This keto stuffed cabbage in the Instant Pot is not only easy and delicious, it’s also dairy free, nut free, SCKC and Whole 30 friendly!
When we were growing up, my mom used to make Polish stuffed cabbage rolls or Golumpki for us a few times a year. I loved eating them, and wished she’d make them more often, but they were so much work to make that it was more of a treat than a regular thing.
Thanks to my Instant Pot (and the microwave for quickly steaming the cabbage pliable,) I was able to make this delicious keto stuffed cabbage in less than an hour from start to finish! And it was time well spent, let me tell you!
Traditionally, Polish stuffed cabbage rolls are made with ground beef, rice, onions, and some seasonings. For my keto stuffed cabbage rolls I replaced the beef with pork, and the rice with cauliflower.
The sauce I made pretty much the same, but without any added sugar – which it totally doesn’t need anyway because the cabbage itself becomes very sweet when cooked. And when you’re off all sweeteners on the squeaky clean keto challenge or Whole 30, the natural sweetness of tomatoes and cabbage is almost candy-like!
I found that putting my entire head of cabbage in the microwave in a bowl with some water in the bottom for around 8 minutes worked great for getting the leaves just pliable enough to remove from the head and roll nicely around the meat mixture.
I made 8 stuffed cabbage rolls, which required two layers of 4 rolls each in my 6 quart Instant Pot. I placed a flattened cabbage leaf and some sauce between the two layers to keep them separated and prevent any sticking. It worked like a charm!
If you don’t have an Instant Pot or slow cooker, you can absolutely make these keto stuffed cabbage rolls in the oven in a 9 x 13 baking sheet with a layer of sauce on the bottom and top of the rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the cabbage is soft and the meat is cooked through.
Don’t be intimidated by the steps, this keto stuffed cabbage recipe is surprisingly easy to execute, and the flavors are amazing! I ate it four days in a row, reheated in the microwave, and it tasted better and better as the week went on!
Homey and comforting, this keto stuffed cabbage in the Instant Pot is one of my new favorite recipes – especially while on the dairy free squeaky clean keto challenge this month!
Keto Stuffed Cabbage in the Instant Pot Recipe Video
Keto Stuffed Cabbage in the Instant Pot – SCKC
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This keto stuffed cabbage in the Instant Pot is not only easy and delicious, it’s also dairy free, nut free, SCKC and Whole 30 friendly!
Ingredients
- 9 large white cabbage leaves, softened (see instructions below)
Filling ingredients:
- 2 lbs ground pork (or beef)
- 1 1/2 cups riced cauliflower
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Sauce ingredients:
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed all purpose tomatoes
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
To Soften the Cabbage Leaves:
- Cut the core out of a large head of cabbage.
- Remove any discolored or damaged leaves from the outside.
- Place in a large bowl, stem side down with 1 cup of water in the bottom.
- Microwave, covered, on high for 8 minutes, or until the outer leaves are softened and turning translucent.
- Remove and cool before carefully separating leaves for use.
Make the filling:
- Place all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well with your hands until fully combined.
Make the sauce:
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a large bowl and stir well.
- Set aside until ready to use.
- Store extra sauce in the fridge or freezer.
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Place 1/2 cup of sauce on bottom of Instant Pot insert.
- Place a cabbage leaf on a clean flat surface and add 1/2 cup meat filling to the center.
- Fold the two sides over the meat mixture, then roll from the edge closest to you over the meat mixture until a small rolled bundle is formed.
- Place the roll in the Instant Pot, (make sure you’ve added some sauce per above first so they don’t stick)
- Repeat with three more rolls.
- Top the rolls with 1 cup of sauce.
- Place a cabbage leaf on top of the rolls to keep them separated from the next layer.
- Make the remaining 4 rolls and place on top of the cabbage leaf. Do not press down.
- Cover the top of the cabbage rolls with another 1 1/2 cups of sauce.
- Place the cover onto the Instant Pot and lock in place.
- Make sure the vent is closed.
