Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Stuff that you make at home that becomes comfort food without so much as a thought, like stuffed cabbage rolls, for example, means filling the kitchen with a warm and wholesome smell. Succulent cabbage leaves filled with the meat-and-rice mixture and stewed in a velvety tomato sauce. This is an easy but impressive meal.

Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls: This stuffed cabbage roll recipe is perfect for family dinner, meal prep and even for special occasions. Over the cooking time, cabbage will soften (not disintegrate) while keeping a juicy filling that is full of flavors. The bed of sauce is the glue that binds everything together and caresses each mouthful with glorious satisfaction. This is an easy recipe to make that anyone can follow, even if you are new to making cabbage rolls.

How to Make This Recipe Simple and Easy 

Stuffed cabbage might be easier than you think! There is no trick to this process: Mix cabbage, make filling, roll it up and bake until creamy and tender. The baking is at a slow enough temperature that all the flavors meld nicely together and the tomato sauce moistens the cabbage and keeps this dish nice and tender. So don’t worry if this is your first time making cabbage rolls. The first few leaves are tricky but after that it is smooth sailing.

Step-by-Step Guide to make the perfect recipe:

Step 1: Prepare the Cabbage

Place a large pot of salted water to boil. Carefully lower down the full head of cabbage into the boiling water and let it simmer for a few minutes.

As soon as the outside leaves begin to soften, gently tug them from the plant with tongs. Continue until you get about 12 to 15 big leaves. Place the leaves on a towel and let them dry. If the thick hard center stem is too stiff to roll, shave off a bit with a knife and it will loosen up the leaves so they are easy to roll.

Step 2: Prepare the Filling

In one large bowl combine ground beef, ground pork, rice (made according to package directions and cooled), freshly chopped onion (or frozen), minced garlic, egg, salt and pepper, paprika and parsley. Fold everything gently to mix it up. Avoid the overmixing stage, as the fillings should be light & fluffy and overmixing leads to dense filling.

Step 3: Make the Tomato Sauce

In another bowl, combine tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, the tomato paste mixture with brown sugar and Italian seasoning (brown sugar, dry), broth, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth.

Step 4: A Cabbage Leaves with Stuffing

Put down 1 leaf of cabbage on your work surface. Place about 2 to 3 tablespoons of fillings toward the bottom area of the leaf. Lift the sides up and, burrito-style, tightly roll it from bottom to top until you have a tight log. And repeat with the rest of the filling until all is in.

Step 5: Place Into the Baking Dish

Spread some sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. Put the cabbage rolls seam-side down in one layer. Pour the rest of the sauce on top, covering all of the rolls.

Step 6: Bake

Cover the baking dish tightly with a sheet of foil. Preheat the medium flame on the gas and bake for around 90 minutes. The cabbage should be wonderfully tender and the filling cooked.

Step 7: Serve

Set the cabbage rolls aside to sit for 10 minutes before serving. Top each of the rolls with additional tomato sauce and serve warm.

Recipe Variations

I love how easily this recipe can be customized. For a lighter option, swap the beef out for ground turkey or ground chicken if desired.
Combine beef and pork for added flavor. This blend makes for a moist stuffing with deeper flavor.
For added fiber and a similar nutty flavor, swap out the white rice for brown.
Vegetarians can even leave out the meat entirely, substituting mushrooms, lentils (dried and soaked beforehand), cooked quinoa or chopped vegetables.
Many people add shredded carrots, chopped celery or bell peppers to the filling for color and nutrition.
If you like spicy food, then you can add crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce to the tomato sauce.

How to cut cabbage for cabbage rolls

The simpler way, however, is not chopping up the cabbage beforehand. Rather than that, slice out the core with a sharp knife. Put the entire head of cabbage in boiling water and boil it until the leaves soften on their own. Pull each leaf away gently from the cabbage as soon as it becomes pliable. When making them, prepare each leaf by trimming the thick center vein near the base. It makes rolling a lot easier and helps to prevent tearing. If the cabbage is enormous, you can cut the leaves in half and make smaller individual non-cabbage rolls.

What to Serve with Cabbage Rolls?

Stuffed cabbage rolls are belly-filling enough on their own, but you can bring in a side dish that would make this meal more complete. The creamy mashed potatoes complement the tomato sauce beautifully.
Moist buttered bread as well as second course rolls are excellent for mopping every little bit of sauce off the plate.
A plain green salad with cucumbers and tomatoes, lightly dressed. The freshness balances out the richness of the dish!
Sides include a dark green salad, sautéed vegetables, or roasted vegetables (carrots or green beans). You can enjoy cabbage rolls with roasted potatoes or garlic bread if you prefer hearty dinner.

Can You Freeze Cabbage Rolls?

Yes. Freezing stuffed cabbage rolls You can freeze them to use later, which makes stuffed cabbage rolls a fantastic option for meal prepping. Allow cooked cabbage rolls to cool completely.
Pack them in freezer-friendly containers swimming in a sea of tomato sauce to keep them moist. They are frozen no longer than 3 months. You can thaw the casserole out overnight in the fridge, then heat it through (chilled) covered with foil in a 350°F/180°C oven until heated through.
You can freeze cabbage rolls raw as well. Mix, sauce and freeze/bake. If cooking from frozen, they may just take longer to bake.

Tip for the Most Delicious Cabbage Rolls:

Choose a large flexible green cabbage; these will roll better.
Do not overfill cabbage leaves. Rolling the dough rather than rolling helps a lot with smaller rolls as they close up during baking.
Cut each leaf clean to the base of the stalk so it bends instead of breaking.
Tip: Be sure to put the dumpling sides seam-side down when cooking, or else they may pop open. Cover tightly with foil to trap the moisture while baking.
Allow the cabbage rolls to sit for a few minutes. That will keep your feelings when you go to the table.
If you prefer a saucy dish, add more tomato sauce. This sauce is so good; go ahead and put it over some mashed potatoes or in between fresh bread. As with many comfort foods, stuffed cabbage rolls are best the second day once they’ve had overnight to sit and pick up even more flavor.

Enjoy Every Bite

In this case, stuffed cabbage rolls which are probably the most comforting dish you could imagine and a meal that works really well at combining some of the simplest ingredients. Tender cabbage leaves and a substantial filling of meat and rice, all cuddled up in a luxurious tomato sauce—this one just screams homemade. Whether it be for a small family dinner, holiday time or meal prepping for the week, I will work harder than you would believe to make these cabbage rolls. One of the ongoing recipes that you end up back here posting time and again when you make it.

Read: Easy Pesto-Stuffed Pork Loin with Prosciutto and Parmesan