Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I sat at the kitchen table and watched as my mother carefully cored a cabbage and dropped the pale green leaves, one at a time, into a pot of bubbling water. Cabbage rolls were one of my mother’s signature yom tov dishes. Stuffed cabbage is the ultimate slow-cooked comfort food, in which cabbage leaves are filled with a savory ground meat mixture and simmered in a sweet and sour tomato sauce. Although conventional recipes call for separating the individual cabbage leaves, blanching them, rolling them around a filling, and then cooking them again, this recipe has a single time-saving step.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

This recipe for stuffed cabbage, by Sandra Ruben Temes, published in her outstanding cookbook, Welcome to my Kitchen,  is an American variation of this classic dish which includes ingredients such as ketchup, tomatoes, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Freezing the cabbage and then defrosting it, rather than boiling the individual leaves, makes this dish a snap to prepare. Well, almost. Cabbage rolls taste even better a day or two after you make them and freeze beautifully. Create your own holiday memories with this earthy and rustic dish. A happy, healthy, and peaceful New Year.

Assemble your ingredients. Place the cabbage in your freezer 2-3 days before you want to use it. Defrost the cabbage the night before cooking. Place it in a large bowl or pan to defrost in case there is any accumulation of liquid. When it is completely defrosted, separate the leaves and place them on a plate.

In a large Dutch oven that you will use for cooking the cabbage rolls, sauté the chopped onions in 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the brown sugar and lemon juice and cook until the brown sugar is dissolved. Pour the onion mixture into a large bowl. Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the bowl. Set the mixture aside.

In a large bowl, Combine the meat, rice, and seasonings. Add the stock slowly to the mixture.

If you like, you can remove the top layer of the vein of the cabbage leaf with a sharp knife to make them more flexible for rolling. This step is purely optional. Place the cabbage leaf on a plate with the narrower end in front of you. Place a tablespoon of meat on the leaf, close to the edge nearest to you, and begin to roll the leaf around the meat. Fold in the two sides of the leaf and continue to roll. Place the rolls on a plate.

When all the rolls are completed, shred the remaining cabbage leaves and place a layer of cabbage at the bottom of the pot that you will be using to cook the cabbage rolls. Place a layer of cabbage rolls on top of the shredded cabbage. Be sure to place the open end of the cabbage on the bottom. Continue layering the cabbage and cabbage rolls until the rolls are all used up. 

Pour the sauce over the rolls. Cover and cook on top of the stove for 2 hours. Bring the sauce to a boil and then lower it to a simmer. After 2 hours, transfer the pot to a preheated 300 F. oven and cook for another 2 hours. Carefully place the stuffed cabbage rolls onto a serving platter, spoon the sauce over, and serve. Or, allow the cabbage rolls to cool and refrigerate them. They are even more delicious after a day or two. Cabbage rolls also freeze very well.

Print Recipe

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Meat, Chicken and Fish

By Sandra Ruben Temes, Welcome to my Kitchen – Serves: 12

Prep Time: 1 hour – Cooking Time: 4 hours – Total Time: 5 hours

The ultimate slow-cooked comfort food in which cabbage leaves are stuffed with a savory ground meat mixture and simmered in a sweet and sour tomato sauce.

Ingredients

• Filling
• 1 large head of cabbage
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• ½ cup uncooked rice
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced or grated with a microplane
• 1/2 cup stock (homemade or prepared with boiled water and consommé powder)
• Sauce
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons oil
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 6 cups tomato juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1

Place the cabbage in your freezer 2-3 days before you want to use it. Defrost the cabbage the night before cooking. Place it in a large bowl or pan to defrost in case there is any accumulation of liquid. When it is completely defrosted, separate the leaves and place them on a plate.

2

In a large Dutch oven that you will use for cooking the cabbage rolls, sauté the chopped onions in 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the brown sugar and lemon juice and cook until the brown sugar is dissolved. Pour the onion mixture into a large bowl. Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the bowl. Set the mixture aside.

3

In another large bowl, combine the meat, rice, and seasonings. Add the stock slowly to the mixture.

4

Place a cabbage leaf on a plate with the narrower end in front of you. Place a tablespoon of meat on the leaf, close to the edge nearest to you, and begin to roll the leaf around the meat. Fold in the two sides of the leaf and continue to roll. Place the rolls on a plate.

5

When all the rolls are completed, shred the remaining cabbage leaves and place a layer of cabbage at the bottom of the pot that you will be using to cook the cabbage rolls. Place a layer of cabbage rolls on top of the shredded cabbage. Be sure to place the open end of the cabbage on the bottom. Continue layering the cabbage and cabbage rolls until the rolls are all used up. 

6

Pour the sauce over the rolls. Bring the sauce to a boil and then lower it to a simmer. Cover and cook on top of the stove for 2 hours. After 2 hours, transfer the pot to a preheated 300 F. oven and cook for another 2 hours. Carefully place the stuffed cabbage rolls onto a serving platter, spoon the sauce over, and serve. Or, allow the cabbage rolls to cool and refrigerate them. They are even more delicious after a day or two. Cabbage rolls freeze very well.