- Choose Manual / Low Pressure and set it for 20 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally – about 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and serve hot with extra parsley for garnish if desired.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baking Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Place a cabbage leaf on a clean flat surface and add 1/2 cup filling to the center.
- Fold the two sides over the meat mixture, then roll from the edge closest to you over the meat mixture until a small rolled bundle is formed.
- Place the roll in the baking dish.
- Repeat with the remaining 7 rolls.
- Top with another 2 cups of sauce, distributing evenly over the cabbage rolls.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Serve hot with extra parsley for garnish if desired.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Net carbs per serving = 6g
This recipe can easily be doubled if you have an 8 quart Instant Pot!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: SCKC recipes
- Cuisine: Polish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 rolls, 1/2 cup sauce
- Calories: 552
- Fat: 37g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 44g
Keywords: golumpki, cabbage rolls, instant pot, keto, sckc, squeaky clean keto, whole 30, dairy free keto, nut free
Kim says
I have made these several times, like others I feel the sauce is runny, any suggestions on that? Also, I always have left over meat and cabbage (the leaves are too small to roll), do you have any suggestions for using the left overs?
★★★★
Katie Jorgensen says
Have made these a few times, they are pretty strait forward delicious and always a hit. I make extra for leftover lunches!
★★★★★
Tracey says
Loved the flavors! Going squeaky clean was intimidating at first, but Mellissa has so many great recipes on this website! I’ve made this recipe several times and really enjoy the texture and flavor of the filling!
★★★★★
Iris says
Can plant based protein be substituted for the ground beef/pork to make it a vegetarian meal?
Donna says
Would love to try to make this but I have a question. Do you use frozen riced cauliflower, and, if so, do you defrost it before adding it to the mix? Thank you!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
I used fresh, but if using frozen then I’d probably defrost it and drain it thoroughly so it doesn’t make the mix too watery.
Aimee says
Cauliflower and pork get mixed raw correct? This is my first time making a keto version for myself.
Amanda Turner says
I was afraid my kids would turn their noses up at this, but they all cleaned their plates! They asked me to make it again. Major win!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
That IS high praise! So happy to hear it please tell them I’m thrilled they enjoyed it!
Lynn Kirouac says
I just ran this recipe through Carb Manager. It gave it Grade F / Avoid. Here are the macros :
107g Net Carbs (86g Over)
183g Total Carbs
76g Fiber
59g Fat (6g Over)
79g Protein (43g Left)
1450 Calories (405 Over)
Keto Grade: F (Avoid)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Clearly there is a problem with either your entry quantities or their database.
Meli says
The cabbage entry is wrong on CM.
John says
I made this today. It was delicious. It didn’t take long and I made it per the directions. The hardest part was peeling the cabbage leaves and trying not to tear them. My cabbage was in the fridge for a couple weeks. I think I should try this with a fresh head from the market. I used 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb sweet Italian sausage for the meat portion. For the cauliflower I used frozen riced cauliflower in a bag from supermarket. No regrets. I liked it.
★★★★
Donna J Cain says
This made pretty nice size rolls. My Walmart only had one pack of ground pork so I added a ground beef and pork pack with it. I ran out of pliable leaves but peeled and tossed the first couple out of habit. I bought cheese to sprinkle on when it’s almost done.
★★★★
Lisa says
I was excited to try this but was disappointed. It was bland and lacked flavor. The sauce was completely watery.
★★
Nancy says
I’m wondering if you could freeze the rolls, and then make them at a later time in the instant pot with fresh sauce. Has anyone tried this? If so, did you have to add any extra cooking time?
Christy says
Yum!!! Followed the recipe to a T. I did end up with some extra filling but made hamburgers with it for my kids… Which they devoured. Soo good. A little time consuming for me, but will definitely be making again and again. Thank you thank you thank you!
★★★★★
Margaret says
Made this tonight. Very tasty. I found it was pretty quick to assemble and the instant pot did all the work. My sauce was a little watery, would have been nicer if it was thicker, but the flavours were all there. My kids all ate it too which is a huge win and since I doubled the recipe I have more for lunch!
