Stuffed cabbage leaves, also known as holishkes or prokes, may just be the ultimate comfort food. A slowly cooked, savory cold weather dish, stuffed cabbage is a classic and many families seem to have their own way of making it.
We all have a fondness in our heart for the dishes we grew up with, and the way our parents or grandparents cooked them. Often, we find ourselves wishing that our grandparents had written their family recipes down. After they’re gone, we struggle to capture that traditional flavor, the one we remember so well from our childhood.
MY OTHER RECIPESStuffed cabbage leaves were a central part of the Eastern European Jewish diet. When we talk about these types of dishes, it nearly always comes down to one question:
“How did Bubbe make it?”
Because I don’t have a Jewish “bubbe,” I have to create my own favorite way of making these iconic Jewish dishes. Sometimes I am influenced by my husband’s family, but I also like to see what other family traditions are out there.
Whenever I want to learn a Jewish recipe, I try many, many different recipes to see what I like best in each one. That means I’ve made stuffed cabbage over a dozen different ways. I’ve tried recipes from Polish friends and Israeli friends. I’ve tried it the Sara Kasden way, the Molly Goldberg way, the Fanny Engle and Gertrude Blair way (Jewish cookbook authors from my vintage cookbook collection). I’ve tried the wonderful versions from Joan Nathan and Arthur Schwartz and 2nd Avenue Deli. I’ve made it with V-8 juice and tomato soup, cranberry sauce and apricot preserves, raisins and crushed gingersnaps.
All of these recipes are terrific, and each has something that makes it special. My challenge is to take the thing I like best in each recipe and create something new, something fresh– my own take on the classic.
One thing I’ve found is that I like a stuffed cabbage that is less sweet and more tart. Polish versions tend to be extremely sweet, often with raisins. I prefer a tart sauce with a slight sweetness, as well as a savory filling full of flavor. I add sauerkraut for that extra bit of tartness. The filling is key– a stuffed cabbage filling can easily be bland if you don’t give it lots of seasoning and care.
At any rate, this is my version of stuffed cabbage, the one my husband loves and asks me for on a regular basis. Your bubbe may have done hers differently. That’s what is so fun about Jewish food… every family has their own way, and every bubbe’s way is the best way. The sauce’s flavor can be adjusted by adding more brown sugar or lemon juice to taste, if desired.
Since first posting this recipe on my site, it has become a favorite with readers. Many have contributed their own versions of the dish in comments; read through for suggestions on alternate methods of preparation. I am reposting it today with a new “how to” video to show you every step of the process. I have also converted the recipe to my new system, which allows for adjusting servings and provides nutritional information.
Stuffed cabbage is a wonderful dish for the autumn and winter months. It’s cozy and satisfying, and it’s also pretty healthy. It’s gluten free (when using certified GF packaged products), low in carbs, high in protein and full of fiber.
For another easier version of this dish, my Unstuffed Cabbage, click here.
Did your bubbe make stuffed cabbage? What is your special family version of this classic dish?
Hungry for more? Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram for all the latest updates!
Recommended Products:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Stuffed Cabbage Leaves
8 servings
1 hour
2 hours
Meat
Description
Learn to make stuffed cabbage leaves with a savory meat and rice filling with a classic tart and sweet tomato sauce. Kosher, Meat, Gluten Free.
Ingredients
- 1 large green cabbage 3.5-4 lbs.
- 1 lb ground beef, ground chicken, or a mixture I use half and half
- 1 cup cooked long grain rice, white or brown
- 1/3 cup finely minced onion
- 2 tbsp fresh minced dill
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups sauerkraut divided
- 28 oz tomato sauce, divided 2 cans
- 14 oz diced or crushed tomatoes 1 can
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice or more to taste
- 2 tbsp brown sugar or more to taste
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Rinse the cabbage clean, then immerse it in a large pot of boiling water and cook it for 4-5 minutes until leaves are soft and pliable, but not overly soft.
Drain the cabbage in a colander and let it sit until cool enough to handle.
Alternatively, you can freeze the cabbage overnight (or up to 3 days). Defrost the cabbage for about three hours. This will make the leaves pliable in the same way that parboiling does.
Prepare your filling. In a bowl, mix together ground meat, cooked rice, minced onion, minced dill, egg, ½ cup sauerkraut (drained of juice), 1/3 cup tomato sauce, salt and pepper to taste. I use about 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper—kosher meat needs less salt. To test the seasoning of the meat, you can fry up a small portion in a skillet or pop it in the microwave till it’s thoroughly cooked, then taste it. It’s easy to under-season the filling, so err on the side of adding extra pepper and salt.
Tip: You can make this filling ahead and refrigerate a few hours to overnight; this will allow the flavors to marinate and make it firmer and easier to handle.
Peel off the large cabbage leaves from the head of cabbage, keeping only the leaves that are whole/intact and big enough to stuff. Chop up the remaining smaller leaves along with the core of the cabbage. Reserve.
