Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are loaded with a tender and juicy ground beef and rice filling, wrapped up in a boiled cabbage leaf, and then baked in the oven with a flavor-packed tomato sauce.  In this recipe you’ll learn the best way to boil cabbage leaves as well as how to perfectly place the filling ingredients so they roll up with ease!  This Polish-style cabbage roll recipe is a healthy, gluten-free, and lower-carb comfort food dish your family is sure to love!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Is anyone else absolutely OBSESSED with cabbage lately?

The love first started with this Egg Roll in a Bowl and soon evolved once Sautéed Cabbage and Cabbage Steaks were discovered.

And now I can’t seem to get enough of it with these Polish-style cabbage rolls!

With their fresh herb and rice-loaded beef filling…

Homemade sweet and tangy tomato sauce…

Soft and tender cabbage leaves.

Not to mention, they’re actually super fun to make!  That is, if you know a few tips and tricks to make sure your cabbage leaves don’t tear and you’ve properly seasoned your filling.

(No need to worry, I’ll cover all of those tips and tricks below!)

One word of caution, though.  While this is an EASY recipe, it does take a bit of time.  So make sure you have a little over an hour to prep and bake your dish.

Polish Gołąbki

This particular cabbage roll recipe is more Polish in origin with it’s tomato-based sauce and beef-rice filling.  If you’re from Europe you may also know these as Gołąbki.

These rolls are different from the Jewish version, holishkls, which are also filled with beef and rice but have raisins and are cooked in a brown sugar, lemon, and tomato sauce instead.

Ingredients

It may initially seem like there are quite a few ingredients, but most of them are relatively easy to find at your grocery store and many you probably already have on hand.

• Cabbage – a medium-large head of green cabbage is recommended.  Larger leaves are easier to fill up and roll without them tearing.
• Ground meat – ground beef was used when testing this recipe but ground turkey or even ground pork can be substituted.
• Rice – Cooked rice is mixed in with the filling ingredients.  You can either cook your rice on the stovetop or make Instant Pot White Rice.  Brown rice can be used and uncooked cauliflower rice may even be substituted if on a low-carb diet.
• Tomatoes – A combination of tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes.
• Garlic – Fresh cloves are called for, but garlic powder may also be used.
• Worcestershire Sauce – this may seem like an optional ingredient, but this simple sauce is the secret sauce that makes the taste so good!
• Sugar – a sweetener is optional but it gives the tomato sauce just enough sweetness to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.  You can also substituted with honey or any other type of non-nutritive sweetener.
• Egg – this helps to hold the filling ingredients together.  If you’re allergic to eggs, you can try using a flax or chia egg instead.
• Parsley
• Cayenne Pepper
• Paprika

How Do You Get Cabbage Leaves off the Head?

There are a few differing methods when it comes to removing the cabbage leaves from the head to make stuffed rolls.  While you can simply peel them straight off of the head with no prepping, oftentimes they end up breaking.

(If you opt to peel the leaves straight off of the head, you’ll still need to boil them for 1-2 minutes before rolling them up.)

Instead, a quick par-boil softens the leaves just enough so they are pliable and peel easily.

1. Cut and remove about 1 inch from the bottom of the head of cabbage. (Step 1 above)
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Once boiling, place the entire head of cabbage into the pot of boiling water and boil for 4-5 minutes or until the leaves peel easily and are pliable. (Step 2 above)
3. Remove the boiled head of cabbage from the pot and place on a dish towel to let drain.  Once cool to the touch, peel 12 cabbage leaves from the head, being careful not to tear them. (Step 3 above)

Rolling Up Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

It may seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite simple to roll up stuffed cabbage leaves.  This is the best and easiest way to do it:

1. Once you have your filling ingredients mixed together, place one cabbage leaf on a cutting board.  Cut a V-shaped incision at the base of each leaf to remove the bottom 1-2 inches of the tough rib. (This makes it MUCH easier to roll up!) (Step 1 above)
2. Add in about 3-4 tablespoons of the filling mixture into each leaf. (Step 2 above)
3. Fold the right side of the leaf over the filling. (Step 3above)
4. Then fold the left side over. (Step 4 above)
5. Starting at the base, begin rolling the cabbage leaf up. (Step 5 above)
6. Repeat the above steps with the remaining filling and cabbage leafs until all of them are used. (Step 6 above)

How Long to Bake Cabbage Rolls?

