This stuffed cabbage rolls recipe is one I enjoyed from my grandma’s kitchen for years and years.
Tender cabbage leaves are filled with a beef and rice mixture and baked in with a simple tomato sauce.
This dish can be made ahead of time and reheats and freezes well.
Types of Cabbage Rolls
This cabbage rolls’ recipe comes from my grandma and my mom. My grandma immigrated from Poland so we have enjoyed many cabbage dishes or even just simple fried cabbage. Between pierogi and rouladen, Grandma’s kitchen always smelled incredible and there was always something amazing to eat!
There are many many different ways to make cabbage rolls based on family tradition and location. Polish cabbage rolls usually contain meat and rice while the Ukrainian version my friend Penny makes generally contain only rice.
While some add raw meat and rice and cook them with the cabbage, our family has always pre-cooked the rice and meat.
Ingredients in Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage
We use a head of regular green cabbage and boil it in a large pot of water to make it tender. Many people freeze the whole head of cabbage and thaw it to eliminate the boiling step but I find the cabbage isn’t as tender this way.
Meat Mixture
My grandmother always used pork in her cabbage rolls so I use a mixture of beef and pork. You can use just one or the other (or any ground meat). Cooked long-grain white rice is added to the meat along with an egg to help it hold together.
Sauce
Most Polish cabbage roll recipes are covered in tomato sauce or tomato juice. We love the addition of a can of tomato soup to tomato sauce. It may not be typical but it softens & sweetens the sauce slightly and tastes delicious!
How to Make Cabbage Rolls
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil cabbage until tender.
- Cook rice slightly undercooked per the recipe below. Brown the ground beef and pork while the rice is cooking. Combine remaining filling ingredients
- Add the filling to cabbage leaves and roll. Place seam side down in a casserole dish.
- Top with the sauce and bake.
Tips for Great Cabbage Rolls
- For the most tender cabbage leaves, boil them in salted water.
- Cut 1/2 inch off the head of cabbage, the leaves will fall off as they cook.
- Once boiled, use a small knife to cut the thick stem of the leaf (image above).
- Overlap smaller leaves and fill, even if they’re not pretty, they’ll cook perfectly.
- You may have leftover filling depending on the size of your cabbage. Extra filling can be added to tomato soup, or stuffed in zucchini or bell peppers.
- Cabbage rolls can be frozen before or after baking.
More From Grandma’s Kitchen
- Homemade Pierogi
- Cabbage and Noodles
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- American Goulash Recipe
- Beef Rouladen
- Homemade Borscht
Did you make these cabbage rolls? Leave a comment and rating below!
Easy Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 head green cabbage
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 1 pound ground pork (or ground turkey)
- ½ pound ground beef
- 2 small onions diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dill weed
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14 ounces) with juices
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups + ⅓ cup tomato sauce divided
- 1 can tomato soup 10.5 ounces
Instructions
- Boil cabbage leaves for about 2 minutes or until soft. (See note below for removing leaves). Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook rice according to package directions but reduce cooking time by 5 minutes so the rice is slightly underdone. Set aside.
- Cook pork (or turkey), beef, onions, garlic, & seasonings in a pan until no pink remains. Drain any fat. Add in rice, diced tomatoes, & ⅓ cup of tomato sauce. Stir in egg.
- Mix remaining tomato sauce and tomato soup in a bowl. Spread a very thin layer of the tomato sauce mixture in a 9x13 pan.
- Remove or thin any thick stem on cabbage leaves. Lay the cabbage leaf flat and add ¼ to ⅓ cup filling to the center of the leaf. Fold in the sides and roll the cabbage up. Place seam side down in the pan. (See note for small leaves). Repeat with remaining cabbage.
- Pour sauce over the cabbage and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 75-90 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Once boiled, use a small knife to cut the thick stem off the leaf (image above).
- Overlap smaller leaves and fill, even if they're not pretty, they'll cook perfectly.
- You may have leftover filling depending on the size of your cabbage. Extra filling can be added to tomato soup, or stuffed in zucchini or bell peppers.
- Cabbage rolls can be frozen before or after baking.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Casserole, Dinner
Cuisine Polish© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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made these today and added shredded carrots and chopped celery
made 2/9 x 9 pans and added some Worcestershire sauce to the mix and the sauce on top!
Made these today and they turned out amazing! There is nothing that I would change in this recipe.
I made several mistakes in making this. I’m posting to help others who make the same ones. #1 I did not use a whole head but a half and a quarter. 2 I Cooke it too long. was unable to make rolls, so I layer cabbage and filling beginning and ending with cabbage, then pouring sauce on top. hubby said ” you can make this again”.
Great easy recipe for lunch or dinner.
Serve with black beans and cornbread
My first time making cabbage rolls. Due to medical issues my wife is unable to cook any more. I’m 74 years old and have been learning to cook the last few years. These cabbage rolls were very good and easy to make. This recipe made 9×13 and 9×7 casserole dishes and I put the extra mix on top. Great!!
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe Terry!
My Gdaughter says she loves the flavor and she made an 8X10 pan full!!!! Looks delicious
I’ve cooked hamburger meat partially, add parsley & cilantro, oregano, salt & pepper. Also, love this trick, add mozzarella cheese on top I only had cheddar cheese, so I’ll see. I did use 4 cheese sauce, diced tomatoes & tomato sauce, which I season as well. ♀️
My family could not stop talking about how much they loved this and called it a “keeper”. I feed a family of 6 and all agreed, which rarely happens. I followed the recipe to a T, prepared it in the morning and put it in the oven when I got home from work. Will make a double batch next time to freeze.
Love them just the way they are…no tweeking needed
Fabulous! Hubby and I just finished dinner which we LOVED! Made it with ground turkey (Hubby doesn’t eat beef). In lieu of rice (too carby), I used 8 sweet potato tots, yes, only 8, smashing and frying them with the onions. Added green bell pepper and a tad bit of cinnamon, too. Baked them in tomato juice.
I made way too much. sent the stuffing home with me niece
easy and great tasting thank you
Great recipe. My supper turned out well. I am using this same recipe for stuffed bell peppers. Thanks for sharing your recipe
great recipe!
only tip you might consider is taking a 2″ hole saw and punch it into the root of the cabbage.
(you can ‘drill’ the saw into the root but banging it in – and use a screw driver to prise it out – rotate the saw counterclockwise to help remove it)
The leaves will come off easily AND, you won’t be trying to cut the root out with a sharp knife! :)