Place your large leaves on a cutting board.
Take a leaf and pat it dry with a paper towel.
Shave down the tough, thick part of the stem at the base of each leaf using a paring knife, being careful not to cut through the leaf itself. Repeat process for the remaining leaves.
Now it’s time to stuff the leaves. Place a leaf on the cutting board, stem end closest to you. The leaves tend to curl in one direction, so make sure that the curl is facing upward—in other words, it should have a bowl-like shape with edges that curl up, not down.
Place 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling at the base of the leaf, centered, about 1/2 inch above the edge. Do not over-stuff the leaves; you want a substantial amount of filling, but a good amount of cabbage leaf around the edges makes for easier rolling.
Fold the base of the leaf up and over the filling till it’s completely covered.
Fold the left edge of the leaf inward. Leave the right side of the leaf open.
Continue rolling the leaf till it’s completely rolled up (with the right end still loose/open).
Tuck the loose end of the leaf inward, pushing it into the filled center of the leaf.
This will create a neat package that has a better chance of holding together in the pot.
Continue the process for the remaining leaves. Depending on how many useable leaves your cabbage has, you may find you have some leftover filling. Simply roll that filling into meatballs; you can place them into the pot along with the stuffed leaves, so you don’t waste anything.
In a small saucepan, combine the rest of the tomato sauce with the diced or crushed tomatoes, lemon juice, brown sugar, tomato paste, paprika, garlic and allspice. Warm up over medium heat till bubbly and fragrant. Taste the sauce; season with salt and pepper and more brown sugar or lemon, if desired.
Put remaining 1 cup of sauerkraut and the chopped cabbage leaves/core into the bottom of a pot. Spread the mixture out to create an even layer, then pour ½ cup of chicken broth or water over the top of the leaves.
Place half of the stuffed cabbage leaves on top of the sauerkraut mixture.
Pour 1/3 of the warmed tomato sauce over the first layer of stuffed cabbage leaves.
Put another layer of stuffed leaves on top...
...and top with the rest of the sauce.
Heat the pot over medium high and bring the sauce to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer and cover the pot. Let the cabbage leaves cook for 2-2 ½ hours till the thickest parts of the leaves are tender. Check the pot periodically to make sure it’s not boiling too vigorously—this can make the leaves fall apart. A slow, even simmer works best.
When finished cooking, remove the stuffed cabbage leaves from the pot carefully with tongs. Top the stuffed cabbage with some of the sauce and a very generous sprinkle of black pepper. Serve hot. Leaves can be refrigerated for 4-5 days or frozen and reheated before serving.
Do you serve the sauerkraut/chopped cabbage as well? I’m about to try this but that’s confusing a bit. Does most of the sauce end up in the sauerkraut at the bottom of the pot?
You can if you want to. It’s all tasty 🙂 the rolls will also stand alone if you prefer.
I’m thinking of using the cooked boiled chicken from making chicken soup to stuff the cabbage rolls (I’m going to have an enormous amount of chicken and want to serve it in a more elegant presentation). Have you ever tried this? What do you think about maybe adding an egg for binder in the cooked and finely chopped chicken? What about cooking time, will it be too dry?
I have not tried these subs but they sound like they would work out nicely! The only issue I foresee is the chicken becoming dry, since it will already be cooked prior to adding it to the rolls… so you might have to adjust cook time a bit. Having not tested it myself, I’m hesitant to say yes or no here… but it would be a fun experiment. If you try it please let us know how it goes!
Any suggestions for substitutes for the tomato sauce? Any cooked tomato products give me indigestion. Thanks for your recipes!
No sub for tomato sauce here that I can think of. Sorry!
Your stuffing and how to roll pictures are the best I have ever seen. The ingredients make me think this will be the most delicious recipe. I just made and froze 12 from a different site but soon I will make your recipe and I think I have found my favorite!
Stuffed cabbage. Aah thanks for reminding about this delicious dish. I havent made them for a while & have a hand me down recipe from my mother. Very similar to yours minus sauerkraut & less beef. Thank you for including it.
Hi Tori, Not sure if this is the appropriate place to leave a question but here goes. Until recently I’ve been able to print the entire recipe….pictures (which I love!) and instructions. For some reason only the text prints out. I am able to print out both text and images from other sites so not sure what I’m doing wrong. Would really appreciate it if someone could help me out. Thanks! PS I use google chrome to view and microsoft word to print out.
Hi Lettie– have you tried using your browser’s print function from the page itself, rather than pushing the “Print Recipe” button within the post? Be warned it will print a LOT of pages, but it should also print images for you.
Tori, to me this is a root cellar recipe..what people cooked from their saved food in the wintertime. The sauerkraut sounds right, but lemons were not easy to get..we have always used sour salt (citric acid) which provides the perfect sour taste.
I learned that from my bubby..I’m 85 years old so this goes back a lot of years.
Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Portia! It’s true, citric acid is often used in Ashkenazi families. I have tried it in the past and I like the flavor profile, but it’s not always an easy ingredient to find in grocery stores, so I used lemon here. You are lucky you had a bubbe to learn from!
