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We used to cook these cabbage rolls on the stovetop, and it cooked for 2 ½ hours. Now we use our Ninja Foodi pressure cooker and cook time is about 40 minutes, including pressurizing and pressure release. That doesn't count making the rolls and the sauerkraut sauce, but it still saves a lot of time!
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (1) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (1)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls.jpg?_t=1657230534)
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- Bringing Stuffed Cabbage Rolls to the Appliance Age!
- This is a Large Recipe!
- Make It in Stages!
- Ingredients You'll Need
- How to Make Pressure Cooker Cabbage Rolls
- Eat, Comment, Like, and Follow!
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Comments
Bringing Stuffed Cabbage Rolls to the Appliance Age!
First things first: this is not a quick recipe! You'll need a few hours to put it together and have it on the table. So this is a good dish to make on a weekend. It makes a great Sunday dinner! But we've changed some of the cooking steps to speed the process up by taking advantage of modern appliances.
First, our original recipe called for boiling a head of cabbage for 10 minutes to soften the leaves... plus the time to bring a large of water to a boil. Now, we wrap the cabbage in plastic wrap and cook it in the microwave on high for 6 minutes. So that saves 4 minutes, plus the time to boil the water. Not a huge savings, but every minute counts. And it's easier because you don't have to drain the cabbage, so that's anouther couple of minutes! You do have to be careful when taking the cabbage out of the microwave. It will be hot, and give off some steam when you unwrap it.
Second: the original recipe required cooking the cabbage rolls and sauerkraut sauce on the stovetop for 2 ½ hours. Cooking it in a pressure cooker only took 40 minutes, including pressurizing and release time.
This is a Large Recipe!
We have an 8-quart Ninja Foodi, and this recipe filled the pot right up to the fill line! If you have a smaller pot, you may need to reduce the ingredient quantities, or cook the rolls in two batches. (And I know some of you have two cookers!)
Make It in Stages!
If you don't have enough time to make this in one day, split the work up. You can make the sauce in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Same with the cabbage rolls. So you could make the sauce Friday evening, make the cabbage rolls Saturday afternoon, and put everything in the pot and cook it Sunday evening.
Ingredients You'll Need
For the Cabbage Rolls
- ground beef
- ground pork
- ground lamb
- tomato sauce
- tomato paste
- sweet paprika
- allspice
- rice
- cabbage
For the Sauerkraut Sauce
- bacon
- onion
- garlic
- sauerkraut
- salt and white pepper
- hot red pepper flakes
- brown sugar
- crushed tomatoes
- tomato sauce
- chicken broth
- tomato paste
How to Make Pressure Cooker Cabbage Rolls
Make the Cabbage Rolls
These are the ingredients for the meat mixture: ground beef, ground pork, ground lamb, tomato sauce, tomato paste, paprika, allspice, and rice.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (2) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (2)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-meat-filling-ingredients.jpg?_t=1657232824)
Mix everything together and set aside at room temperature.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (3) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (3)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-meat-filling-ingredients-mixed.jpg?_t=1657232841)
Wrap the cabbage in plastic wrap. (Our grocery store has thin plastic bags in the produce section. We put the cabbage in a bag at the store, and put it in the microwave in the store bag!) Cook the cabbage on high for 6 minutes.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (4) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (4)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-cabbage-in-microwave.jpg?_t=1657232858)
Carefully unwrap the cabbage and remove the large leaves. If you need more soft leaves to wrap all the meat, cook the cabbage for another 4 minutes. Repeat until you've wrapped all the meat.
The size of the rolls is a personal preference. In some areas of Europe where these are popular, the rolls are very small. In other regions, they can be pretty large. We went to a Polish restaurant here in Denver once and I ordered the cabbage rolls. They brought out two huge rolls that filled an entire plate!
To fill the rolls, lay a cabbage leaf flat on your cutting board.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (5) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (5)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-cabbage-leaf-and-meat-filling.jpg?_t=1657233119)
Take 1 to 2 tablespoons of the meat filling and roll it into a cylinder. Put it onto the bottom end of the cabbage leaf. This is 2 tablespoons of filling. Note that as you use more of the cabbage the leaves will get smaller, so you'll need to use less filling. (If you want all the rolls to be the same size you'll need to use more cabbages, and use the remaining cabbage for another dish.)
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (6) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (6)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-fmeat-filling-on-cabbage-leaf.jpg?_t=1657233045)
Roll the leaf to just cover the filling.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (7) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (7)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-cabbage-leaf-folded-over.jpg?_t=1657233128)
Fold the sides of the leaf in.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (8) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (8)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-sides-of-cabbage-folded-in.jpg?_t=1657233143)
Roll the leaf to close the roll. Repeat until you've used all the meat filling. Slice up any remaining cabbage that was too small for wrapping.
