Looking for something that will stir childhood memories and please the family? Let’s try one of these cabbage roll recipes!
Cabbage rolls could be such comfort food if the European cuisine one way or the other influenced our upbringing. Not like cabbage or cabbage rolls are European inventions only.
Where cabbage is, there is cabbage roll in the world too stuffed with all sort of different ingredients highly customized to local taste. Even within a country the ingredients aren’t always agreed upon.
It goes as far as Polish and Russians call chopped up cabbage and mince meat rolled cabbage although they throw “lazy” before the name of the dish which becomes lazy cabbage roll. It supposedly has all the ingredients as the stuffed variety but instead of going through the labor-intensive stuffing and rolling, the cabbage leaves are just cut into pieces and mixed with the rest of the ingredients. Very tricky indeed.
As far as meat goes, there is no restriction of what should be inside the leaves. Beef and pork are the obvious choice, but some countries like to muscle up their rolled cabbage and apart from stuffing the leaves with the ground stuff. additional meat is included with the cooking. This is how lamb, chicken, rabbit or turkey can get into the pot, simmering next to the main ingredients.
The American version of the stuffed cabbage -if there is such thing- revolves around the thick tomato sauce that is covering the rolls while they are roasting patiently in the oven after the preparation period.
The cabbage leaves will need a bit of blenching before we are able to roll them up. It’s possible to roll them up without cooking them a bit first but we are running the risk of tearing the leaves which will result quite ugly looking rolls at the end.
Blenching takes little time and little effort. (Check out Cooking Techniques to know more about blenching.)
Shocking the cabbage will not be necessary if there is plenty of time available also, we can skip on cutting out the wide part of the stem. Removing it may allow us more flexibility when rolling up the leaves but it will not hinder nor aid the end results in any way.
Mind not to discard the blenching water as the outer layers of the cabbage may look ready, roll the ones close to the center may still be crunchy thus unable to work with.
We present two types of stuffed cabbage recipe here. One is the well-known Polish style tomato based gołąbki while the other takes sauerkraut stew as its foundations and build from there.
Both have the main idea of rolling meat in cabbage leaves right but how they get there and what they achieve at the end is differs greatly in terms of texture and flavor. Which one is superior to the other is hard to decide?
Luckily, we poor mortal souls don’t have such weight on our shoulders but only enjoy what’s being given us to warm our heart and body during the cold hours of winter.
Ingredients
Type 1 Tomato sauce
For the Sauce
- 2 Onion (diced)
- ½ cup / 150ml Oil
- 2 Onion
- 1 cup / 250ml Pureed tomato (approx. 3 tomato)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 2 teaspoon Paprika (smoked if any)
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
Cabbage rolls
- 2 cup Water
- 1 head Cabbage
- 1 lb / 500g Ground meat
- 1 medium Onion (diced)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Egg
- 2 cloves Garlic (finely diced)
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper (optional)
Type 2 Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut stew
- 1/2 cup / 150ml Oil
- 2 medium Onion (diced)
- 1 stalk Celery (diced)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 clove Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 medium Tomato
- 2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 lb / 400g Sauerkraut
Cabbage rolls
- 2 cup Water
- 1 head Cabbage
- 1 lb / 500g Ground meat
- 1 medium Onion (diced)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Egg
- 2 cloves Garlic (finely diced)
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper (optional)
- Sour cream for serving
How to make Stuffed cabbage rolls
Type 1 Tomato sauce
- Pour oil into a saucepan, add the onions and saute until it gets a glassy / translucent look.
- Lower the heat and cook while stirring occasionally until it gets a golden brown look for about 20 minutes.
- Pour pureed tomato into a saucepan add salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic, vinegar and the just caramelized onions.
- Blend everything together. Olive oil from the caramelized onion turns the reddish sauce to an orange shade. It’s normal.For more detailed instructions check out how to make Low carb sugar free bbq sauce at the Low Carb Condiments.
For more detailed instructions check out how to make Low carb sugar free bbq sauce at the Cabbage rolls
- Remove the core of the cabbage. It’s not absolutely necessary but it will ease our job later on.
- Place the cleaned head of cabbage into boiling water until its leaves lose some of the rigidness for about 3 – 5 minutes. To save time start preparing the sauerkraut while the cabbage is boiling on its own.
- Take it out from the water and let it cool down. If in hurry dash it into ice cold water. The technique called blanch and shock. Read more about it in the Cooking techniques.
- Dice the onion and garlic.
- Mix ground meat with diced onion, salt, paprika, egg, diced garlic and optional black pepper.
- When the cabbage cooled to workable temperatures carefully remove the leaves.
- Remove the stem if desired.
- Fill one leaf at the time with the meat mix according to the leaf size. Generally one leaf can take 2 tablespoons of filling.
- Roll it up.
- Tuck the ends in.
- Pile them up.
Assembly
- Place them into an oven proof dish like a casserole dish.
- Pour the tomato sauce over them
- Place it into the 390°F/200°C oven until the meat inner temperature reaches 145°F / 60°C for about an hour.
Type 2 Sauerkraut
Cabbage stew
- Pour the oil into a cooking pot and heat it up. Add the diced onion, celery and salt then saute until it gets a translucent/glassy look.
- Lower the heat then continue cooking while stirring every now and again until the onion start the get a golden brown color for about 10 – 15 minutes. Add garlic, black pepper, bay leaf, tomato and paprika then mix it together.
- Add the sauerkraut. Always try new type of Sauerkraut before using them in dishes and rinse them if necessary.
- Mix the sauerkraut well with the other ingredients.
Cabbage rolls
- Remove the core of the cabbage. It’s not absolutely necessary but it will ease our job later on.
- Place the cleaned head of cabbage into boiling water until its leaves lose some of the rigidness for about 3 – 5 minutes.