Love this recipe so far and can’t wait to try it. I’m half polish so this dish is totally nostalgic! One question, am i able to freeze any leftovers? We love cooking big batches and freezing meals for later.
Hi Kimberly, yes this should freeze just fine.
I am thinking of making stuffed cabbage for Passover this year and using quinoa instead of rice. Do you think I can substitute cooked quinoa 1 x 1 for the rice in this recipe?
Hi Adrienne, it’s a great idea. I’ve never tried it but my guess is it will work great. If you test it will you report back and let us know how it goes?
I make stuffed cabbages a lot. But daughter wants my recipe? We’ll I make them without a recipe,I’m a great cook and can do them with out one.. But looked this up and you showed how I wrap them as I do . And I use only ground pork. I also use the rice on Cooked . as it will cook perfect with juices for the 2& 1/2 hours. I also put the sauerkraut between layers. And I also use the cabbage chopped on bottom. Yours look perfect. Just like mine.over the years. I’ve used several tomato products. Tomate sauce, with chopped tomatoes. Sometimes tomato juice and tomato sauce together. What ever I have . Your pictures showing how to remove vein was very good. I find if I get to big of a cabbage they have to much cabbage leaf. So I get medium size. I also do mine in oven in a roaster. So easy. Thank you for showing how to make them . It will be easy for my daughter. 😊
Happy to help Laura!
I truly appreciate all of the thought put into this recipe and like others wouldn’t change a thing. This is my second time referring to this web page and would be lost without it. Every single ingredient in their subtlety keeps the palate intrigued and coming back for more. Furthermore, the photos and instructions are incredibly helpful. A Polish auntie suggested barley which is the only embellishment I have made. More than likely it was a stretcher from the depression days. Keep up the great work Tori!!
Thanks for the feedback Peter!
I made this today and it is on the stove right now. I sure hope it lives up to the reviews because it was a lot of work. I tried freezing the cabbage overnight as instructed and let it set out for closer to 4 hours. It was a total pain to separate the leaves. They also were not very pliable so it was difficult to roll them and nearly impossible to tuck in the right end. If I ever make these again, I definitely will boil the cabbage first!
For the frozen cabbage to be pliable, it needs to be be frozen for a few days and then thawed out. It works every time. This is the only way I do it now.
I’m just seconding the previous reply. I freeze the cabbage for a whole week and let it thaw for 2 days (because it’s hard as a rock when I take it out of the freezer). I’ve made this recipe three times now and it’s my go-to cabbage roll recipe. I’m so grateful to Tori Avey for it. The Christmas batch is on the stove right now.
Thanks Janette. Hope you like the new video!
I searched for a recipe for stuffed cabbage that appealed to me, and am I ever glad I came across this website. This recipe is amazing. Absolutely amazing. I did not change a thing, I followed the recipe exactly, was not afraid to use a little more spice such as pepper as the recipe suggested, and the outcome was sublime. I was a little hesitant with lemon juice, dill and sauerkraut however without these three ingredients this recipe would not be anywhere near as good as it was. I was amazed at how well these ingredients made the dash. The feeling was flavorful soft moist and delicious! The sauce was out of this world. This recipe is AMAZING!!!! Very time-consuming in the prep stage but so worth it, and i’m sure the prep time will lessen as I make it more and more. I will never change a thing and this recipe it is absolutely perfect as is. As other readers have mentioned, they are even better the next day which is hard to believe because they’re fabulous on day one. I will continue to make this recipe whenever I make stuffed cabbage. My search is over, I will never, ever use another recipe. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is an absolute 10 out of 10. My mouth is watering thinking of these….time for another batch. Wow. These seriously are that delicious!!!!
Few typos! Ooops! Dash should be dish and Feeling should be filling.. there may be a few more typos but I think everybody gets the message LOL. I loved loved loved this recipe. It was absolutely delicious….I used ground beef and pork combo by the way!!!
I will definitely give this recipe a try. Will probably use turkey. But my Hungarian Bubbie taught me years ago and everything looks the same expect for the sauerkraut and lemon. Unfortunately, I never wrote her recipe down but I see from your pictures that she made it this way with chopping extra cabbage.
I am going to try your version, but my mother, who grew up with many German and Polish friends and neighbors, always called them Golumpkis and put sauerkraut over the top and then poured the sauce over that. I have always loved them with sauerkraut.
This is the BEST recipe for cabbage rolls ever. My husband raises a beautiful vegetable garden, and we raise our own beef so starting in August this recipe is a fall favorite. The secret is in the sauce!
These were so good. The sauerkraut is a nice addition. I also added a little Worcestershire sauce. I think they both add more layers of flavor. I like mine sweet so added more sugar. Next time I’m going to use apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice. All I had was smoked paprika & that made it even better. I don’t bother using 2 pots. Just more to wash. I just add the sauerkraut & cabbage, then the rolls right into the sauce pot.
