Air Fryer Veggie-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Any meal that can be easily whipped up in an air fryer is a winning one to us. Take, for example, these air fryer veggie-stuffed cabbage rolls; tender cabbage leaves get perfectly cooked in the air fryer until they're deliciously crisp on the edges with a hearty savory filling on the inside. Cabbage has a way of transforming in the air fryer, taking on a charred flavor yet retaining its natural sweetness. The filling is jam-packed with lots of veggies like diced mushrooms, red pepper, carrots, edamame, seasoned to perfection with aromatic spices.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn especially loves the versatility of this rolls. "Serve them as a satisfying main dish or plate them up as appetizers for a party," she suggests. "I love any time I can use a vegetable as the wrap instead of something processed." As an added bonus, you can stuff these rolls with essentially any veggies that you want to, and when it comes to dipping your final product, the possibilities are endless.

To make this recipe, start in the produce aisle and pick up mushrooms, red pepper, shredded carrots, onion, garlic, and green cabbage. Hit up the frozen aisle for shelled edamame and the dry goods area for some rice of your choice.

We have a hefty number of condiments and seasonings needed so check your pantry for sesame oil, avocado oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cumin, coriander, garam masala, powdered ginger, turmeric, and red chili flakes. If you'd like to sprinkle on some sesame seeds to the finished rolls, grab some of those too.

Add the mushroom, red pepper, carrots, edamame, onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, cumin, coriander, garam masala, ¼ teaspoon ginger, and the turmeric to an oven safe dish that will fit in your air fryer. Stir to combine.

Cook in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400 F.

Add the cooked rice to the vegetable mixture.

Cut the core off of the cabbage and peel gently to separate the leaves. You'll need 10-12 leaves.

With a paring knife, trim down the stem on each cabbage leaf.

Place the leaves in boiling water for 4 minutes.

Place the cabbage leaves vertically in front of you with the core end closest, and add 2-3 tablespoons of the vegetable/rice mixture.

Fold in the sides of the cabbage and wrap up into a tight roll and place in the air fryer basket. Repeat until you've used up each cabbage leaf and all of the filling.

Brush each roll with avocado oil.

Cook for 12 minutes at 350 F. You may have to work in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.

While the rolls are cooking, combine the remaining sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, remaining ginger, and red chili flakes.

Serve the rolls with the sauce and optional sesame seeds.

The cabbage rolls are like a blank canvas with a multitude of options for the inside filling. You can swap out or add to the veggies we've used for other things you may have in your produce drawer. Try diced celery, chopped sugar snap peas, green peas, diced cauliflower, or diced broccoli.

If you want to add more protein to the rolls you can add cooked chicken, beef, or shrimp. Just make sure to cut the pieces fairly small to match up with the size of the vegetables. For a vegetarian option, diced and seasoned tofu complements the vegetables and rice nicely. Since it is neutral in taste, there are many ways to flavor tofu before adding it to the rolls. Tempeh is another good vegetarian option to add, and it can be crumbled and sautéed with a little soy sauce and maple syrup before adding to the filling mixture.

Adding or substituting another grain will add another layer of texture to the rolls. Try quinoa, farro, barley, or wheat berries.

If you don't have an air fryer you can still make these delicious cabbage rolls. The first method is to cook them in your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 F, and if you have the options for convection cooking, go ahead and select convection bake. This allows for a similar air flow as the air fryer and will yield a close result. You'll want to cover the baking dish to trap the steam and keep the cabbage rolls from drying out.

Even though it can be easy to make mistakes when steaming food, you can steam the cabbage rolls successfully on your stove top. A bamboo steamer works best for this method, but a metal steamer will also get the job done. Place the cabbage rolls in the steamer and place the steamer over a pot of water that has come to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low boil and cover the steamer. Let the cabbage rolls steam for at least 30 minutes until they soften to your desired consistency.