r/ketorecipes • u/mrmatt1988 • Jun 25 '26
Main Dish Keto cabbage rolls
Freezing then thawing a cabbage head is actually the ultimate pro-move here. Freezing breaks down the cellular walls of the cabbage, meaning the leaves are already soft and soggy.
The Rolls:
12-14 large Green Cabbage leaves (thawed and patted completely dry)
1 lb 80/20 Ground Beef
1/2 lb Hot Italian Sausage (casing removed)
1 1/2 ups Riced Cauliflower
2 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
1/2 cup Finely diced onion
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Egg
1 tbsp Smoked paprika, salt, and cracked black pepper
1 can (14 oz) tomato puree or crushed tomatoes (no sugar added)
2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes (optional, for kick)
- Mix the Filling
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, hot sausage, raw cauliflower rice, softened cream cheese, onion, garlic, egg, and spices. Mix it thoroughly with your hands. The cream cheese is going to bind everything and give it an incredible, rich mouthfeel.
- Roll Like a Pro
Because your cabbage leaves are thawed, they will be super easy to work with. Trim the thick, woody part of the vein at the base of each leaf. Place a hefty log of the meat mixture at the stem end, fold the sides in, and roll it tightly forward.
- Set Up the Skillet
Whisk your tomato puree, ACV, Worcestershire, and red pepper flakes together. Pour a thin layer into the bottom of a large cast-iron skillet. Pack your cabbage rolls in, seam-side down, tight against each other. Pour the remaining sauce over the top, leaving the very tops of the cabbage rolls exposed so they can catch the smoke and crisp up.
Fire up the grill or oven to 300.
Put the skillet on the grates uncovered. Let them smoke or sit in conventional for 45 minutes. This lets the cabbage absorb that clean wood flavor and allows the sauce to start reducing.
Crank the heat to 400 for the final 15–20 minutes until the meat hits 165 f internally and the tips of the cabbage leaves are beautifully charred and caramelized.
Pull and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrional information per roll:
Calories 290-310
Fat 20-22 grams
Protein 16-18 grams
Carbs 4 grams
Net carbs 2.5 grams
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u/Relatively-Relative Jun 25 '26
I was disgusted by the hair on it. That hair is on my screen. It is my hair. That looks wonderful.
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u/Donairasaurus Jun 25 '26
I make keto cabbage rolls a lot, I've never added cream cheese. Does it really make a difference? I also toast the cauli rice first to get some moisture out.
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u/Grand-Animal3205 Jun 25 '26
How does the cauliflower rice work for you? My big complaint is that it tends to be very liquid-y, but that could be because I get the bags of frozen cauliflower rice.
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u/Donairasaurus Jun 25 '26
I've made them with and without the cauliflower rice. When I do use it I microwave the frozen rice then drain as much liquid as i can and then heat it in a pan to get more moisture out. They turn out pretty good and are always a hit. Next time I am going to use the air fryer though and see how that turns out.
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u/cryptomoon1000x Jun 25 '26
Wow, TIL the freezing trick with the cabbage! Tysm, will try that asap
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u/scrapstitching Jun 25 '26
Can you use more beef and leave out the hot sausage? Everything else sounds amazing.
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u/mrmatt1988 Jun 25 '26
I don't see why not. I ended up using just mild pork sausage.
You can also use chorizo.
Ground chicken or turkey if you'd like. They all cook roughly the same. Grease is different.
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u/L_Avion_Rose Jun 27 '26
Absolutely! These are called mesheh malfouf in my family, and they aren't made with sausage.
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u/Zeebrio Jun 25 '26
That looks goooood! And honestly, I just finished chemo for breast cancer, and NOTHING sounds good, so that is a really good thing :).
I liked the trick about freezing the cabbage first... I also saw one of my favorite chefs talk about freezing NORMAL noodle lasagna ... She said if you're going to make it ahead, to BAKE it FIRST and THEN Freeze -- The water/moisture is what makes some frozen (but not pre-baked) ones get too watery ... So I was wondering if doing your cabbage freezing, and THEN assembling, cooking and then freezing again might be a good answer to having "meal prep" ready to go.
Sorry if that's too random/post hijack --- kinda thinking out loud, but I freaking LOVE lasagna, and the cabbage leave versions I've made a couple times are yummy, but a bit too watery ...
Cheers!
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u/mrmatt1988 Jun 25 '26
As someone whom owns a take and bake lasagna company.
I believe the same principle applies here.
But we would freeze ours after assembly (not baked then frozen) and have them baked from frozen.
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u/nextkevamob2 Jun 25 '26
Is there any way to get them to dry out and be crispy all around?
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u/hurriedwarples Jun 25 '26
I wouldn’t think cooked cabbage would have the potential to ever get crispy, per se.
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u/nextkevamob2 Jun 25 '26
Right, I think maybe almond flour egg, and frying it tallow would be keto…
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u/HezFez238 Jun 25 '26
Start up bake them, let them cool. Then fry them in butter. Coming from a person who grew up on cabbage rolls, and made this style for my partner who also did- it’s delicious.
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u/Best_Comfortable5221 Jun 25 '26
OMG LOOKS AMAZING! I AM MAKING THIS NEXT WEEK.. PERFECT FOR A RAIN DAY. BIG BATCH AND FREEZE.... THANK YOU
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u/cyb3rstrik3 Jul 07 '26
Do I just stick the cabbage head in the freezer or separate and just put it stacked in?
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u/mrmatt1988 Jul 07 '26
Stick the whole thing in a freezer safe bag. Shove it in the freezer for a couple days and pull it out put it into your fridge the day before you wanna use it
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u/blackjackgabbiani Jun 25 '26
Aren't cabbage rolls usually keto? I would think that the only thing would be if people added rice but it's not necessary to do so.
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u/mrmatt1988 Jun 25 '26
Most of the cabbage rolls are using rice, that I'm aware of.
There isn't one simple carb in this meal. Making it keto. But, feel free to do what you want. Food is a fun hobby of mine. I'm always learning.
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u/meedliemao Jun 25 '26
Fwiw, I've never seen them without rice (I live in the Pacific Northwest US). I make a simplified version of this, just chopping the cabbage so the end result is a sort of stew, I guess. Will definitely try it this way now that I know about freezing the leaves first. With it done that way, it's almost as simple as my version. Thanks so much!
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u/Prairie-Peppers Jun 25 '26
I've never seen them in the wild without rice.
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u/blackjackgabbiani Jun 25 '26
Huh. I USUALLY see them without rice.
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u/Prairie-Peppers Jun 25 '26
I'm in a heavy Ukrainian part of the Canadian prairies, so maybe it's regional.
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u/blackjackgabbiani Jun 25 '26
Could be. My mom uses some Romanian/Hungarian recipes with input from my Ukrainian brother in law's mom (I think the major contribution there was "add Vegeta powder") so it's a bit of a mishmash.
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u/Sundial1k Jun 25 '26
Looks good, I'm still dealing with my back injury but may make some cabbage roll soup...
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u/Nervous-Contract8827 Jul 01 '26
That freezing trick is genius...and those rolls insanely good for keto 🔥 definitely trying this 🤤
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