Simple and delicious these classic, homemade cabbage rolls are filled with a seasoned meat mixture with rice and baked in a rich tangy tomato sauce.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr45 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: German, Mediterranean
Keyword: Cabbage Rolls Recipe
Servings: 6
Calories: 423kcal
Ingredients
Sauce
15ouncescan crushed tomatoes
16ouncestomato sauce(two 8-ounce cans)
2tablespoonslight brown sugar,packed
1tablespoontomato paste
1tablespoonwhite vinegar
½teaspoongarlic powder
½teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonblack pepper
Rolls
1headgreen cabbage
1poundground beef
½cupyellow onion,finely chopped
1tablespoondried parsley
1teaspoondried oregano
2teaspoonsminced garlic
1teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonblack pepper
1cupwhite rice,cooked and cooled according to package directions
¼sauce,reserved from the sauce mixture above
1largeegg,room temperature and lightly beaten
½teaspoonfresh dill,chopped
Instructions
Sauce
Mix together in a medium bowl the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, light brown sugar, tomato paste, white vinegar, garlic powder, salt and black pepper until fully combined.
Reserve ¼ cup of the sauce to add to the filling mixture then spread ½ cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.
Rolls
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut off the bottom stem of the head of cabbage then submerge the cabbage into the boiling water for 5 minutes to soften the leaves.
Remove the head of cabbage from the boiling water and place into a colander to drain and cool enough to handle. Turn off the heat to the pot however, do not drain the hot water as you may need to allow the cabbage to sit in the hot water again if the leaves closer to the core are not quite soft, and pliable, enough to remove from the head without tearing.
Remove the outer 12 leaves from the head of cabbage, being careful not to tear the leaves, then place onto a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess water while preparing the filling.
To a large preheated skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef, onion, parsley, oregano, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink and the onion is tender. Turn off the heat to the skillet and drain off any excess fat from the mixture.
Add the white rice, ¼ cup reserved sauce, lightly beaten egg, and dill. Stir to evenly combine all the ingredients and set aside to cool slightly.
Using a sharp paring knife, cut a V-shape at the base of each cabbage leaf to remove the tough stalk. This will make it easier to roll up the filled cabbage leaves.
Lay out a single cabbage leaf, place ¼ cup of the filling mixture into the top third of the leaf, then fold over the top of the leaf, followed by the sides, then tightly roll the rest of the cabbage leaf as you would a burrito or egg roll. Be sure to tuck in the edges of the leaves as tight as possible to ensure the cabbage roll does not open when baked. Place the cabbage roll into the prepared baking dish. Repeat until all 12 leaves have been filled and rolled.
Spoon the remaining sauce mixture evenly over the cabbage rolls in the baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Remove the aluminum foil from the baking dish. If needed, spoon some of the sauce from the dish back over the tops of the cabbage rolls to ensure they stay moist while allowing them to rest for 10-15 minutes before plating and serving.
Video
Notes
For the white rice in this recipe, you can make it up to 48 hours in advance and store in the refrigerator until ready to use in the recipe. Leftover white rice from Chinese take-out works great as a shortcut as well as minute rice cooked according to package directions.
You can use approximately 3 ¾ cups jarred marinara sauce for a quick substitute to mixing together your own sauce. Be sure to stir in the light brown sugar and white vinegar to the jarred sauce if using this shortcut for the recipe.
If you find that as you get closer to the core of the head of cabbage and the leaves are not as tender and pliable to easily peel away, add the head back to the pot of hot water and allow it to soak for an additional 2-3 minutes to soften the leaves enough to finish removing them from the head to use in the recipe.