This fun twist on traditional cabbage rolls is a delicious way to squeeze more veggies in your day.
This slow cooker recipe, for turkey and cabbage rolls, is simple and yummy. We’ve replaced the traditional beef in cabbage rolls with lean ground turkey, cutting down on fat and calories without sacrificing protein and flavor. We also took some of the thinking out of how to cook them. Traditionally, cabbage rolls can be cooked a few different ways – steamed or baked – and I never remember how long to cook them using each method. By turning this dish into slow cooker stuffed cabbage rolls, I don’t have to worry about any of that! Simply roll them up and place them in the crock pot.
If you’ve never made cabbage rolls, you might feel a little intimidated by the rolling part. After all, cabbage is pretty tough when it comes off the head. All you need to do is remove the leaves and soften them up a bit. A few minutes in boiling water (or, in a steamer basket) should do the trick. It only takes about 2 minutes for your cabbage to be soft and pliable. Then you just add you filling and roll ’em up!
What Do You Serve with Stuffed Cabbage Rolls?
Looking for the best way to serve these slow cooker stuffed cabbage rolls? They’re perfect on their own, but you can also serve them over mashed potatoes, garlic mashed cauliflower, or brown rice. You’ll have some beautiful sauce left in the bottom of the slow cooker, so don’t forget to ladle that tomato sauce over the top of the potatoes or the rice.
Now that you know how to make them, let’s get cooking. Give us a shout in the comments if you have any questions. We always love to hear from you!
Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
For the Rolls
- 12 cabbage leaves
- 1 cup long-grain rice cooked
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup white onion or yellow, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 pound lean ground turkey raw
For the Sauce
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 15 ounces tomato sauce can
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil cabbage leaves for 2 minutes. Whisk together tomato sauce, honey, spices, lemon juice, ketchup, salt, and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cooked rice, egg, milk, onion, garlic, and ground turkey. Add in 1/4 of the sauce and combine well.
- Scoop about 1/4 cup of the ground turkey mix into the center of each cabbage roll. Roll up the leaves, tucking in the ends. Top with tomato sauce and cover.
- Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
Nutrition Information
Have you made this recipe?
Tag @skinnyms on Instagram or hashtag it #skinnyms
You might also like our list of 73 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes.
Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter, like our Facebook page, and follow us on Pinterest for tasty recipes, clean eating tips, and healthy lifestyle resources.
Last updated: June 11, 2018
Here’s a great tip. When cabbage goes on sale, buy it & freeze it. Remove from freezer to defrost the day before making the rolls. Leaves are perfect – no need to boil!!!!
This is my go to for cabbage rolls, the sauce is perfection. I usually use the microwave wild rice pouch, not a white rice fan.
This is the best cabbage roll recipe I’ve ever made. The flavors that the sauce recipe imparts is perfect.
I use a packet of microwave Uncle Bens long grain and wild rice instead of white rice, and sometimes substitute ground beef for the turkey.
We’re so glad you liked it! Great idea for simple swaps.