We just LOVE this Crock Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole. You don’t have to brown the ground beef ahead of time and it is so easy to throw this one pot meal together for a low carb family dinner.
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How to Make Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole in a Slow Cooker
Cris here.
I am so excited to share this recipe with you. We make it ALL THE TIME and everyone fights over the leftovers. My only complaint is that it takes horrible pictures- ha! (Food. Blogger. Problems… right?).
Easy One Pot Crock Pot Meal
We love the taste of stuffed cabbage dishes. We are big fans of our Crock Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup (or Instant Pot) and we just love these Crock Pot Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. So when I saw a recipe for “Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls” in one of my favorite low carb slow cooker cookbooks, I decided to adapt it a bit to our tastes and holy cow my family has went nuts over it ever since.
Multiple Options
We have made this dish multiple ways and loved it every single time. So, make sure to read the notes to see about all the different adaptations we have tried to decide how YOU want to make it! The basic way of making it is to press your ground beef down into a 6 quart slow cooker, top with the mixture of cabbage, onion and seasonings, then your sauce and then the cream cheese. Cook on low for 6-8 hours , stir the topping before serving and enjoy!
Notes on Crock Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole
- This recipe was adapted from a recipe found in Easy Ketogenic Diet Slow Cooking.
- We have made this with a pound of ground beef and also with 2 pounds. I prefer two pounds. The beef holds together better on a bottom layer. It is delicious either way.
- We use a bagged shredded cabbage found in the salad aisle at the grocery store. It would be cheaper to shred your own cabbage, if you choose, but the pre-shredded cabbage makes the dish easier to throw together. It is up to you.
- If you are rushed on time, you can skip the saute step and just add the cabbage, onion and seasonings directly to the ground beef. If you choose to skip this step, just omit the bacon fat from the recipe.
- Since we eat low carb, we like to use Rao’s marinara due to the low carb count. It is expensive, so feel free to just use your favorite marinara sauce but if you are eating low carb be aware that marinara sauces vary GREATLY in carb counts, so read labels to find the one that best fits your diet and budget.
- We have made this recipe with 2 cups of sauce and with 3 cups of sauce. If you prefer a more tomato flavored sauce (as pictured), go with 3 cups. If you would prefer more of a creamy topping, reduce the sauce to 2 cups and wait to add your cream cheese until the end (see next note).
- Many readers ask us if the cream cheese breaks down during long cooking times. In this dish the breakdown IS noticeable visually (I told ya she ain’t pretty- ha!). So the choice is yours. The flavor is great either way. So, if you like the convenience of throwing it all in at the beginning, go for it. BUT if you want a creamier topping, wait to add the cream cheese until the end. I like to have it softened (either by leaving on the counter for a bit or microwave and stir it in at the end.
- This recipe creates a lot of oil at the end of cooking. We just serve with a slotted spatula.
- Looking for more recipes? Our Recipe Finder can help you find exactly what you need.
- Check out all our favorite recommendations for cookbooks, slow cookers and low carb essentials in our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- As with any of our recipes, carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly. As a result, your nutritional content depends on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline and should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
Crock Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole Recipe
Crock Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole
We just LOVE this Crock Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole. You don’t have to brown the ground beef ahead of time and it is so easy to throw this one pot meal together for a low carb family dinner.
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Servings: 4 -6
Calories: 376kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb uncooked ground beef or 2 lbs see note
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups shredded cabbage
- 6 green onions chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp bacon fat or butter
- 2 cups marinara sauce or 3 cups see note
- 8 oz cream cheese
Instructions
- Press your ground beef down into a 6 quart slow cooker and salt and pepper the beef.
- Optional step (see note if you want to skip): In a skillet, heat bacon fat or butter and saute cabbage, onion, garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Add cabbage mixture to the top of the beef layer.
- Pour sauce evenly on top.
- Add cream cheese (see notes to see if you might prefer to wait to add cream cheese until after cooking) and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4.
- Stir cream cheese into tomato sauce and cut into pieces to serve.
Video
Notes
- This recipe was adapted from a recipe found in Easy Ketogenic Diet Slow Cooking.
