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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls – cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and ground pork with a tangy and spicy tomato based sauce seasoned with herbs and spices. A great make-ahead weeknight meal or for special gathering

Aside from spinach, cabbage makes it to my top 5 favorite leafy vegetables. Although it’s kinda tricky to work on it sometimes, I’d still put down my skillet for cabbages. I usually saute them and tossed them with other ingredients, either meat or veggies, just like this Caribbean Corn Beef and Cabbage and this popular Southern Fried Cabbage.

But this Stuffed Cabbage Rolls has been a new favorite to me. It is pure comfort and pretty creative to serve when you have guests coming over.

You will love how deeply flavored the stuffing is – it’s a meal on its own! Wrapping it in soft cabbage leaves make it a healthy-ish choice for a weeknight meal. Can well all just agree as early as now how creative this Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are?

This dish is said to originate in parts of Europe, Iran, West Asia and Northern China with a variety of fillings and were either baked, simmered or steamed with an accompaniment of a sauce.

In some places, these stuffed cabbage rolls are also known as “pigs in a blanket” and also “Jewish cabbage”. Here in the U.S., cabbage rolls are prominent in Cajuns and Louisiana Creoles in the southern part of the country where they are filled with ground pork, rice and chopped vegetables and stuffed into parboiled cabbage leaves with a tomato-based sauce.

 

How long to cook cabbage?

While others would simply place the whole cabbage in the freezer and thaw it to soften, I do love mine parboiled. In this recipe, I boiled a raw cabbage for about 4-5 minutes, remove from the stove and pour in hot water and add ice water. Just enough to hold the filling without easily tearing off.

When tossed into the tomato sauce mixture, I let the stuffed cabbage cooked undisturbed  until tender for about 35-40 minutes over medium-low heat.

You’ll definitely going to love the soft cabbage leaves wrapping a roll of well-seasoned ground meat, rice and veggies. And the sauce? It’s a winner! Here I  used my favorite homemade Creole Seasoning HERE to add depth in flavor and dash of cayenne pepper for an added heat. Oh boy, I just wanna smother an entire plate of rice with this sauce.

This would also be a perfect centerpiece on St. Patrick’s day, if you’re in the U.S. Serve it alongside with this Oven Roast Red Potatoes HERE. Happy cooking!

 

Tips and Notes:

  1. You can replace ground pork with beef or a half of both.
  2. For a low carb option, you may replace rice with cauliflower rice. It’d still taste good!
  3. Store leftovers in airtight containers and place in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  4. You can make the sauce and stuffed cabbage ahead of time stored separately and placed in the fridge for up to a day ahead.
  5. If desired chop the remaining cabbage , saute with salt and pepper , then serve with the cabbage .

 

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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls – cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and ground pork with a tangy and spicy tomato based sauce seasoned with herbs and spices. A great make-ahead weeknight meal or for special gathering.
4.74 from 15 votes
Fusion
Servings 7 - 8 rolls

Ingredients

  • 10-12 Cabbage Leaves
  • ½ pound (226.8 g) ground pork (replace with beef)
  • 1 Tablespoon (8.4 g) minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon (2.1 g) smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons (1.6 g) thyme
  • ⅓ cup (38.3 g) finely chopped onions
  • 1 Large egg
  • 1 teaspoon (5.7 g) salt (adjust to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon (1.3 g) Chicken bouillon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon (2.7 g) white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons (7.6 g) parsley
  • ⅓ cup (85 g) cooked rice

Tomato Sauce Sauce

  • ½ cup (75 g) diced onion
  • 1 teaspoon (.80 g) thyme
  • 2 teaspoons (9.4 g) minced garlic
  • ½- 1 15 ounce canned tomato Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon (0.9 g) creole seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon (1.8 g) white pepper
  • ½ teaspoon (0.9 g) cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon (2.1 g) smoked paprika
  • 1/4 cup (45 g) chopped green pepper
  • 1-2 teaspoon beef or chicken bouillon (optional)
  • 1 -2 cups (240 g) chicken broth

Instructions

  • Fill a large pot with water. Carefully remove core from head of cabbage, discard leaves that are discolored or torn.
  • Add raw cabbage and boil for about 4-5 minutes or until leaves are pliable tender. Remove from stove , then pour hot water out and add ice water , let it cool.
  • Once cooled remove about 10-12 cabbage leaves. If desired use a paring knife to cut away the thick center stem from each leaf, without cutting all the way through- makes it easier when folding. Set Aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine ground beef and pork, then add garlic , paprika, onions egg, salt ,white pepper, parsley , chicken or beef bouillon and rice . Mix well.

Assembling

  • Place about ¼ -⅓ cup of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf, and tightly roll up, tucking in ends. Secure with toothpicks .Repeat process until all the meat mixture is used up. Set aside.