I LOVE the idea of freezing the cabbage. I started this 3 days in advance since it has such a long cooking time. Cored & stuck cabbage in freezer. Defrosted & leaves came off perfect. Way easier than cooking. I made the filling 2 days in advance. Then I only had to mix up the sauce & stuff the rolls. Took no time. I did add more water a couple times during cooking because I like more sauce. You can also stuff the cabbage & put in fridge for 2 days. Make up sauce 3 days ahead when you freeze the cabbage. Then just put together & cook. I’ll store some in the freezer to microwave. I’m going to try some more of your recipes. I’ve found so many that look really good. I don’t keep kosher but I like that you use fresh ingredients. I’ve been trying to cut out as many processed foods as I can & cook my own.
i’m Polish & had Jewish bubbe/babcia so i learned to make as girl-i have used seasoned tomato juice w broth & homemade pasta sauce but never added brown sugar,tried it & w sauerkraut too my Italian husband loves it! But what i loved was ur tip about freezing cabbage head!! worked like charm ‘ now i’m making glompkis more often due to that tip. hated boiling waiting peeling away each leaf NOW TIME SAVER FREEZE GRT TIP WORKS THX SMACZNEGO ! zosia
Hello do you put 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of ground chicken? Making it 2 pounds?
Hi Deborah, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. The recipe calls for 1 lb of meat, total. So if you’d like to use a combo of beef and chicken you should use 1/2 lb of each.
This is the best stuffed cabbage recipe I have made. My toddler and husband love it! We are a multicultural family and I am so happy I get to introduce my family with recipes like this.
Thank you so much.
I ran right out to buy everything I needed to make this. It sounds sooooooooo good. But is it two 14 oz cans or 1 14 oz can tomato sauce? No I gotta wait to see. But I am so excited to try this with sauerkraut. Yum sandy
Hi Sandy, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. It should be two 14 oz cans.
Thank you for a fabulous recipe using chicken, I’m deathly allergic to mammal meat, that doesn’t sacrifice flavor. This takes me back to my pre allergic days. I’ve mad this with chicken, Turkey and a turkey/duck combo, all excellent.
Tori, You may not have a Jewish grandmother but you nailed it on this recipe.
My ancestry is 100% Hungarian and my Mother made fabulous cabbage rolls.
What’s needed to be authentic is the sauerkraut which most recipes do not include.
And the tomato sauce must be great, which you also nailed. Tomato soup in my estimation is the easy way out but if you go through all the trouble to do this recipe than take the extra step and make the sauce. They did not have tomato soup in a can in Eastern Europe.
I use a meat mixture of ground pork and ground beef, sometimes add the veal which my mother did. I think the pork addition give it a better taste.
Thank you for this. Now I have a written recipe to pass around. Our grandmother’s would approve of this enthusiastically.
Absolutely delicious.
The pictures made it very easy to understand since l am a beginner, and is my first time cooking this dish.
My father made these for us as children and I have 5 grown up children (2 boys and 3 girls) who all make them. Your recipe is the nearest one to my father’s except for the sauerkraut. Have been asked by my daughters to make them for tomorrow lunch. They can make them as stated but Mummy’s taste best. I do mine in the slow crockpot and leave them overnight and they come out perfect. I use lamb and port, or chicken and beef. Will give comment when I have made your recipe.
Just got my yard done and house cleaned, so I thought it would be a perfect day to spend the time these require. After having spent several hours on them, I said to myself, “I don’t care how good these are, I will never do this again!” Also, I was going to complain about the sauce, because I initially thought it was too thick and that the tomato paste was unnecessary. I added a bit more lemon juice and extra brown sugar. Have about an hour left until these are completely done, but I have to say, I checked them, and the sauce has thinned out, the sauerkraut juice has integrated into the sauce, and the sauce is OUTSTANDING! So, yes, I will make these again and can’t wait to taste them. I am beyond picky, but I can already tell that these are going to be one of the best things I’ve ever made. Thank you! (Oh, and my spotless kitchen is now a mess. Ha!)
Same happened here. I was skeptical at first, now I’m a believer, and everyone loves these. It’s the dish people ask me to bring to parties or family gatherings.
I’m really excited to try this recipe. Do you think it would work with quinoa instead of rice?
Hi Chana, that would probably work. Let me know if you try it!
Tori,
A tip maybe. Trimming the rib is a bit tedious. My wife goes to an exercise class that involves using balls of various sizes. I used one those to put the leaf over instead of laying flat on a cutting board. The ball I used was about 6″ diameter and it worked very well. Easier to avoid cutting through and accidentally cutting another part of the leaf. I’m making this for the first time. Have tried other recipes and has always left me thinking, ‘there’s got to be better’. Yours looks like it.
So is it 1 lb or each meat? Total of 2 lbs?
One pound total, you can use a mixture or either type of meat, whichever you prefer.
