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Cabbage leaves stuffed with a savoury combination of ground beef, pork, rice and vegetables, then cooked in the oven in a creamy tomato sauce. Making cabbage rolls at home is much easier than you think!
Serve these with our Herb and Garlic Mashed Potatoes for a satisfying and cozy dinner.
Cabbage Rolls
Stuffed Cabbage rolls is a dish that every Russian and Ukrainian family makes. It’s a true comfort food for us, while managing to be quite healthy! It might be a little fiddly but not difficult at all.
Do you ever wonder how Russians survive long and cold winters without constantly coming down with colds? The secret is eating a lot of cabbage in the winter.
How is it relevant? Cabbage has LOADS of vitamin C, more than oranges! We can eat it as a salad, in soups, braised, or many other ways as well!
How to Make Cabbage Rolls
The recipe I am sharing today is my mother’s. I might’ve tweaked it a bit to make it easier but the taste remained the same.
What cabbage to use
The most traditional cabbage to use in this recipe is green cabbage, however I’ve recently been experimenting with Savoy cabbage and loved the results.
Savoy cabbage is considered to be the sweetest of all cabbages. It also adds more texture to this dish and is a dream to work with as the leaves separate much easier.
Whatever type of cabbage you use make sure it’s fresh and crispy. I found that using cabbage later in the season (around March or April) produces cabbage rolls that could be a bit tough and stringy.
Cabbage roll stuffing
These rolls are stuffed with a mixture of extra lean proteins. Ground beef and pork, caramelized onions, carrots, lots of fresh parsley and rice.
After the cabbage leaves are stuffed and rolled they are baked in a sour cream tomato sauce. It’s a one pot dish, that takes a bit of time to prepare but once it’s in the oven, it cooks hands free!
How to Separate Cabbage Leaves
My mother never did that but I use a new method for separating cabbage leaves, which is much easier and faster.
According to the traditional method you have to boil a head of cabbage for a short time until the leaves soften enough to pull them apart. Sounds easy enough but it turns out to be a lot of pain!
You have to boil it long enough for the leaves to become pliable but not too long so they turn mushy.
Then you have to pull that cabbage out of boiling water, burn your fingers in the process, cut away the outer leaves, then put it back in the water, then take it out again. Pain!
I’ve heard that it’s possible to freeze cabbage instead of boiling it with the same results. Sure enough, I froze it for a couple of days, then defrosted it and the leaves were very easy to separate and perfect for rolling! Success.
This recipe yields 10-12 servings. Basically it makes enough for two full meals.
Can I freeze cabbage rolls?
Yes! They are very freezer friendly. Just pop them in freezer bags and they will keep for at least a month. This way you’ve got delicious dinner put away for a day in the future when you don’t feel like fussing in the kitchen.
More authentic Russian cabbage recipes to try
- Braised Cabbage with Bacon and Mushrooms
- Homemade Russian Sauerkraut (Kvashenaya Kapusta)
- Beef and Cabbage Soup Shchi
- Lazy Cabbage Rolls (Easy Version)
Cabbage Rolls “Golubtsi”
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Cast iron casserole dish
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 250ml/1 cup This is an affiliate link.chicken stock
- 250ml/1 cup sour cream or creme fraiche, full fat
- 500ml/2 cups This is an affiliate link.canned crushed tomatoes, or passata
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Freeze the cabbages 3 days before you need it. The night before defrost cabbage and keep them in the fridge until you are ready.
- Cook rice in plenty water the same way you would pasta until al dente for approximately 5 minutes after the water boils. It shouldn't be too soft. Drain and set aside.
- In a frying pan heat olive oil and cook onions over low heat for 7-10 minutes until tender.
- Grate carrots. In a large bowl combine beef, pork, parsley, onions, carrots, rice, salt and pepper.
- In a medium bowl whisk together stock, crushed tomatoes and creme fraiche, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Place your head of cabbage on a cutting board, cut off the bottom and pull the leaves away from the stalk. Repeat with the second head of cabbage.
- Preheat your oven to 350F/180C.
- Clear your work space, so all ingredients are within reach. Take a cabbage leaf and cut the rib down, so it's not too thick. Put 2 tbsp of filling at the bottom of the wide part of a leaf (see picture above) and roll it like a burrito, tucking sides in. Your cabbage rolls will vary in size slightly depending on the size of cabbage leaves. You will have approximately 30-32 cabbage rolls.
- Pour a cup of the sauce on the bottom of your cast iron casserole or any other heavy bottom casserole dish and start stacking your cabbage rolls. Half way through add a couple of bay leaves and 1/3 of the sauce and continue stacking until all cabbage rolls are gone.