Tomato Sauce

  • In a large saucepan, add about 1/4 cup oil, bring to medium heat.
  • Add chopped onion, thyme and garlic to the oil, stir for about a minute.
  • Next add tomato sauce, creole seasoning , white pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika. Stir the pot frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pot.
  • Add salt and bouillon according to preference with about 2 cups of stock. Bring to a boil and let it simmer to blend all the flavors- about 15 minutes or more –stirring occasionally. Salt and adjust seasonings.

Stove Top Method

  • When the sauce .is ready, place the stuffed cabbage seam-side down in single layer in the sauce. Spoon some of the sauce over the top of the stuffed cabbage so that they’re covered. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat undisturbed until tender , about 35-40 minutes.

Oven Method

  • Place the cabbage rolls, seam-side down, on top of the tomato sauce (I used a 12 inch pan) or a casserole dish , if using one (9″ × 13″ baking dish would work), seam side bake at 350 degrees F until filling is cooked through, about 45 minutes, or until tender.
  • Serve warm with rice.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 127kcal (6%)| Carbohydrates: 6g (2%)| Protein: 7g (14%)| Fat: 8g (12%)| Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)| Cholesterol: 50mg (17%)| Sodium: 495mg (22%)| Potassium: 191mg (5%)| Fiber: 1g (4%)| Sugar: 1g (1%)| Vitamin A: 595IU (12%)| Vitamin C: 12.1mg (15%)| Calcium: 21mg (2%)| Iron: 0.9mg (5%)
Author: Immaculate Bites
Course: Main
Cuisine: Fusion
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Nutrition Facts
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Amount Per Serving
Calories 127 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 50mg17%
Sodium 495mg22%
Potassium 191mg5%
Carbohydrates 6g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 595IU12%
Vitamin C 12.1mg15%
Calcium 21mg2%
Iron 0.9mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

How to Make Cabbage Rolls

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.1

Fill a large pot with water.Carefully remove core from head of cabbage, discard leaves that are discolored or torn.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.2

Add  raw cabbage and boil for about 4-5  minutes  or until leaves are pliable  tender. Remove from stove , then pour  hot water out and add ice water , let it cool. Once cooled remove  about 10-12 cabbage leaves .If desired  use a paring knife to cut away the thick center stem from each leaf, without cutting all the way through- makes it easier when folding . Set Aside.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.3

In a large bowl, combine ground beef and pork, then add garlic , paprika, onions egg, salt ,white pepper , parsley , chicken or beef bouillon and rice . Mix well.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.4

Place about ¼ -⅓ cup of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf, and tightly roll up, tucking in ends.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.5

Secure with toothpicks .Repeat process until all the meat mixture is used up. Set aside

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.6

In a large saucepan, add about 1/4 cup oil, bring to medium heat. Add chopped onion, thyme and garlic to the oil, stir for about a minute. Next add tomato sauce, creole seasoning , white pepper,  cayenne pepper and paprika. Stir the pot frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pot.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.7

Add salt and bouillon according to preference with about 2 cups of stock. Bring to a boil and let it simmer to blend all the flavors- about 15  minutes or more –stirring occasionally. Salt and adjust seasonings.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.8

When the sauce .is ready, place the stuffed cabbage seam-side down in single layer in the sauce.

Spoon some of the sauce over the top of the stuffed cabbage so that they’re covered. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat undisturbed until tender , about 35-40  minutes.

 

Struffed Cabbage Rolls
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

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Comments & Reviews

  1. Jasmina Boberic says

    I am coming from a country where is this traditional dish, it’s called SARMA.
    Traditionally would be used sauerkraut and neat would be pan fried with onion and spices like for bolognese before rolled up. Then placed in dip tray and covered with pancetta topped up with water an slow cooked in the oven for 3 or 4 hours on low 180temp.
    We dont add tomato sauce but water gets thickened while cooking and gets sourness and smell from sauerkraut, and thickened with bit flour and smoked paprika fried in olive oil, and pored over just before finished cooking

    Reply

  2. Dawn Thompson says

    I made this recipe for my parents last Sunday and we all loved it!
    I doubled the sauce and meat mixture amounts and ended up with 10 stuffed rolls.
    I added a can of fire roasted tomatoes and parsley flakes to the sauce.
    For the meat mixture, I purchased a package of meatloaf mix – beef/pork/veal.
    Best stuffed cabbage recipe that I have ever tried!!

    Reply

  3. Chanty P says

    Delicious! I grew up eating cabbage rolls but have never made them myself. I decided to try making them using your recipe and they turned out so good! I didn’t have all the ingredients listed, so I left the ones I didn’t have out, but the cabbage rolls still turned out great! Thank you, Imma!

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      I absolutely love Cabbage rolls! I am so glad you were able to make it work with the ingredients you had and it was still a hit! Thanks for stopping by, Chanty!