I used 1 lb ground turkey and because it is a bit more soft that beef, I added some bread crumbs to firm it up a bit. And definitely need to leave it in the fridge for a bit to firm up. I also added a dash of Worcestershire Sauce. Stuffed cabbage..food of the Gods…so delicious.
Where can I get the full recipe for this including the complete method?
Bronwyn, the full recipe and method is outlined above. If you would like a printable version without pictures, just click on the red “Print Recipe” button above the ingredients list and it will create a print version with no pictures.
The recipe DOES look good. I have made stuffed cabbage before using my grandmother’s recipe (she was from Riga, Lativa) and made it sweet and sour. She used, as do I, sour salt (citric acid) to make it tart instead of using sourkraut. I have been on the lookout for a different recipe and yours looks quite good.
Does it have to be made stovetop? Can it be made in the slow cooker and how would that be done? I really don’t feel up to having to use the oven to bake them (which is what I normally do). Sort of just set it and let it be. MY wife, who is Irish/English is wanting me to make it for St. Patty’s Day which means tomorrow.
I have made stuffed cabbage in a crockpot many times, just make sure you pack the cabbage rolls tightly so they don’t come apart.
Quiet Sunday at home decided to tinker in the kitchen and take my time making these today. They turned out SO good. With the ‘crout and allspice combo, it was something totally different than we were used to making and it was amazing. I was tempted to add more garlic.. even some green pepper but I kept with the recipe “as is”. Just divine. Made some dinner rolls with it to soak up the juice.
At one point I was very confused.. between the sauce heating up and using a NEW pot for stacking everything. I don’t think that was called out clearly, had to read a few times. Once the sauce is done, you start with the ‘crout and rest of the cabbage shred is a NEW pot.
We ate at 6pm and it’s 9 now and my husband is still raving. Seriously so good. Bookmarking to make again!
So glad you enjoyed it Carol! Thanks for the note to help clarify for other readers.
My husband said ” one of my all time favorite foods is stuffed cabbage rolls. I did a search and landed on your recipe. I seldom follow recipes to a “T” but I did for this one and he said ” You knocked it out of the park and don’t change one thing”. It was delicious and super comfort food. I will be making this again and again. Plus, I look forward to trying some of your other recipes.
Can you bake this in the oven instead of cooking over the stove top? If so, how long and what temp would you set the oven at?
Thanks,
J
Hi Jon, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. Unfortunately we have not made this recipe in the oven, so I do not know what to suggest for temp and cook time.
You can bake them at 350 for 1.5 -2 hrs use a baking dish where they will fit snugly put the chopped cabbage on bottom with some sauce then the rolls and sauce on top cover with tin foil and bake I like to uncover for about 15 min at the end but you don’t have to. My grandmother always used some rasins in the sauce too and I like a few hot red pepper flakes on mine.
My Polish mother-in-law makes stuffed cabbage, and she always baked hers in the oven at 250 degrees overnight. Just like doing in a crockpot. They come out tender, infused with flavor. She would make 300 stuffed cabbages at a time, in a disposable aluminum turkey roaster, covered tightly with foil. We would have for lunch the next day, and any uneaten ones would be frozen for later use. They freeze well. I’m going to try Tori’s recipe next week, it looks fantastic!
hi i always make the stuffed cabbage in the oven, just make sure that you cover the dish. i like this recipe and am using it to make my traditional succoth – feast of tabernacles- dish. we are over 30 people for two meals and i double/triple the recipe. it comes out great.
i make the sauce a little sweet/sour and the tip of tasting the meat is a great one.
ruth from Israel
I make mine in the oven. Haven’t used sauerkraut before, but I will this time.
Line of the bottom of a 13 x 9 roasting pan or glass dish with a layer of sauce and kraut/cabbage mixture.. Place cabbage rolls, seam side down, on top of kraut. Top cabbage rolls with remaining sauce and more then cover the whole pan with a layer of cling wrap (yes it can be used in the oven) and then aluminum foil. Bake for 2- 3 hours in a preheated 350F oven. I was told by a Polish friend, that the layer of cabbage on the bottom of the pot was to prevent the cabbage rolls from scorching.
This recipe simply sounds divine Tori. And what I like best to do is double or triple the ingredients and get all the work done at one time. Then the cabbage rolls can be baked or cooked on the stove or crockpot or all three and frozen for future dinners. And do they taste even better, if that is possible, reheated. My mouth is watering.
My Booba used to make these, we called them Holishkes and I loved them. If the rice turns out mushy don’t precook it, it will cook itself in 2 hours! Love rice in it although someone has left it out and replaced it with cheese which cannot be mixed with meat as it is dairy and not kosher.
I made these for New Year’s, in two batches, spicy and regular. They were delicious. I love that I can make a lot at one time.
I’ve been wanting to make this for so long and I finally did! It is so yummy! I messed up a bit and accidently started cooking the meat first. I caught it and stopped but it made it a little harder to roll but it turned out really great! Thank you for this recipe! My picky 10 year old even ate it! Cannot wait to try it again. I think I’ll freeze the cabbage next time though!
