This stuffed cabbage rolls recipe is tender cabbage leaves filled with lean ground beef and rice, and baked in a tangy homemade tomato sauce. Classic, simple comfort food!
My red hair, green eyes, and freckles leads everyone to believe I’m Irish. But I’m not. Paul is, though, so maybe I’m Irish by proxy. HA. And check it out…my sister married an Irish fella, too! Go figure. What’s even more odd is that neither Paul or my BIL particularly care for cabbage. They call themselves Irishmen…pffft.
But Paul does actually like my Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage and when I make these Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, he always devours them, so I think he just never had it prepared properly when growing up (like most people!)
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls can vary depending on the origin – some are made more sweet, some more savory, some made with only rice, others made with a combination of meats. I make my Stuffed Cabbage Roll recipe with ground beef, rice, and golden raisins! The raisins give great balance to the richness of the tomato sauce. If you don’t like raisins, you can omit them, but I’d recommend adding in some brown sugar to replace that missing sweetness.
How To Make Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
- Cook the onions – begin by sautéing the onions with a little bit of oil until softened, then set aside to cool.
- Prep your cabbage leaves – using a small, sharp knife, cut in a circle all around the stem of the cabbage and remove the core. Then you’ll blanch the head of cabbage in boiling water for about 2 minutes to loosen the leaves, removing them carefully one by one with tongs, until you have 10. Pat the leaves dry with paper towels and allow them to cool.
- Make the tomato sauce mixture – in a bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, beef broth, and paprika.
- Mix your filling – combine the beef, cooled onion, rice, raisins, salt, and 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce.
- Form your rolls – lay each cabbage leaf on a flat surface. Using a paring knife, cut a V-shaped notch to remove the thick part of the cabbage rib (but don’t cut more than a third of the way into the leaf.) Shape 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into a log shape and place in the center of the cabbage leaf. Fold the bottom edge over the mixture and then fold the sides over and roll into a tidy packet. Repeat with remaining meat mixture and cabbage leaves.
- Transfer to baking dish – pour half of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish (coated with nonstick spray.) Place the cabbage rolls, seam side down, on top of the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls.
- Bake – cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
- Serve – serve the cabbage rolls with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley.
Can You Make Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Ahead of time and Freeze them?
Yep! This Stuffed Cabbage Rolls recipe is a great make-ahead meal for busy weeknights!
- Cabbage rolls can be assembled and stored covered in the refrigerator up to 8 hours before you plan to bake them.
- If you want to freeze them, simply assemble (including the sauce), wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then with foil. To bake, follow the directions below adding an additional 20 minutes to the cooking time since you’re cooking from frozen. They can be frozen up to 1 month.
The brilliance about cabbage rolls is the meat and the rice cook in the cabbage leaves themselves. They are definitely a labor of love, though, sort of like lasagna. They take time, but very easy to make, and absolutely worth it!
Other Recipes with Cabbage we love!
Mexican Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet
This stuffed cabbage rolls recipe is tender cabbage leaves filled with lean ground beef and rice, and baked in a tangy homemade tomato sauce. Classic, simple comfort food!
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 1 head green cabbage (2 pounds)
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup cooked white rice
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- sour cream or Greek yogurt, for serving
- fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 13×9 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
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In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
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Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
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Using a small, sharp knife, cut in a circle all around the stem of the cabbage and remove the core.
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Place the head of cabbage in the boiling water. After about 2 minutes an outside leaf will come loose–gently pull it off and out of the water using tongs. After another minute the next leaf will come loose. Remove and repeat until you have 10 leaves.
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Pat the leaves dry with paper towels and set aside to cool.
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Lay each cabbage leaf on a flat surface. Using a small knife, cut a V-shaped notch to remove the thick part of the cabbage rib (but don’t cut more than a third of the way into the leaf.)
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In a bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, broth, and paprika.
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In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, cooled onion, rice, raisins, salt, and 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce mixture.
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Shape 1/3 cup of the mixture into a log shape and place in the center of the cabbage leaf. Fold the bottom edge over the mixture and then fold the sides over and roll into a tidy packet. Repeat with remaining meat mixture and cabbage leaves.
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Pour half the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Transfer the cabbage rolls, seam side down, on top of the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls.
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Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
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Serve the cabbage rolls with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley.
- The raisins in this recipe give great balance to the richness of the tomato sauce. If you don't like raisins, you can omit them, but I'd recommend adding in some brown sugar to replace that missing sweetness.
- Cabbage rolls can be assembled and stored covered in the refrigerator up to 8 hours before you plan to bake them. If you want to freeze them, simply assemble (including the sauce), wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then with foil. To bake, follow the directions below adding an additional 20 minutes to the cooking time since you’re cooking from frozen. They can be frozen up to 1 month.
Nusrat says
Nice planning to make on thanksgiving