- Pour the remaining sauce over cabbage rolls, cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Then take the lid off and bake for 30 more minutes. Serve with additional sour cream or creme fraiche and fresh herbs like dill and parsley.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yum! I had my first Russian Cabbage Rolls last week at the Buford Highway Farmers Market in Atlanta. I can’t wait to make these for myself!
Good luck, Adriana, one of my all time favourite meals! 🙂
What do you recommend for side dishes to serve with the cabbage rolls?
Adriana, they are actually a dish in itself because they are a protein-carb-veg combo but if you really like to add something they are wonderful with mashed potatoes!
I have tried freezing cabbage but find that, although the leaves are easy to roll, they are tough and stringy after cooking in the oven. Is steamed cabbage more tender than frozen cabbage? Does freezing toughen the leaves?
Jan, I would say that depends on the size of a cabbage. I found that freezing did the same job as steaming in terms of preping it. I usually cut away parts of thick membranes on leaves that are particularly large leaves because whether you steam them or freeze they will be tough, so they should be removed before rolling. I hope that helps. 🙂
Thank you so much for a fantastic recipe. I hate to say with my German heritage I have never made cabbage rolls on my own! The recipe was easy, the pictures were lovely and the cabbage rolls turned out delicious–will definitely make again. I am so thrilled I stumbled across your site! Thanks again, will be checking in often!!
I am so glad you ventured out into the cabbage roll making territory, Brigitte! They might seem intimidating at first but as you’ve learned they are quite easy to prepare. Thank you for your kind words and hope to hear from you again. Have a lovely weekend!
Such a great idea to freeze the cabbage instead of boiling it. So much easier, I used to dread making this dish because of the boiling process. Now I will definitely make it more often because of ur recipe 🙂 Thank u
Thank you, Tonya!
A cold and windy blast today gave me a chance to try this dish! My Family loves trying new tastes and we all agreed the was an awesome meal! The sour cream gave it a very unique flavor. I want to try the creme fraiche next time and I did not have the pork on hand, so I just used 2 pounds of the ground beef. Wish I would have had some crusty bread on hand to sop up the wonderful broth! I had cabbage and needed to use it and this recipe came up on Pinterest. Thank you for sharing.
I am so happy to hear it, Roxanne. I love a family that is not afraid to be adventurous with food! Thank you for your kind comment. 🙂
Does freezing the cabbage rolls take place of boiling them? My husband and I are alone now so I usually make a large batch to eat that night and then freeze in smaller packages to take out when we don’t feel like cooking!
Yes, for the first stage when you separate cabbage leaves for rolling. You still have to cook the rolls later. 🙂
These look amazing! Do you freeze your left overs before or after you cook them?
I usually freeze them after I cook them but I rarely do that anymore, my 9 year-old eats like a teenager! 🙂
Could this recipe work in a crockpot on low?
Alden, I haven’t tried but I don’t see why not. I wouldn’t cook it for too long though…maybe just 4 hours as you don’t want your cabbage leaves to get all mushy. If you do, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I tried cooking in my stock pot on low for four hours. Turned out amazing! This will definitely be a recipe we pass down. Thanks so much!
Glad you enjoyed it Alden. 🙂
Best idea ever to freeze the cabbage,I’ve been make cabbage roles for years boiling the head ,removing leaf by leaf. This was a snap,no mess no burned fingers. I’m trying your recipe to day as my mom made this when we were young.
Isn’t it the best kitchen hack, Lorene!! I hope you enjoy your cabbage rolls!
Could not include rice just use more meat?
That is absolutely fine, Karen.
Looks so delicious! Thank you for the tip about freezing the cabbage first. Can’t wait to try the recipe while the cold weather lingers.
You are welcome, Elizabeth. I couldn’t believe how much easier it was!
Did you remove the “core” from inside the cabbage before
you froze it? Or, when you remove from the freezer and
slice the bottom off, do you have to remove the core?
I look forward to your reply so that I can try this method.
I also am tired of burning my fingers!
Margie, I didn’t remove the core before I froze it but I do always remove the core and thick ribs before I roll them.
I froze my cabbage overnight and the leaves were wonderfully pliable. I think it will simplify things even more to core the cabbage in advance of freezing. Since I did not thaw it out in advance I put the whole head I. The microwave for 30 seconds at a time and peeled off a few leaves as ai needed them.
Good tips, Adriana! 🙂
Almost identical to the Cabbage rolls my little Polish Grandmother taught me to make! Thank you for sharing!
You are most welcome, Colleen.