This was fantastic!!!!!!!
I baked it in my cast iron Dutch oven. 350 for 2 hours.
Can’t wait for leftovers for lunch!
Do you cook the meat first like the rice?
It’s probably best not to use a cast iron pot for acidic cooking, like tomato sauce, and especially for longer than 1/2 hour cooking. Enameled cast iron’s a different story.
Best cabbage rolls ever!!!
I’ve eaten many but never made them before and out of the blue I had this desire to make them. I bought the cabbage and beef without having checked any recipes and then I decided I needed one with ingredients I already had and thankfully I came across yours.
My prep took me 3 hours before I finally had them in the pot ready to cook but they’re so worth it!! (As is the huge mess on the stove because my pot was a rad too small) The sauerkraut really makes it.
Even my parents who never eat cabbage rolls ate them, AND they had seconds :O
Often when I try something new I’ll make it and then tweak it over and over till I like it, but yours hits every like note and I won’t be tweaking a thing.
Seriously thank you for your recipe!!
I am currently on my second batch and the recipe is so well done. My only suggestion would be to group the portions of ingredients with the stages of filling and sauce. But I do see the wisdom and recognize that one set of ingredients is best. My Polish auntie had mentioned that her mother used barley as opposed to rice and that is how I have embellished on your recipe. I’m guessing it was a way of stretching the filling during the Depression era. However, I wouldn’t suggest changing a thing. Especially the variation of beef and chicken. The illustrations are so well done and your writing is nothing but encouragement. Thank you for putting so much love into this recipe. I truly look forward to experimenting with more of your staples. Best Regards.
here in israel i like to use beef and red turkey meat combinations.
Delicious! I didn’t want to wait the 2 hours, so I cheated and cut the cabbage up and made more of a Stuffed Cabbage Stew.
I cut the cabbage up first, and started cooking it down with a can of tomato sauce and a can of diced fire roasted tomatoes.
I put everything else in another pan and let all the spices simmer together. I used veggie crumbles, since I don’t eat meat, so I was able to just throw that in with the sauce. By the time I cooked my brown minute rice and added it to the sauce. The cabbage was cooked. I threw it all in the same pan at that point. It was amazing! I will definitely make this again 🙂
(I also did not use the egg.)
So, so good … Better than I could have dreamed of. What appealed to me at first was the inclusion of sauerkraut.
Had no dill so I subbed with one of my favorite spices… dry thyme.
Had no paprika so I subbed with chipotle which added zing… Loved it!!!
I made this for my bride last night and it turned out awesome. I will be making this at the firehouse next time I cook.
Agreed! I left the rice out. For one reason to many carbs. But other than that it’s on the regular menu in my house! Love it… shalom!
I don’t use the rice either. And I add some shredded cheddar cheese and put krout in the bottom and place cabbage rolls then cover with V8 spicey hot.
Though my mother (Croatian) cooked very often using a tomato based sauce she didn’t when
making stuffed cabbage. She boiled the rolls along with a “considerable amount” of sauerkraut to
achieve a great sour tasting dish. We loved it – many years later I met a Slovenian gentleman at work
who said they used fermented cabbage leaves to achieve the same result. Interesting how these different countries came up with various recipes and made a great dish out of simple and inexpensive ingredients. Of course mother’s way was always the best one!
I just made this recipe over the weekend for a large party. I quintupled the recipe (loosely, my math suffered a little) and the result was REALLY good. It’s a flavorful, sweet-and-sour taste. Instead of cooking in pots, I placed in a few big trays and baked. I wanted a recipe that would work for gluten free, kosher and I even made a tray that was vegetarian — with a rice/mushroom filling. My family’s own handed-down recipe uses a roux of flour, which wouldn’t work for gluten free. They all gave thumbs up to this version! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Perfect. I have made this as a soup many times using the ingredients as stated. Winner Winner everyone loves it.
This is the best stuffed cabbage recipe ever. Thank you for sharing. This will be my go to recipe from now on. I rate it a 10 out of 10.
This is the best stuffed cabage recipe ever. Thank you forr sharing it. This is the only recipe i will make from now on.
I was so disappointed with how this recipe turned out. Adding cooked rice just made it a mushier bland texture. Not enough seasoning either. These cabbage rolls turned out dry as well, not enough sauce. I have made many cabbage rolls through the years and never had a fail like this recipe was 🙁 I’ll be sticking with my regular cabbage roll recipe in the future.
Very sorry to hear that Cath! So many readers have enjoyed this recipe, too bad it wasn’t a success for you. I hope it doesn’t deter you from trying other recipes on the site in the future!
If you love yours so much why not just stick with what works for you ? I tried this recipe and irs the best I’ve ever had or made. Absolutely perfect ??
Like I said, tried all the steps, sauce, test patty, and cabbage, so I know it will be great. Your instruction is outstanding!
