Instant Pot Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Instant Pot Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are a great comfort food with seasoned beef, shredded carrots, and onions rolled in a steamed cabbage leaf then simmered in diced tomatoes. Pair this with my Perfect Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes for a great meal.

Prep the stuffed cabbage rolls

Stuffed cabbage rolls are long-time family favorite and an economical dish that makes a lot so you have plenty for leftovers. While they do take some time to make these are totally worth it. A great make ahead dish for the week. A popular dish in Europe in Asia this dish goes by many names and has lots of different variations. I hope you enjoy this one!

Combine well in a large bowl or mixer the ground beef, half of the diced onions, shredded carrot, salt, pepper, minced garlic, eggs, water, rice, and breadcrumbs.

Cut an "x" into the stem of the cabbage to steam or boil. You can prep the cabbage either by steaming in the pressure cooker with the trivet, one cup of water, and cooking on high pressure for ten minutes. Or, you can boil a pot of water on the stove and simmer the cabbage removing leaves every few minutes. This recipe makes around 15 cabbage rolls so you'll need at least that many leaves. Once you have the leaves cut off chop up some of the cabbage and set aside with the remaining onions and your lemon cut in half.

How to make the rolls

Fold one of the cabbage in half, and cut off the very thick part of the stem...usually up to one inch. Take your knife and gently slice partial through the middle of the being careful not to cut all the way through. This will make it easier to roll.

Lay the cabbage leaf flat, and place some filling near the bottom. Fold one half over the meat mixture, and then fold over the other side.

Roll vertically, and set aside with the seam side down. Repeat the process until you've used up all your meat mixture.

Cooking the stuffed cabbage rolls

Set the Instant Pot to saute, and add a little oil to the pot. Add in one to two cups of the remaining onion and chopped cabbage. Cook stirring occasionally for about five minutes or until the cabbage has wilted and the onions are softened.

Turn off the saute function and add the brown sugar and several lemon drops. Stack the stuffed cabbage rolls in the in the pressure cooker. Add water to the pot and cover the top of the rolls with the diced tomatoes. Do not overfill the pot! At this point the pot should be filled almost to the ⅔ mark.

Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, and follow with a full natural pressure release (it took my 6-quart about 50 minutes to full release). If you don't want to wait for the full NPR then follow with a 15-minute pressure release. The reason for the full natural pressure release is to get the same flavor as if you had simmered it on the stove for hours. 🙂

If you enjoyed this you might like Instant Pot Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff, or Perfect Dutch Oven Stuffed Peppers!