Make Ahead: You can store the cabbage rolls in the refrigerator overnight.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (9) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (9)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-finished-cabbage-roll.jpg?_t=1657233161)
Make the Sauerkraut Sauce
Here are the sauce ingredients: bacon, onion, garlic, sauerkraut, salt, white pepper, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and tomato paste
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (10) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (10)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-ingredients-for-sauerkraut-sauce.jpg?_t=1657233271)
Cook the bacon until it's a bit crispy.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (11) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (11)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-frying-the-chopped-bacon.jpg?_t=1657233997)
Add the onions and cook for for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (12) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (12)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-adding-chopped-onion-to-the-pan.jpg?_t=1657234019)
Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (13) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (13)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-all-sauce-ingredients-mixed-in.jpg?_t=1657234031)
Make Ahead: You can store the sauce in the refrigerator for a day or two.
Assemble and Cook the Cabbage Rolls
Put the cabbage that you sliced up in the bottom of the Foodi pot. (We didn't have much left over!)
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (14) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (14)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-chopped-cabbag-in-the-bottom-of-the-Foodi-pot.jpg?_t=1657234395)
Spread a third of the sauce into the pot.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (15) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (15)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-start-with-a-layer-of-the-saurkraut-sauce.jpg?_t=1657234421)
Put in a layer of cabbage rolls.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (16) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (16)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-add-a-layer-of-cabbage-rolls.jpg?_t=1657234437)
Layer in another third of the sauce.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (17) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (17)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-add-another-layer-of-sauce.jpg?_t=1657234450)
Add another layer of cabbage rolls. You can see that some of them are a lot smaller.
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (18) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (18)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-add-another-layer-of-cabbage-rolls.jpg?_t=1657234473)
Finish with the remaining sauce. Add water to just come up to the top of the sauce. This recipe filled our 8-quart pot right up to the fill line!
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (19) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (19)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-finish-with-a-layer-of-sauce.jpg?_t=1657234502)
Pressure cook for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off let the pot release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release.
This is a complete meal, but I like to serve it with some rustic bread to soak up that sauce!
![Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (20) Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker - The Spice of Your Life (20)](https://i0.wp.com/thespiceofyourlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ninja-Foodie-Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls-in-a-bowl.jpg?_t=1657234567)
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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker
Kurt
We used to cook these cabbage rolls on the stovetop, and it cooked for 2 ½ hours. Now we use our Ninja Foodi pressure cooker and cook time is about 40 minutes, including pressurizing and pressure release. That doesn't count making the rolls and the sauerkraut sauce, but it still saves a lot of time!
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Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
Pressure Cook 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Course Main Course
Method Pressure Cooker, Stovetop
Servings 8
Calories 604 kcal
Special Equipment Needed
1 large skillet
1 Ninja Foodi Smart Pressure Cooker Steam Fryer or other pressure cooker such as Instant Pot
Ingredients
For the Cabbage Rolls
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground lamb
- ½ cup tomato sauce from a 15-ounce can
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 ½ tablespoons uncooked rice
- 1 large head cabbage
For the Sauerkraut Sauce
- ½ pound smoked bacon cut in small pieces
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 2 pounds sauerkraut
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 7 ounces tomato sauce from the 15-ounce can
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Instructions
Make the Cabbage Rolls
Mix the ground beef, ground pork, ground lamb, ½ cup tomato sauce, tomato paste, paprika, allspice, salt, pepper, and rice. Set aside at room temperature.
1 pound ground beef, 1 pound ground pork, 1 pound ground lamb, ½ cup tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon allspice, Salt and pepper, 2 ½ tablespoons uncooked rice
Wrap the cabbage in plastic wrap, put it in the microwave, and cook on high for six minutes.
1 large head cabbage
Remove the cabbage from the microwave and unwrap it. Be careful, it will be hot and give off some steam! Remove the large outer leaves. If you need more leaves than are softened enough to roll, put the cabbage back in the microwave and cook for about four more minutes.
Take 1 to 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture and roll it into a cylinder. Wrap it in a cabbage leaf. Repeat until all of the meat is wrapped.
Make the Sauerkraut Sauce
Fry the bacon in a large skillet until well rendered, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the onion and cook until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for one minute.
½ pound smoked bacon, 1 large onion, 1 clove garlic
Add the sauerkraut, salt, white pepper, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, crushed tomatoes, 7 ounces tomato sauce, chicken broth, and tomato paste. Cook for 5 minutes. Set aside.
2 pounds sauerkraut, Salt and white pepper, 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, 7 ounces tomato sauce, ½ cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Assemble and Cook the Cabbage Rolls
Chop the remaining cabbage head into small pieces and put it into the bottom of the Ninja Foodi Pot, followed by ⅓ of the sauerkraut mix. Add one layer of cabbage rolls, another layer of sauerkraut, and another layer of rolls. Finish with a layer of sauerkraut. Add water to barely cover the rolls.
Close the pressure lid on the Ninja Foodi and turn the valve to Seal. Pressure cook for 10 minutes. When the time is up allow the pot to natural release for 10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.
Nutrition Estimate
Calories: 604kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 39gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 1435mgPotassium: 1222mgFiber: 9gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 642IUVitamin C: 80mgCalcium: 144mgIron: 6mg
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