Enjoy Nita! So happy the instructions were helpful
As i have learned from my ethnic relatives, polish, middle eastern, using certain brand rices and brands of tomatoes make a difference in making a perfect tried and true recipe. Thus my question, what brand of rice works best in recipe? Unsalted tomatoes,? and how to pick a good head of cabbage? And what is ‘sour salt?’ Any answers would be of great assistance. Also, what does the ‘dill” do in the recipe, i have never seen this used in the filling? look forward to responses. Thanks
Sour salt is Kosher salt with citric acid.
Just research ingredients and try. If what you get doesn’t turn out the way you like, then try again next time. I suck in the kitchen, but over the years, i have a great collection of recipes from trial and error. Don’t be afraid to fail.
after a lot of searching the best way to get the leaves off is to core the cabbage – for several inches – one guy on the internet used a hole saw attached to an electric drill – then I put the cabbage into boiling water core side up and wait for 5 minutes or so and using a tong pull off the leaves one by one stem first until they get difficult and wait a few minutes and repeat putting the harvested leave into a collander. Never tried the freezing method but after several batches of stuffed cabbage this seemed the best way without the frustration
That is a great tip I tried it today before reading this post and it worked good
Turned out great for the second time – omitted rice both times to limit carbs and it held together just fine. Had to boil the cabbage twice to get the leaves off in tact – the center was still tough and will try the freeze method next.
Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, took me a while but I came up with this recipe…
(The BIG TRICK)…Freeze cabbage in freezer for at least 24 hours and defrost overnight on the counter on a towel
Make the sauce:
1 jar of tomato sauce (28 oz)
1 can of tomato soup (14 oz)
1 diced apple
1/2 cup raisins
1 can of cranberry sauce (mash into the pot with a potato masher)
leftover chopped cabbage after finished making the rolls
Add pepper, ketchup and brown sugar to taste
Leave that to simmer and cook while you make the filling and the cabbage rolls:
2 lbs ground meat (I use turkey)
1 cup brown raw rice
4 chopped green onions
1 egg
squirt of ketchup
pepper
(some water if needed)
mix that together in a large bowl
Prepare your cabbage leaves:
Cut out the core and tear of the outer leaves (set that aside to chop up)
One leaf at a time, place the plop near the edge. Roll up and tuck in the sides. Spray the crock pot with pam.
When meat is all gone and now all ready in rolls-chop up the excess cabbage and add to sauce.
Scoop in some sauce into the crock pot, layer in a some rolls, cover with sauce, add more rolls until you end up with all the sauce on top.
Cover on low for 8 hours, serves 8 to 10 people!
WOW. This recipe was absolutely AMAZING. What an excellent recipe you have put together. I personally, am not Jewish, German, Polish, etc., but I am a major foodie and love to experiment with new recipes. I do a lot of research and trial and error to find the best recipes I can when I decide to try something new. This recipe did not disappoint in any way! I followed the recipe exactly besides the mistake I made putting the garlic into the filling instead of the sauce at first, but I love garlic, so I still put it in the sauce as directed. I couldn’t wait to try them, so I did after an hour on slow simmer. 12 hours and 5 cabbage rolls later….OMG. They just got infinitely better each time! I can’t wait to take this dish over to my friend’s house for dinner tomorrow. She is going to love it, especially after all of the flavors have married for 24 hours. One of the best recipes ever. Follow it exactly, let it marry, and there won’t be any complaints from anyone. THANK YOU SO MUCH ?
This has gotta be the best stuffed cabbage I’ve ever had! The flavors are rich and delicious. It takes a long time to prepare but well worth the effort. I will definitely make this again. Thank you so much for sharing.
Do you have a suggestion as to how to cook this in a crock pot?
Everyone in my family makes stuffed cabbage but me until now. I grew up eating what I think must be Polish recipes due to where I grew up in SW Pennsylvania. I’ve travelled and eaten this dish in various countries and all were different which I love. I must say your recipe is divine.
I put it all together last night so we could cook it after work in time for dinner. Really, really great. Thank you!
My Ukrainian grandmother made these, but hers were more on the savory side, “seasoned” on the plate with Apple cider vinegar. A wonderful tool to make these are cookie/ ice cream scoops, placing two of the smaller scoops of filling side by side. You don’t even have to form them before you start rolling, just squeeze a bit as you roll. A great time saver! The scoops work great for meatballs too. Also, I cook my cabbage rolls in the oven, all components go in the same cooking/ serving dish and cover with foil.
With out a dought the best stuffed cabbage ever. Ten stars all the way.
These look amazing!
You inspired me and I will make them tomorrow. I refer to your website often. You are a talented chef and a great teacher. Thank you!
I am lazy. If you have room in the freezer, freeze the whole cabbage head. When you want to use it, put a couple layers of paper towel in a pie plate, and thaw the head of cabbage out upside down. The leaves come off easily, and after trimming down the thick stems the l Cook as per your recipe.eaves are easy to fold and roll.