★★★
Miriam says
Flavor was delicious but I must have done something wrong. Sauce was so watery!
★★★★
Marki Haynes says
Made my hubby sooooo happy!!
★★★★★
Brightny Spears says
Trying this as part of my meal prep this week! So far the sauce tastes amazing! Can’t wait till they are done in the IP!
★★★★★
Arlene says
do you do the keto cabbage soup recipe & can u tell me how to cook the green onion as a dish
Kelly J says
I made these last night and they were DELICIOUS! I didn’t have any parsley, so I subbed in cilantro (because I did have it) and it still turned out great! I’m definitely adding this to the regular rotation.
★★★★★
Kelly says
This is one of my go to’s!
Love it!
Would love to see more soup recipes!
★★★★★
Dana Rodriguez says
I haven’t had stuffed cabbage in years. This looks so good! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Kristie says
I had never had stuffed cabbage rolls before – I loved the flavors in this. I used 80/20 ground beef and frozen cauliflower rice. The meat turned out kinda dense. Was I suppose to cook the frozen cauli rice before adding to meat? I think these ingredients would make a great soup too!
★★★★★
Dita MacDonald says
Melissa, Wanted to pass along a hint I received from a Polish friend of mine.
Rather than boiling the cabbage leaves, he said he puts his foil-wrapped cabbage head in the freezer for a day or two. Remove the foil and the leaves will be soft so they can be used immediately. It works!!!! I tell anyone I know this hint. BTW I want to thank you for the opportunity to win this Ninja. Thanks.
★★★★★
Rita Allen says
I can NOT wait to try this!!!
I’ve always been kinda traumatized by stuffed cabbage leaves
It was on normal rotation at Grandma’s house
Thing is, grandma made it so bland and there was too much rice.
These right here, with the pork! YUM!
I bet ground beef and pork mix would be dee-leesh!!!
I absolutely can not wait to eat these
But first we have to polish off our left overs from your other recipes, beef stroganoff and cuban pot roast (I made it with venison ??)
Thank you, Mellissa, for always making it so easy to choose what to eat ♥️
Dinner is always right here in your blog
Wendy says
Just made this recipe and with an 8Qt insta-pot, I doubled it. It was outstanding! Since we like more cabbage, I made the rolls a little smaller and it made 28 rolls total. It required a little more salt at the table but other than that the recipe is just perfect. My boyfriend didn’t even realize that I used cauliflower instead of rice.
★★★★★
Kamlin says
When you doubled the recipe, how much longer did it need to cook (in instapot)?
Kellie says
Hi, I’m having a hard time with the nutrition info on this one. 2 pounds of ground pork is 2800 calories. Divided by 4 servings, that is 700 calories alone for just the pork. Is this supposed to be more than 4 servings to get to the 552 calories you have listed?
This looks good and I want to make it next week for the SCKC. Thanks!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I’m getting 1859.
Dominic says
One of my all-time favorite foods! Thanks so much for sharing, can’t wait to make these!
Dom
Pamela says
New to the blog, and Just made this tonight. Hubby loved it and is having seconds as I type. It was so easy to make, and your microwave idea worked perfectly. Thanks for a great meal idea that also yields leftovers. Win-win!
Bryan says
This looks great! My wife is really big on stuffed chicken recipes, I know she’ll love this too, thank you!
★★★★★
Justine says
Question, would this work in a slow cooker?
Natasha says
Here’s a tip to more easily soften the cabbage: place the entire cabbage in the freezer for a few days. Thaw the evening before you want to make your cabbage rolls. The leaves will peel off easily and will have a soft consistency that makes them easy to roll.
Robyn says
That’s a great tip. I’m going to try that. Thank you!
Julie says
Natasha, do you removed the core (I’m thinking, yes) before freezing the head of cabbage?
Rita Allen says
Wow! Great idea!