These cabbage rolls are filled with delicious ground meat, rice, and aromatics, then topped with a succulent tomato-based sauce. The only way to describe it is — perfect!
It seems that each cook and culture has their own variation of cabbage rolls. This stuffed cabbage rolls recipe is a version of our family’s Ukrainian cabbage rolls, called “halupki” or “golubtsi.” Many Eastern European countries and people have their own variants, but this traditional recipe was passed from my grandma, to mom, and now to me. Today, these rolls are a staple during our holiday meals.
Looking for a vegetarian option? Make our vegetarian stuffed cabbage rolls for great flavor without the meat!
What Are Cabbage Rolls?
Cabbage rolls are boiled cabbage leaves stuffed with a savory meat and rice mixture, then topped with tomato sauce and baked in the oven. They are often served with a dollop of cool sour cream to pair with the savory hot rolls.
It is hard to pinpoint the exact origin of cabbage rolls; however, some sources state the dish likely originated in the ancient Middle East (such as Israel). Over time, many different communities adopted their own version of the rolls. Some variants are sweet and sour, whereas others are more savory.
How to Make Cabbage Rolls
Perhaps the most intimidating part about making cabbage rolls is the rolling! Fear not, as this process is actually quite easy and the sturdiness of cabbage leaves makes rolling a breeze.
- Make the filling base: Boil the rice in a pot of salted water until cooked. Sauté the carrots and onions on an oiled pan.
- Combine filling ingredients: Cool the cooked rice, carrots, and onions. Then combine them with the ground meat in a large bowl. Add herbs and spices and mix until well combined.
- Boil the cabbage: Place the whole head of cabbage in a large pot of boiling water. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove the cabbage from the water, then cut and carefully remove the outer cabbage leaves without breaking them. Keep going until the leaves are too small.
- Remove the hard spine: Cut the hard spine on each cabbage leaf by slicing each leaf into two.
- Fill the leaf: Place the cabbage leaf into your hand, add the filling, then fold it into a roll.
- Press the top of the roll: Press the top of the roll into the filling to fold and seal it.
- Arrange the rolls in a pot: Place cabbage rolls tightly seam-side down in a cast iron pot or dutch oven, here is our favorite.
- Mix the sauce: In a preheated skilled, sauté the onion rings until golden brown. Pour in sour cream and tomato sauce. Mix well.
- Pour sauce over the cabbage: Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls. Bake the rolls in the oven at 375°F for 45 minutes.
- Serve: Serve the warm rolls with a dollop of sour cream.
Tips from the Kitchen
These stuffed cabbage rolls will be your new favorite low-carb meal. Here are tips on how to have the best flavor and texture.
- Buy the biggest cabbage: Purchase the largest cabbage you see! The bigger the head of cabbage, the larger the leaves, and the easier it is to fill and roll.
- Avoid overfilling: Do your best to avoid overfilling the cabbage leaf! A large spoonful of filling is the sweet spot. Any more and filling will pop out of the sides.
- Mix up the meat: Choose whichever meat mixture of ground beef or ground pork you will like best. For a lighter version, use ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Soften the cabbage: Make sure to boil the cabbage in order to achieve tender cabbage leaves. The leaves must be soft in order to roll without tearing. Or, freeze the entire head of cabbage. After a few days, thaw it and the leaves will be soft enough to fill.
- Use the small pieces: Once the leaves get too small to stuff individually, take two small ones and overlap them with each other. Stuff and roll the overlapped leaf. Or, place the small leaves into the pot for a treat of extra cabbage.
Ways to Serve
Cabbage rolls are pretty filling all on their own; however, they are also great alongside a nice vegetable side dish. For a simple salad, make our classic garden salad. When you want an eastern European inspired salad, go with a beet vinaigrette salad. In case an entire salad is too much, marinated mushrooms or asparagus with bacon are excellent single-veggie options. Whatever route you go, don’t skip the sour cream on top!
Storing & Reheating
Cabbage rolls are one of those dishes that almost guarantee leftovers. We like to make a large batch and have some on hand for throughout the week.
- Refrigerator: To keep fresh for up to a week, place rolls in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Reheating: Reheat the rolls in the microwave or on a preheated skillet set to medium-low heat.
Freezer Meal Cabbage Rolls
If you plan on freezing cabbage rolls, prepare them all the way up until the point of baking. Store them in a Ziploc bag and remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. When you are ready to eat, place them in a baking dish, cover them with sauce and bake according to instructions.
FAQ
Why is the cabbage tough in my cabbage rolls?
Cabbage may be tough in cabbage rolls if it wasn’t completely boiled and cooked before stuffing. It also may be tough in spots if the areas with the thick spine are not removed prior to stuffing.
How do I remove cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls?
Remove cabbage leaves from the head of cabbage by removing the core, then slowly peeling back one leaf at a time.
Are golabki and sarmale different?
Golabki (Polish) or sarmale (Romanian) are both types of stuffed cabbage rolls. Golabki use fresh cabbage leaves whereas sarmale are made with pickled cabbage leaves.
More Stuffed Recipes
- Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers — Fluffy rice, turkey, and veggies stuffed into a whole bell pepper
- Zucchini Boats — Savory and cheesy ground beef stuffed into zucchini halves
- Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast — Fresh or frozen spinach stuffed into pockets in chicken breasts
- Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms — Stuffed with crabmeat, various cheeses, and garlic
Recipe
Ingredients
Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage Rolls Sauce
- 1 large onion cut in half rings
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
Instructions
- Cook rice in a pot of salted water. Sauté grated carrots and diced onions with olive oil.
