My mother’s side of the family is from Ukraine. They emigrated to the US after World War II, and with them they brought many of their family food traditions. Stuffed cabbage (holubtsi) is one of those traditions. I can remember making them as a child with my mother and grandmother. My mother making the meat mixture, while my grandmother stood over a giant pot of boiling water peeling off the cabbage leaves one by one as they softened. Then together, we would stuff and wrap dozens and dozens of holubtsi and then bake them for hours. It was a labor of love, and a family tradition.
Realizing, however, that few of us have the time to make holubtsi the traditional way, I decided to make Instant Pot Stuffed Cabbage (Holubtsi) Stew that is reminiscent of the original flavors, but is Whole30/Paleo compliant AND something that you can make in just a few minutes!
My mom and dad loved this Instant Pot Stuffed Cabbage (Holubtsi) Stew and I really think that my grandmother (Baba) and grandfather (Dede) would have loved my version too…I just wouldn’t have dared tell them that the ‘rice’ was actually cauliflower!
PS – If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you could make this delicious stew in a standard stock pot by simply allowing the cabbage to simmer until fully cooked…about 45 minutes.
*The linens in the photo were gifted to me by my grandmother!
- ½ Tbs Ghee
- 2 Yellow onions, diced
- 1 Lb ground pork or beef
- ½ Tbs minced garlic
- 1 Can fire roasted tomatoes
- 3 Cans of water
- 1 Jar of spaghetti or tomato sauce
- 3 Cups frozen cauliflower rice
- 1 Head of Napa cabbage, cored and diced into bite sized pieces.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Turn the Instant Pot onto 'Saute'...once hot add the ghee.
- Once the ghee is hot, add the onions, garlic and meat. Stir frequently until the meat is cooked fully.
- Turn the Instant Pot off.
- Add the fire roasted tomatoes, water, cabbage and cauliflower rice.
- Cook on 'Manual', 'High pressure' for 10 minutes and then use the quick release to vent the steam.
- Serve and enjoy!!