is warm, hearty and captures all the food groups to make a complete meal. What I've done here is taken my family's generations old traditional cabbage rolls recipe, peeled it apart, and turned it into an unstuffed cabbage roll casserole. It's made in the crock pot to keep it simple and hands-off.

This delicious and hearty casserole instantly became a family favorite and is a great recipe for holidays and family gatherings along with being an easy meal during the week. We love one-pot meals and find no greater comfort in enjoying family recipes that have been passed down throughout generations.

Seasoned ground lamb or beef is layered between cabbage leaves and a flavorful garlic and mint tomato sauce. It's similar to these Instant Pot stuffed peppers (traditionally made on the stovetop) and cabbage roll soup.

My slow cooker cabbage casserole is based off of my family's secret recipe for Middle Eastern stuffed cabbage and I think you'll find it unique and an absolute delicious comfort food. This crockpot unstuffed version is a lot easier than making cabbage rolls. There is no parboiling of the cabbage or spending a lot of time rolling the meat into the cabbage- just dump everything into the slow cooker and let it do the work for you. I call this my lazy cabbage roll casserole!

My family serves our unstuffed cabbage casserole with Syrian kibbeh, warm pita bread and hummus to make it a complete meal. 

Ingredients and Substitutions

To make slow cooker cabbage roll casserole you need: 

• Ground lamb or beef: while this is traditionally made with ground lamb, you can absolutely use lean ground beef in place of it. For a lower fat option, you can use ground turkey.
• Cabbage: a medium-sized cabbage of about 2 to 2 ½ pounds, cored with any thick stems discarded and the leaves torn into 2-3 inch pieces. 
• Rice: you'll need parboiled long grain white rice. I don't suggest substituting brown rice or traditional white rice as the cook times and liquid to rice ratio in the slow cooker may vary. 
• Pomegranate molasses: you can find this in a global food store or easily make it at home.
• Tomato sauce: the sauce is made with plain canned tomato sauce. 
• Garlic cloves: fresh sliced garlic cloves
• Mint: I use dried mint leaves but you can use fresh if you triple the quantity. 
• Allspice: ground allspice is used to season the meat.
• Salt and pepper

Step-By-Step Instructions

STEP 1: In a large skillet, combine the ground lamb or beef with the allspice. Mix well, then brown over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Turn off heat and toss in the parboiled white rice. Stir to combine.

STEP 2: Cut the core out of the cabbage. Wash, dry and peel the leaves. Remove and discard any thick stems. Tear the cabbage leaves into 2-3 inch pieces.

STEP 3: In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, tomato sauce, pomegranate molasses, crushed garlic, dried mint leaves, salt and pepper. Stir well.

STEP 4: Layer the ingredients into a casserole in the crockpot. Add half of the cooked ground beef or lamb and rice mixture to the bottom of the crockpot, followed by half of of the cabbage leaves. Pour half of the sauce on top. Repeat with the remaining meat, cabbage and sauce. Push the cabbage down as much as possible to submerge in the sauce. 

STEP 5: Set the slow cooker to low for 3-4 hours.  At the 3 hour mark, check the cabbage to see if it's tender enough for your preference. If not, continue cooking for 30 to 60 minutes more.

STEP 6: When done, remove the casserole immediately to a serving dish or storage container to avoid overcooking the rice. Serve warm with pita bread and hummus.

Recipes Tips

Follow these simple tips to make the best crock pot cabbage roll casserole:

• Brown the meat prior to adding to the crock pot so you can drain the fat.
• Remove the casserole from the crock pot immediately after cooking to avoid overcooking the rice.
• At the 3 hour mark, the rice should be completely done. The cabbage will be a little crisp, especially leaves that were not submerged in the sauce. You may want to cook it a little longer.

Recipe Variations

1. We don't typically use cheese when making Middle Eastern stuffed vegetables, but you can add some if you'd like. Feta cheese crumbles and goat cheese may work but I don't suggest using Italian cheeses like mozzarella cheese. 
2. To make it more veggie packed, add chopped onion, chopped green pepper, cauliflower rice, or spinach to the casserole layers. A cup or two of extra vegetables should be plenty.

Recipe FAQs

How To Store

Store unstuffed cabbage casserole in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one week. It can be frozen in a freezer bag for up to 6 months for optimal quality.

If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to give it a star rating and let me know what you thought in the comments! And follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for more delicious recipes!

Recipe