- Cool the rice, carrots, and onion, then combine them together with the meat in a large bowl. Add spices and mix well.
- Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil in a large deep pot, and place the cabbage in the pan. Boil for 2-3 minutes, cut and take out the outer cabbage leaves, trying to keep them from breaking. Repeat until the cabbage leaves are too small. Let the leaves cool.
- Cut out the hard part of the cabbage leaves by slicing each piece in half and removing the middle spine.
- Place a cabbage leaf into your hand, add filling, and fold over the cabbage leaf into a roll.
- Press the top of the roll into the filling.
- Place the cabbage rolls into a ceramic pot, spaced tightly together.
- For the Sauce – preheat a skillet with a bit of oil, add onion rings and sauté until they are golden brown. Pour sour cream and tomato sauce into the pan. Combine everything together.
- Pour sauce over the cabbage rolls. Bake them in an oven at 375°F for 45 minutes.
- Serve the cabbage rolls while they are warm with a dollop of sour cream.
My babi added tomato and salt pork to the rice. I now cook the rice in tomato juice instead of water and add ground salt pork already fried after rice cooks. Absolutely delicious
Hi Mark, that sounds so delicious!! Thank you for sharing that with me.
For a easier way I buy 1-2 cabbages, I throw them in the freezer for several days and I just thaw it and its ready to be used, without any boiling
Hey Lily- this is such a great tip! And I actually mention it in my other cabbage rolls recipe (the vegetarian one). It truly is THE best hack. Thank you for commenting!
I am hosting a cooking club dinner, I am assembling them the day before to cook day of. Once they are assembles do I leave the suace off until I bake them the next day?
Hi Kimberley- Yes, you can leave the sauce off until the next day OR you can even prepare them fully and then just reheat the next day, it's a pretty flexible recipe! Enjoy 🙂
Can you use Savoy cabbage or is the regular cabbage the best to use?
Thanks
Hi Gail, I would recommend regular cabbage for this recipe. Enjoy!
Turned out perfect! Recipes are always soooo good! Thank you for this!
You're so welcome! Thank you for the feedback, Laura.
I think my buba used chopped up bacon in her recipe. Have you ever heard of that?
Hi David, I have not! But everyone has their secret ingredients or special additions, and maybe that was hers! 🙂
Hi Natalya what kind of rice works best? It's my first time making these.
Hi Lena - Just regular, short-grain rice will do the trick! Hope this helps.
Being from Odessa my grandmother put raisins in her sauce.
If adding raisins when would you put them in?
Hi Kazu, I have never tried this recipe with raisins, not even sure when is a good time to add them.
Privet!
Can I freeze the finished product? Cooked or uncooked?
Hi Elena - If you plan on freezing cabbage rolls, prepare them all the way up until the point of baking. Store them in a Ziploc bag and be sure to remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. When you are ready to eat, place them in a baking dish, cover them with sauce and bake them according to instructions. Hope this helps!
Is it 1 pound of beef and 1 pound of chicken? Or is it one pound total?
Hi Inna, a total of 1 lb of meat. Sometimes I like the extra protein so I double it up, the recipe will still be great. Hard to mess it up.
Hello!
When you say "add greens and spices", what do you mean? I don't see any greens in the recipe.
Thanks
Hi, what I mean is any additional herbs or spices that you want to add.
Thx for clarification
Yummy. We call it sarmale in Romania and we use porc instead of chicken and smoked sausage. But I like the idea of chicken
That sounds delicious as well Adriana. I hope you get to try this version as well.
1/2 lb or 1/2 cup of rice?
It is 1/2 lb of rice.
Does the ground meat have to be cooked beforehand? Or just the rice,carrots,and onions?
I don't cook ground meat prior to making cabbage rolls. Just the rice, onions and carrots.
I usually use ground beef not chicken and my mother in law always use ground pork
Sometimes I use pork too 🙂
Can you use iron cast dish instead
Yes, I often you iron cast oven too.
Hi, I was wondering can I freeze stuffed bell peppers as well?
Bell peppers loose their texture when you freeze them. I don't really like freezing them.
what size ceramic pot should be, a shallow one? and also do you have to cover with foil when baking?
I have a deep one rectangular one and one with a a lid. You can also use Dutch oven too.
If you don't have a lid, do wrap them up with foil.
I hope this helps 😉
Hi Natalya, thank you for this delicious looking recipe!
I am preparing to make this for the first time and wanted to clarify for myself whether you need to use a lid if cooking in a Dutch oven or not?
Sorry if I’m not understanding, but I do not want to ruin the recipe!
Thank you! 🙂
Hey Rose, this would depend on your preference. We love using a dutch oven.
Do you use the lid of a dutch oven or leave it off? would a 12" cast iron skillet work?
Hi Kimberly- cast iron skillet works as long as its enameled and has some depth to it, so that all the cabbage rolls and sauce fit. I'd recommend using a dutch oven; a traditional cast iron skillet wouldn't work as it's most likely not deep enough and the acidity of the tomato sauce isn't good for the iron skillet. And yes, do cover with a lid while baking, foil works too. Hope this helps, enjoy! 🙂