Cabbage rolls are sort of like a meatloaf in that they take quite a bit of time to bake in the oven.  After all, you want to make sure that meat is FULLY cooked through.

1. Pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and spread it out in a single layer.
2. Place cabbage rolls, seam-side-down, in two rows of six rolls.  Cover the dish with a piece of aluminum foil.
3. Bake cabbage rolls in a preheated 350°F oven for 60 to 75 minutes.

You can either cut through one of the rolls to check for doneness or you can insert a meat thermometer.  If the ground beef has reached an internal temperature of 160°F it is cooked through and ready to eat.

Pro Tips

• Boiling an entire head of cabbage ensures you get the most number of leaves that are fully intact with no tears.
• Make sure you choose a medium to large head of cabbage.  This makes stuffing them with the filling MUCH easier.
• Cutting a v-shape at the base of each cabbage leaf and removing the rib helps the cabbage leaf to become even more pliable and easier to roll.
• Mix the filling ingredients together first with a potato masher to ensure all of the meat is thoroughly mixed with the other ingredients.
• A little sugar helps to balance out the acidity from the tomatoes in the sauce.
• Worcestershire sauce is a secret ingredient that replaces the traditional vinegar found in other recipes.  (You can also use red wine vinegar if you’d prefer!)

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4 from 10 votes

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are loaded with a tender and juicy ground beef and rice filling, wrapped up in a boiled cabbage leaf, and then baked in the oven with a flavor-packed tomato sauce.  In this recipe you'll learn the best way to boil cabbage leaves as well as how to perfectly place the filling ingredients so they roll up with ease!  This Polish-style cabbage roll recipe is a healthy, gluten-free, and lower-carb comfort food dish your family is sure to love!

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Course Dinner

Cuisine Polish

Keyword dinner, easy, gluten free, low-carb

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 471 kcal

London Brazil

Ingredients

• 1 large head of cabbage green*

Tomato Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp. oil olive or avocado
• 1 cup sweet onion finely chopped, divided
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 15 oz. tomato sauce canned
• 15 oz. crushed tomatoes canned
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sugar optional
• 1 tsp. salt to taste
• ½ tsp. black pepper to taste

Filling:

• 1 lb. ground beef or turkey*
• 1 cup rice cooked, white or brown*
• ½ cup sweet onion finely chopped, divided
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. fresh parsley finely chopped
• ¼ tsp. paprika
• ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

3. Cut and remove about 1 inch from the bottom of the head of cabbage.

4. Place the entire head of cabbage into the pot of boiling water and boil for 4-5 minutes or until the leaves peel easily and are pliable.
5. Remove the boiled head of cabbage from the pot and place on a dish towel to let drain.
6. Once cool to the touch, peel 12 cabbage leaves from the head, being careful not to tear them.

Tomato Sauce:

1. Add oil and chopped onion to a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion has softened. Add crushed garlic and continue sautéing for an additional minute.

2. Add in tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir to combine.
3. Increase heat to high and bring sauce to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes.

Cabbage Rolls:

1. Add all filling ingredients to a large bowl. Mash the ingredients together using a potato masher until well combined.
2. Place one cabbage leaf on a cutting board. Cut a V-shaped incision at the base of each leaf to remove the bottom 1-2 inches of the tough rib.
3. Add in about 3-4 tablespoons of the filling mixture into each leaf.
4. Fold the right side of the leaf over the filling and then fold the left side over.
5. Starting at the base, begin rolling the cabbage leaf up.
6. Repeat the above steps with the remaining filling and cabbage leafs.
7. Spray a large 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour in tomato sauce and spread it out along the bottom of the dish.
8. Place cabbage rolls, seam-side-down, in two rows of six rolls.
9. Cover the baking dish with a piece of aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 60-75 minutes.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• A medium-large head of green cabbage is recommended. Larger leaves are easier to fill up and then roll without them tearing.
• Substitute with uncooked cauliflower rice if on a low-carb diet.
• Can use 90/10 or 93/7 ground meat.
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Nutrition Facts

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 471 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Trans Fat 1g

Cholesterol 81mg27%

Sodium 1222mg53%

Potassium 1089mg31%

Carbohydrates 51g17%

Fiber 8g33%

Sugar 16g18%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 1420IU28%

Vitamin C 81mg98%

Calcium 149mg15%

Iron 5mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.