Some years ago I had a stuffed cabbage leaf dish in Kiev [Ukraine]. I asked what it was as I enjoyed it so much. I was told it translated as pigeon but I now wonder if it was Pelmeni. Which is referred to several times in Andrey Kurkov’s novel ‘The Milkman in the NIght’. which I am enjoying at the moment.
Pelmini – as I know them -are a small dumpling – they look like Italian tortelini – and they are usually stuffed with a mixture of beef and pork – and are very delicious. Not sure what your cabbage dish would be – I know cabbage rolls as galobke (no idea how to spell) but I think that’s their Polish name.
I’m just making them now… I put 3 meats, sirloin, port, veal… I also add bacon to the mixture.. Rice, seasoning, etc… I also make 2 sauces, one with the tomatoes and the other… Mushroom soup.. Seems that every1 seems to like the mushroom soup recipe better.. Instead of water, I add milk.. Happy Easter to all..
Can cabbage rolls be made ahead of time and refrigerated for a couple days before adding sauce and baking?
Hi Dee, I’ve never tried that but I’m guessing it would work out fine. I wouldn’t do it more than two days ahead though.
I made these last night for Hanukkah and everyone loved them. My sister-in-law who is picky loved them, my 3 year old son loved them, my dad was reminded of his grandmother and my husband insisted that I make them again before Hanukkah is over. Flavorful, melt in your mouth, delicious. Thanks for helping me make my holidays wonderful.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. My heritage is Arabic and I have stuffed most anything but was looking for a recipe with the classic sweet and sour taste that I remember from a special polish lady growing up. The sauerkraut caught my eye and I had to try it. Your sauce was perfect. I wanted to comment because I have made these twice now and adapted your recipe for the oven. I doubled the filling recipe and used a heaping 1/2 cup uncooked rice . This makes a full 9×13 pan. I made your sauce using 1 can each of tomato sauce, purée and duced tomatoes (along with the leftover of the can I used for filling) and adjusted your seasonings accordingly. I did add a bit extra brown sugar. I still placed diced cabbage and kraut on the bottom of my pan, added the cabbage rolls and poured the heated sauce over the top. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 for 90 minutes. They were awesome. My husband and kids love them. Thanks again.
Great to hear that Amy, so glad it brought back that flavor you remembered. 🙂
Always a family favorite growing up, but a slightly different recipe: I core and then steam the cabbage in the microwave, for about 15 minutes. While that is cooking I mix the meat, raw rice, egg , a little tomato sauce and seasonings..minus any onion, and in a dutch oven saute a vidalia onion sliced into rings in a little olive oil. The cabbage rolls, once wrapped, are laid on top of the softened onions, then covered with remaining tomato sauce, diced tomato pieces, and a can of tomato paste, about two cups of water and 1/3 cup each of lemon juice (fresh), and sugar(brown or white). After about half an hour of simmering taste and adjust if needed for sour/sweet and salty taste. Continue to cook for a couple of hours, or until rice is soft, and meat is cooked. The onions in the sauce dissolve, making a very rich sauce. Although this makes a large dutch oven full, it is always eaten quickly…never have leftovers to freeze:(
Tori, your post compelled me to haul out the recipe box. And, of course, make cabbage rolls. Dad’s mom, Nana, showed my mom how to make them.
Filling is mostly the same, but Nana and Mom always browned them (3-5 minutes with butter or schmaltz) before placing them in the baking pan. Mom never made a tomato sauce, but I use a light one with fresh tomatoes, onion, leftover cabbage chunks and dill. Thank you for the inspiration! This is definitely an autumn harvest dish to me.
I’ve had this many times growing up in Eastern Europe. What you forgot to mention is that these cabbage rolls in Eastern Europe are made with “sour cabbage” – the process is the same as sauerkraut, however they are entire leaves. Some people make it, however in the US you can buy sour cabbage leaves in most Eastern European stores and delis. That’s where the tartness comes from without adding sauerkraut.
Thanks for this information. I have been trying to figure out how my mom made her stuffed cabbage. They definitely were not sweet-and-sour, nor do I remember any sauerkraut. Yet plain cabbage would have been bland. I think you solved the puzzle for me — she used sour cabbage leaves.
Yum .. I’m going to try this with ground chicken …..
That looks amazing!!!
My mom use to make these!!! ♥
I am 100% Polish and grew up on golumpki (with mashed potatoes and rye bread) every Sunday at my grandmother’s house just 6 houses up the street. Never, ever had ‘sweet’ golumpki with raisins or brown sugar or other such nonsense! Baci’s had a mixture of ground beef, pork and veal, onions and rice as the filling. I made them with her many times, cutting out the spines of each leaf and never using the greenest cabbage leaves as they were tough. Tomato soup made the sauce and they were ALWAYS baked in her huge roaster. I’ve tried many other recipes but none of them compare to hers. Accept no substitutes!
Finally, you’ve made something that I have made before! But I LOVE your new and exciting recipes!! You always present delicious, intriguing and exciting challenges. But cabbage rolls–comfort food! Thank you!