Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls

Sometimes I want cabbage rolls, but I don't want to do all the work associated with actually making cabbage rolls. Who am I kidding? Not sometimes; that actually happens all the time! In light of this dilemma, I have created the ultimate laziest and easiest way to get my cabbage roll fix! These Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls require much less effort and are also ww friendly.

Lazy man's cabbage rolls in the slow cooker is a great recipe for busy weeknights! And it's popular all year round. This recipe also inspired my Lazy Pierogi Casserole. These Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls taste exactly like regular meat and rice cabbage rolls, but are so much quicker and easier to make!

🥘 Ingredient Notes

And these cabbage rolls ain't your Baba's traditional cabbage rolls either! They are not the traditional rice cabbage rolls, covered in tomato sauce. And neither is this a typical lazy cabbage roll casserole- it's hearty and meaty!

I grew up with what we deemed "Scottish Cabbage Rolls " with meat, rice, and mushrooms stuffed inside, then covered in tomato soup sauce. They are the best kind of cabbage roll, as far as I'm concerned. And now I've turned them into an easy slow cooker casserole!

For this slow cooker cabbage roll casserole, you'll need:

• Extra lean ground beef. If you use any other kind of ground beef, it will be too greasy!
• Instant rice. You can use white or brown rice, depending on your preference.
• Canned mushrooms. I use canned mushrooms because I always have them on hand, and they are economical.
• Ketchup. My Mom always used ketchup, so I do too.
• Condensed tomato soup. I use condensed tomato soup because it has more flavor than tomato sauce, it's convenient, economical, and I always have it on hand. This is something my Mom also always used.

*see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities

📖 Variations & Substitutions

• Mushrooms - I use canned, but you can use fresh instead..
• Rice - You can use regular rice, but it needs to be pre-cooked before adding it to the slow cooker. Be sure to cook it until tender beforehand—uncooked long-grain rice may not soften properly in the slow cooker and could throw off the moisture balance.
• Cabbage -You can substitute about 6–8 cups of bagged shredded cabbage. Keep in mind that it won’t have the same bite as freshly chopped cabbage, but it works great in a pinch.
• Ground beef - I use extra lean ground beef, but you could use lean or regular (if you're not worried about extra WW points) or ground turkey to further reduce WW points

🔪How to Make Lazy Man Cabbage Rolls in the Slow Cooker

Preparation:

Step 1: Brown ground beef with chopped onion in a large skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. Add mushrooms when the ground beef is nearly done. Cook until the meat is browned and the onions and mushrooms are soft. Drain.

Step 2: Cook rice per package directions.

Step 3: Mix the ground beef mixture, cooked rice, and ketchup together in a large mixing bowl

Step 4: Remove the core from the cabbage and chop the cabbage leaves into bite-sized pieces. Spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and add ½ of the cabbage to the bottom of the crock-pot

Step 5: Then add ½ the rice with the cooked ground beef mixture. Then 1 can of tomato soup on top of it.

Step 6: Add the remaining layer of chopped cabbage, then the remaining rice and meat mixture, then 2 cans of tomato soup on top.

🥗 What to serve with Slow Cooker Lazy Cabbage Rolls

These deconstructed cabbage rolls are the easy way to get your cabbage roll fix, and something I actually feel that I could pull off when making a holiday dinner, along with everything else I am making.

This Lazy Cabbage Rolls recipe doesn't require all the extra work of stuffing and rolling time the regular cabbage rolls do, and they can cook right alongside a holiday dinner in your slow cooker, without taking up valuable real estate on the stove or in your oven!

These slow cooker unstuffed cabbage rolls are also great not only as a side dish but as a main dish too, served with vegetables or Ukrainian style, with kubassa!

I also like to serve this easy meal with my Ukrainian Shortcut Borscht Soup, my Lazy Pierogi Casserole, and this Quick Cucumber Kimchi, canned beets, or a side salad.

🌡️ Storing

• They can be made ahead and stored for up to 4 days in the fridge in a sealed airtight container
• They can be frozen and stored in a sealed airtight container for up to 3 months.

👪 Serving Size

1 serving is 1/12 of the recipe, which is about 1 cup.

🔢WW Points

These Crock Pot unstuffed cabbage rolls are Weight Watchers friendly at 7 ww points. However, if you really want to bring down the points, use cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. That substitution will bring the points down to 5 points.

❔ Recipe FAQ's

🥟More Healthy & Weight Watchers Friendly Ukrainian Food!