      Reply

    • imma africanbites says

      Hi, Jay. You use cooked rice and raw ground pork or beef. Mix it up along with other spices and seasonings and stuff it in the cabbage rolls. Next, cook the tomato sauce as per direction then when the sauce is ready you simmer the cabbage rolls in it or bake them, whichever you prefer. Hope this clarifies everything. Enjoy!

      Reply

  5. Kelly says

    This is delicious, as someone coming from a Polish family I am still always looking for ways to spice things up and the blend of spices in this dish are delicious. I never liked Golabki with a more plain tomato sauce as a kid. Anyone not willing to try a different variation is just missing out for sure! My husband was obsessed with these!

    Reply

  6. Dee says

    Polish Golabki prepared the same way with ground beef or pork and rice, egg and onion rolled inside a cabbage leaf with tomato sauce or soup or crushed tomatoes are the original and do not need to be doctored up with various spices. or other ingredients to change them. We do not want ours to taste like caribbean or Louisiana style.

    Reply

  7. Lucy says

    Hi,

    im just wondering when you cook them do you leave the toothpicks in or do you remove just before you put them in the sauce?

    🙂 thank you.

    Reply

  11. Madeleine says

    I made this tonight as part of our annual New Year’s Food Tradition (was looking for a new way to incorporate cabbage to serve alongside the collard greens because some people like them and others don’t!) and I have to say that this recipe is to die for! Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply

      • Joey says

        I thought tasted so good and husband and 5 year old liked. I left out the cayenne. I was intimidated to mate at first but was pretty easy. I didn’t have toothpicks and not a problem.

        Reply

  13. Terie Rae says

    Hi, love the sounds of this recipe but couldn’t find the oven temperature. Can’t wait to try this though.

    Reply

  14. Renee says

    I made these for my special aunt’s birthday…. so delicious. I only had sweet paprika so I used some of that with Aleppo pepper and cut out cayenne since she can’t deal with too spicy. I didn’t have creole spice so I just looked up creole spice and added those individually. Seemed to work. But I want to follow recipe explicitly next time too :). Cannot wait to try more recipes.

    Reply

  15. Johanna says

    Hi Imma, I’m planning on making this soon. Just making sure, it only calls for 1/2 pound of meat, correct? Also, what chicken and/or beef bouillon brand do you use? I have both Maggi and Better than Bouillon on hand.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  16. Knicky says

    Thanks for a great recipe! I made a mistake and added the green pepper to the filling… It was still yum. I used a mix of pork and beef mince. This was the first time I cooked cabbage rolls and I have to say that they were divine. My husband hates cabbage but enjoyed these. I didn’t have access to creole seasoning so added a little hit of peri peri. These were amazing! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

    • imma africanbites says

      The peri peri replacement is brilliant! Glad you and your husband love it, Knicky! Thank you for stopping by. =)

      Reply

  17. Nsa says

    Please can you suggest an alternative to Creole seasoning. Spice easily obtainable in Nigeria. I would like to give this a try. Thank you.

    Reply

    • imma africanbites says

      Hi, Nsa, you can leave out the creole seasoning or sub it with an Old Bay seasoning. Please let me know how it turns out for you.

      Reply

  18. wess says

    came out very good. i used ground Turkey. the meat did come out a bit soft. but was cocked. i must have done something wrong. i heard turkey wont always firm up. is there a way to make meat firmer

    Reply

    • imma africanbites says

      Sorry to hear that the meat came out a bit soft. I haven’t tried it with ground turkey, but I’ve read somewhere that turkey is fattier compared to lean ground pork.

      Reply

  19. JR says

    Seriously, you are my favourite chef . I’ve made over 20 of your recipes and every single one has me feeling like a gourmet chef . My boyfriend thinks I’m an amazing cook because of you ahahahaha . Thanks 🙂 keep them coming . I love every single one !

    Reply

  20. Gail says

    Hi Imma,
    I’m totally bummed that your pin button isn’t working, and I couldn’t find this recipe on your Pinterest site. Any way you can fix that as I’d love to save it.

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      Hi Gail, Sorry to hear that! It’s working on my end. I have pinned it to my Pinterest board if that helps.

      Reply

  21. cletus fotibu says

    Imma I actually stuck to your recipe and measurements this time and this dish came out delish. Surprise it tastes even better the day after.
    Love it. Thanks

    Reply

  22. Linda says

    In the ingredients list you say 2 teaspoons sauce. What kind of sauce? These look fabulous. I adore the aroma while they cook.

    Wishes for tasty dishes,
    Linda

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      Hi Linda. Recipe has been updated . Please check recipe, it’s a typo. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Happy Cooking !!!

      Reply

  23. Ian says

    Yes, stuffed cabbage rolls are lovely , origi9nated in Eastern Europe.
    However, for a one-man chef/consumer they are too much work.
    I’d rather stick to your African and Caribean dishes.

    Reply