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Ultimate Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

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Ultimate Stuffed Cabbage Rolls- A Heartwarming Family Favorite

Recipe by Eileen

  • Total Time2.5 hours
  • Yield8-10 1x

This recipe for the Ultimate Stuffed Cabbage Rolls came from my Grandma. It is a family favorite and perfect for entertaining as it will feed a crowd.

This recipe takes a little time and patience, but it’s absolutely worth it. My longtime coworker once told me these remind him of his Polish grandmother’s halupkies — quite the compliment for a cook of Italian, Irish, and English descent!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 head green cabbage, cored
  • 1 small onion, grated on large holes of a box grater
  • 1 ½ pounds meat loaf mix (combination of ground beef, veal and pork; if you cannot find use 1 pound lean ground beef and ½ pound ground pork)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 28 oz. can tomato puree
  • 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 2 ½ cups water
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 6 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 small onion peeled
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 1 8.8 oz. package precooked long-grain white rice or ¼ cup long-grain rice,  cooked

Instructions

  1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the core out of the cabbage head. Place the whole cabbage head into the boiling water. Using tongs begin to pull off individual leaves from the head and submerge them in the boiling water. Continue until you have 16 leaves separated from the head. Remove leaves from the water when they are tender, this will take about 10-15 minutes. Drain in a colander.
  3. Continue to boil the remaining cabbage head for another 10 minutes until tender, then remove to a plate. Once cool, drain liquid and slice into long shreds.
  4. To make the sauce, in a large bowl combine the tomato puree, diced tomatoes, water, brown sugar and lemon juice.
  5. To make the stuffing, in another bowl combine the meat loaf mix, 2/3 of the rice packet, the grated onion, beaten egg and about ½ cup of the tomato mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently with wet hands until well combined.
  6. To make the rolls, take a cabbage leaf, dry with a paper towel, and shave down the rib on the outside of the leaf so it will lie flat.
  7. Using a cookie or ice cream scoop, place about 3 tbsp meat mixture in center of cabbage leaf, fold rib end over meat, then fold in two sides and roll till a neat bundle is formed. Repeat with remaining leaves. If you have leftover meat, form into meatballs and put in the pan with the cabbage rolls.
  8. Coat bottom of a large roasting pan with some of the tomato sauce, then scatter half of shredded cabbage leaves in the pan. Lay cabbage rolls side by side in the pan. Stud the whole onion with cloves and nestle between the rolls. You may need to have 2 layers of rolls. Just coat the first layer with some tomato sauce and then begin the second layer.
  9. When all the rolls are in the pan, ladle with tomato sauce to coat. Add remaining shredded cabbage and the rest of the sauce. This will seem like a lot of sauce but I think that is the best part!
  10.  Cover and bring to a simmer on the stove, then place in the preheated oven.
  11. Bake for 1 ½ hours or until bubbly and hot. Serve immediately.

Notes

This dish actually gets better as it sits — the flavors deepen overnight.

  • Make ahead: Prepare and assemble the rolls a day in advance, then refrigerate until ready to bake.
  • Freeze: Stuffed cabbage freezes beautifully. Cool completely, then store in airtight containers for up to three months.
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 1.5 hours
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Baking

Find it online: https://drfoodiemama.com/ultimate-stuffed-cabbage-rolls/