- Take it out from the water and let it cool down. If in hurry dash it into ice cold water. The technique called blanch and shock. Read more about it in the Cooking techniques.
- Dice the onion and garlic.
- Mix ground meat with diced onion, salt, paprika, egg, diced garlic and optional black pepper.
- When the cabbage cooled to workable temperatures carefully remove the leaves.
- Remove the stem if desired.
- Fill one leaf at the time with the meat mix according to the leaf size. Generally one leaf can take 2 tablespoons of filling.
- Roll it up.
- Tuck the ends in.
- Pile them up.
Assembly
- Take half of the sauerkraut out onto a plate. Place the rolls on top of the remaining sauerkraut.
- Spread the other half of sauerkraut on top of the cabbage rolls.
- Pour water slowly into the pot until the ingredients are ¾ immersed. Put the lid then bring it to boil.
- Cook until the meat inner temperature reaches 145°F / 60°C but even better for 2 hours on low heat. The water doesn’t need to be replaced expect all of its gone.
- Sour cream can be added at serving if desired.
Enjoy!
There are more to cabbage than just stuffing it with pork. Try them out all:
Stuffed Cabbage Roll – Type 1 Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2 Onion diced
- ½ cup / 150ml Oil
- 2 Onion
- 1 cup / 250ml Pureed tomato approx. 3 tomato
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 2 teaspoon Paprika smoked if any
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
Cabbage rolls:
- 2 cup Water
- 1 head Cabbage
- 1 lb / 500g Ground meat
- 1 medium Onion diced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Egg
- 2 cloves Garlic finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper optional
Instructions
Tomato sauce:
- Pour oil into a saucepan, add the onions and saute until it gets a glassy / translucent look.
- Lower the heat and cook while stirring occasionally until it gets a golden brown look for about 20 minutes.
- Pour pureed tomato into a saucepan add salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic, vinegar and the just caramelized onions.
- Blend everything together. Olive oil from the caramelized onion turns the reddish sauce to an orange shade. It’s normal.For more detailed instructions check out how to make Low carb sugar free bbq sauce at the Low Carb Condiments.
Cabbage rolls:
- Remove the core of the cabbage. It’s not absolutely necessary but it will ease our job later on.
- Place the cleaned head of cabbage into boiling water until its leaves lose some of the rigidness for about 3 – 5 minutes. To save time start preparing the sauerkraut while the cabbage is boiling on its own.
- Take it out from the water and let it cool down. If in hurry dash it into ice cold water. The technique called blanch and shock. Read more about it in the Cooking techniques in our KnowledgeBase.
- Dice the onion and garlic.
- Mix ground meat with diced onion, salt, paprika, egg, diced garlic and optional black pepper.
- When the cabbage cooled to workable temperatures carefully remove the leaves.
- Remove the stem if desired.
- Fill one leaf at the time with the meat mix according to the leaf size. Generally one leaf can take 2 tablespoons of filling.
- Roll it up.
- Tuck the ends in.
- Pile them up.
Assembly:
- Place them into an oven proof dish like a casserole dish.
- Pour the tomato sauce over them
- Place it into the 390°F/200°C oven until the meat inner temperature reaches 145°F / 60°C for about an hour.
Notes
Stuffed Cabbage Roll Recipe – Sauerkraut
Ingredients
Sauerkraut stew:
- ½ cup / 150ml Oil
- 2 medium Onion diced
- 1 stalk Celery diced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 clove Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 medium Tomato
- 2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 lb / 400g Sauerkraut
Cabbage rolls:
- 2 cup Water
- 1 head Cabbage
- 1 lb / 500g Ground meat
- 1 medium Onion diced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Egg
- 2 cloves Garlic finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper optional
- Sour cream for serving
Instructions
Cabbage rolls:
- Remove the core of the cabbage. It’s not absolutely necessary but it will ease our job later on.
- Place the cleaned head of cabbage into boiling water until its leaves lose some of the rigidness for about 3 – 5 minutes. To save time start preparing the sauerkraut while the cabbage is boiling on its own.
- Take it out from the water and let it cool down. If in hurry dash it into ice cold water. The technique called blanch and shock. Read more about it in the Cooking techniques in our KnowledgeBase.
- Dice the onion and garlic.
- Mix ground meat with diced onion, salt, paprika, egg, diced garlic and optional black pepper.
- When the cabbage cooled to workable temperatures carefully remove the leaves.
- Remove the stem if desired.
- Fill one leaf at the time with the meat mix according to the leaf size. Generally one leaf can take 2 tablespoons of filling.
- Roll it up.
- Tuck the ends in.
- Pile them up.
Cabbage stew:
- Pour the oil into a cooking pot and heat it up.
- Add the diced onion, celery and salt then saute until it gets a translucent/glassy look.
- Lower the heat then continue cooking while stirring every now and again until the onion start the get a golden brown color for about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Add garlic, black pepper, bay leaf, tomato and paprika then mix it together.
- Add the sauerkraut. Always try new type of Sauerkraut before using them in dishes and rinse them if necessary.
- Mix the sauerkraut well with the other ingredients.
Assembly:
- Take half of the sauerkraut out onto a plate.
- Place the rolls on top of the remaining sauerkraut.
- Spread the other half of sauerkraut on top of the cabbage rolls.
- Pour water slowly into the pot until the ingredients are ¾ immersed. Put the lid then bring it to boil.
- Cook until the meat inner temperature reaches 145°F / 60°C but even better for 2 hours on low heat. The water doesn’t need to be replaced expect all of its gone.
- Sour cream can be added at serving if desired.
Notes
Pin now, Enjoy later!
Wow! Two recipes in one. Looks yummy!
It is yummy! Both of them in fact!