Easy Crockpot Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe is so easy to make! Stuffed cabbage rolls are a delicious family dinner! This slow cooker recipe combines cabbage, kielbasa, bacon and more for a great meal!
In a frying pan, sauté garlic, Kielbasa, ½ C bacon, celery, and onion until soft.
Add rice and dill, salt and pepper.
Mix well. Set aside to cool.
Open the package of sour cabbage, drain excess liquid.
Peel off the leaves carefully and give them a rinse.
In the center of the larger leaves, there is a large “rib”. It’s tough and needs to be removed. Using a knife, cut along the sides of the rib to remove it, and then continue to slice the leaf in half.
For the smaller leaves, if the rib is still tender, break it by pushing on it to have the leaf lie flat.
Grease the slow cooker bowl and lay 3 – 4 strips of bacon on the bottom. Set aside.
When the filling is cooled, spoon approximately 2 – 3 tbsp. of the filling and lay it on the center of the leaf, with the leaf laying lengthwise. Fold from the bottom to cover the filling, and then fold in the sides, much like an envelope. Continue to roll upwards, keeping the leaf tight around the filling.
Lay these rolls seam side down in the slow cooker bowl.
Continue rolling and placing the cabbage in the bowl on one level, and then start to stack them, still placing them seam side down, until you run out of filling and or leaves.
Cover the cabbage rolls with the remaining bacon and slowly pour in 1 – 2 cups of chicken stock.
Cover with the lid and cool on low for approximately 4 -5 hours.
After two hours, remove the lid and check liquid levels. Add adding more stock if it’s running low.
Garnish with bacon and onions if desired.
Notes
If you using a regular head of cabbage, freeze the whole head of cabbage for a few days and then let thaw overnight in a bowl. This will soften the cabbage leaves and make them more pliable. Alternatively, you can boil the whole head of cabbage in salted boiling water, removing the outer leaves as they become soft and pliable.IN BOTH CASES, you need to remove the core in order to remove the leaves easily. Take a paring knife and cut out the core of the cabbage, releasing it from the leaves. Freezing is much a much easier method, it just takes time for it to freeze and thaw.