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Baked cabbage rolls in tomato sauce served in a red baking dish.

Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Rolled, sauced and baked until tender and flavourful, these homemade Cabbage Rolls turn simple ingredients into a dish that tastes rich, comforting and truly satisfying.

Course: Main
Cuisine: Ukrainian
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 35 rolls
Author: Olga from Effortless Lessly

Ingredients

  • 1 green cabbage
  • 900 g – 2 lbs pork OR ground pork
  • 900 g – 2 lbs beef OR ground beef
  • 300 g – 1½ cups dry rice – I used long grain rice
  • 2 medium yellow onions
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 90 ml – 6 tbsp olive oil or other vegetable oil – divided
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1 l – 4 cups tomato purée or 4 tbsp tomato paste
  • 9 g – 1½ tsp salt – or to taste
  • 45 g – 3 tbsp sugar – or to taste
  • 8 g – 2 tsp black pepper
  • 3 bay leaves

Instructions

Rice

  1. In a large pot, bring about 3 quarts – 3 litres of water to a boil.
  2. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes.
  3. Drain the rice using a colander and set it aside.

Cabbage Leaves

  1. Using a large chef’s knife, remove the core of the cabbage. Be careful not to cut out too much.
  2. To measure the amount of water you’ll need, place the cabbage in a large pot and pour in enough cold water to cover it completely. Remove the cabbage and set it aside, leaving the water in the pot.
  3. Bring the water to a boil. Stick a grill fork firmly into the cored centre of the cabbage and carefully place it into the boiling water, core side up. Take care not to splash the hot water.
  4. Reduce the heat and let the cabbage simmer for about 5 minutes.
  5. Keep the cabbage in the pot and, using the grill fork and a regular fork or tongs, gently separate and remove the leaves one at a time.
  6. Transfer the separated leaves to a plate.
  7. When the leaves become too small and bumpy, stop and save the remaining cabbage for soups, stews, or salads.
  8. Once the leaves are cool enough to handle, trim off the tough ribs. The leaves are now ready for filling.

Stuffing

  1. Cut the pork, beef, and onion into 1-inch – 2½ cm pieces. Using a meat grinder, grind them together and transfer the mixture to a large bowl. If using store-bought ground meat, place it in a large bowl and add 1 onion blended with 2 tablespoons of water into a smooth paste.
  2. Add the half-cooked rice to the same bowl.
  3. Finely chop another onion and grate the carrots using a coarse grater. Sauté them in a pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until soft.
  4. Add the cooked onion and carrots to the ground meat mixture. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper.
  5. Mix well with your hands until evenly combined, then set aside.

Tomato Sauce

  1. Finely mince the garlic and sauté it for 1 minute in a pot with the remaining olive oil.
  2. Add the tomato purée or paste, stir for another minute, then pour in enough water to make about 2 quarts – 2 litres or 8 cups of sauce. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes.

  3. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, bay leaves, and about 3 tablespoons of sugar (adjust to taste depending on how acidic your tomato purée is). Taste and adjust the seasoning.

    NOTE: The sauce should be flavourful, as the cabbage leaves are not salted.

Assembling

  1. Place about 1 tablespoon of meat stuffing on a cabbage leaf near the tough edge. Roll the leaf like an envelope, tucking the sides inside.
  2. Arrange the rolls, seam side down, in an ovenproof dish (if baking) or in a large pot (if cooking on the stovetop). Add a few torn cabbage leaves at the bottom to prevent sticking.
  3. Continue filling and rolling until you run out of leaves or stuffing. If you have leftover stuffing, shape it into small meatballs and scatter them around the rolls. If you have extra leaves, layer them on top.
  4. Pour the tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls until they are almost fully covered. If there isn’t enough sauce, add a little water.

  5. Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and cook in a preheated oven at 190°C – 375°F – gas mark 5 for about 1½ hours, until the cabbage rolls are tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.

    NOTE: Alternatively, you can cook them on the stovetop by covering the pot with a lid and simmering for about 1½ hours on the lowest heat setting. Keep the sauce gently bubbling so the rolls cook evenly and stay soft without falling apart.

  6. Serve warm with sour cream on the side if you like.

Recipe Notes

  • Stuffed cabbage rolls taste even better the next day. Some like to reheat them in a skillet until lightly browned for extra flavour.
  • The pot can be kept in the fridge for several days, and the rolls also freeze well for longer storage.