BJ’s Low Carb Cabbage Rolls

One of my favorite comfort food dishes on keto is these low carb cabbage rolls. I only ever tried traditional style (made with rice) cabbage rolls once before keto, so I hope you enjoy my adaptation.

I think these cabbage rolls are delicious and still pretty low in carbs with or without the riced cauliflower substitute. I’ve made this low carb version of cabbage rolls four times since starting keto, and not only are they great to fix-and-forget, they’re satisfying, and you won’t miss the rice. Recipe is easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground beef *

12 leaves from a head of cabbage

1½ -2 cups (1 small head) cauliflower, riced

15 ounces diced tomatoes

1 medium onion, cut in half

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced, divided

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Mince half the onion and coarsely slice the other half, setting the slices aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together ground meat, cauliflower rice, minced onion, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and half the minced garlic.

3. Set a large saucepan half filled with water to a boil.

4. In a smaller bowl, place the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and remaining garlic.

5. Combine, mashing lightly with a fork, to make a chunky sauce.

6. In the bottom of the crock pot, scatter the coarsely sliced onion pieces, and top with a thin layer of the tomato sauce.

7. Take the head of cabbage and core out the stem with a knife. Peel 12 cabbage leaves off the head, rolling as you go, to avoid tearing. A small tear here and there before boiling the leaves is OK, because you can tuck it all in when it comes to the rolling.

8. Using tongs, drop each leaf into the hot water and submerge completely for a few seconds, and remove to a plate until cool enough to handle without burning your fingers.

9. Using a spoon or measuring scoop, take about 2-3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of the meat mixture, and mound it onto a cabbage leaf, then fold the leaf (thickest end-in first) tightly, like an envelope or burrito, being sure to fold in the sides before rolling up the end.

10. Repeat for with each leaf, then place stuffed rolls seam-side down into the bottom of the crock pot over the tomatoes and onions.

11. Pour the remaining tomato mixture on top of the rolls, spreading the sauce to coat each roll as needed.  Cover the crock pot and set to cook 2-3 hours on HIGH, or 5-7 hours on LOW, depending upon your cooker’s heating tendencies (mine runs very hot, even on low).

Makes 12 rolls and about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of sauce per 2 rolls. Two cabbage rolls is what I used as one serving without any side dish. You may wish to have one roll and something on the side. Since I’m single, I also can attest that leftovers freeze beautifully.

NOTES

You may wish to boil a whole small cabbage head and let it cool in advance to make peeling leaves from it much easier, but since the cabbages I buy are so large and I wish to keep the remainder of it fresh, I peel the leaves from the raw head when making the cabbage rolls.

To freeze leftover cabbage rolls:

Place two cooked and cooled cabbage rolls in a small airtight container, pour 1/4 -1/3 cup sauce on top, secure with a lid, freeze up to two months.

To reheat cabbage rolls from frozen (cooked):

Place two cabbage rolls into a glass or other microwave-safe dish, cover with paper plate or splatter guard, then set to defrost for about 2-3 minutes, depending on your oven’s wattage (or 30-40% power), and then heat on full power about 1-2 minutes.

Prep-ahead and freeze cabbage rolls:

If you don’t like leftovers, and want to prep your low carb cabbage rolls in advance, you could freeze the uncooked rolls without the sauce, and freeze them flat in a gallon-sized bag, then when you want to make them, place the rolls into the crock pot on top of the tomato-smothered onions and add the sauce on top.

* You can substitute ground turkey, chicken, or pork for the beef in this cabbage rolls recipe.