- We have made this with a pound of ground beef and also with 2 pounds. I prefer two pounds. The beef holds together better on a bottom layer. It is delicious either way.
- We use a bagged shredded cabbage found in the salad aisle at the grocery store. It would be cheaper to shred your own cabbage, if you choose, but the pre-shredded cabbage makes the dish easier to throw together. It is up to you.
- If you are rushed on time, you can skip the saute step and just add the cabbage, onion and seasonings directly to the ground beef. If you choose to skip this step, just omit the bacon fat from the recipe.
- Since we eat low carb, we like to use Rao’s marinara due to the low carb count. It is expensive, so feel free to just use your favorite marinara sauce but if you are eating low carb be aware that marinara sauces vary GREATLY in carb counts, so read labels to find the one that best fits your diet and budget.
- We have made this recipe with 2 cups of sauce and with 3 cups of sauce. If you prefer a more tomato flavored sauce (as pictured), go with 3 cups. If you would prefer more of a creamy topping, reduce the sauce to 2 cups and wait to add your cream cheese until the end (see next note).
- Many readers ask us if the cream cheese breaks down during long cooking times. In this dish the breakdown IS noticeable visually (I told ya she ain’t pretty- ha!). So the choice is yours. The flavor is great either way. So, if you like the convenience of throwing it all in at the beginning, go for it. BUT if you want a creamier topping, wait to add the cream cheese until the end. I like to have it softened (either by leaving on the counter for a bit or microwave and stir it in at the end.
- This recipe creates a lot of oil at the end of cooking. We just serve with a slotted spatula.
- Looking for more recipes? Our Recipe Finder can help you find exactly what you need.
- Check out all our favorite recommendations for cookbooks, slow cookers and low carb essentials in our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- As with any of our recipes, carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly. As a result, your nutritional content depends on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline and should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 273mg | Potassium: 639mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1010IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 4mg | Net Carbs: 6g
Tried this recipe?Mention @RecipesthatCrock or tag #RecipesthatCrock!
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Whether you've been told you can't cook your whole life or you have the knife skills of an Iron Chef, Cris loves to connect you to just the right recipe.
Her site Recipes That Crock is dedicated to helping everyone find delicious recipes to serve their families every month.
Her site Recipes That Crock is dedicated to helping everyone find delicious recipes to serve their families every month.
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This recipe looks yummy!! I have all of the ingredients except the cream cheese. I’m trying to avoid the grocery store at this time. Do you think I could add shredded Mozarella or shredded pizza cheese.
Hi Linda! It will be a bit of a different dish, but I bet it would still be tasty. Enjoy!
The photo looks like the recipe includes rice and green pepper. Am I seeing things?
Hi Kathie!
The green you see is the green onion. Not sure what is looking like rice, but we didn’t add rice.
I have this recipe in the ninja right now but I added one pound of groud beef and one package of jimmy dean low sodium pork sausage. I chopped my cabbage and small anount of shredded carrot and I’m cooking it on high cause I’m starting it at 3:00 in the afternoon. I didn’t sauté the cabbage and added the cream cheese on top at the same time. I’ll let you know how it comes out. Love love love your recipes and have made many of them.
Hi Nellie!
Hope you enjoyed it! So glad you enjoy the site!!
Hi Nellie, how did you like it?
Well the casserole came out soooo delicious that I had it for dinner that night and then lunch the next day after church. Today I gave my friend the recipe and sent her home with a sample.
Oh so glad to hear it! It really is such a great recipe!
Oh so sorry about that. The last 2 ingredients are below/ under the Land O Lakes advertisement which the eyes automatically skim over & don’t see the next 2 lines so to speak.
Hi, the ingredients did not include the Cream Cheese. So how much. I like the idea of adding at the end.
Hi Cooki-
The cream cheese is listed right under the marinara sauce in the ingredients list (8 oz). Enjoy!
I enjoyed the video and the lesson on the London Bridge! This recipe sounds DELICIOUS! My Ninja cooks super fast, do you think this would be ready closer to 5 or 6 hours? How about cooking it in the Casserole Crock? Love you guys and Love the Crock Posse ❤❤
Hi Kim! This would definitely be a great one for the casserole crock. In your Ninja I would start checking it at 5 hrs. Enjoy!