Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Step by Step Easy Cabbage Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium head green cabbage or savoy
Sauce
- 16oz/475ml tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Meat Filling
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1.5lb/680g ground pork beef, chicken or turkey
- 1 cup rice long grain white
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 3/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp celery seed optional
- 4 tbsp tomato sauce
Instructions
- Put on a deep pot half full of water to boil the cabbage. Heat up another pot of water to cook the rice so they’ll be ready about the same time.
- Take any dark green loose leaves off the cabbage. Cut the core off. Take a small knife and go around the core as best as you can. This’ll make it easier to remove the leaves off after cooking. Wash the cabbage and the leaves. Put the cabbage in the boiling water. Add more water so the cabbage is covered as much as possible. Put in the outer dark green leaves that were taken off earlier. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Take wilted cabbage leaves out as needed and put them on a sheet tray. Take the head of cabbage out with a strainer. Leave on the sheet tray until it’s cool enough to handle.
- When the water for the rice has come to a boil, add a teaspoon salt. Rinse long grain white rice, add that in and stir. Cook for 8 minutes. Drain and leave to cool.
- Heat up a pan. Add oil and butter. Add the onions. Cook for a few minutes until soft. Add the garlic. Cook for a few more minutes until golden. Remove from the pan to cool.
- Gently remove the leaves from the cabbage. Cut around the core so the leaves come off easily. When you get to a certain point, it will be hard to get the leaves off. Then, put the cabbage back in the water and simmer for a few more minutes until soft. Get the rest of the leaves off the cabbage. You’ll need about 14 for this recipe. It’s best to have a few extra in case your cabbage is small.
- To the tomato sauce, add brown sugar, fresh lemon juice and worcestershire sauce, ground black pepper and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Put the ground meat in a large bowl. Add the spices, sautéed onion and garlic, cooked rice and chopped parsley. Mix well with your hands. Add 4 tbsp tomato sauce and mix well.
- Before you start rolling, shave the rib end off each leaf. This will help it stay flat and easier to roll. If the rib is really tough, you can make a v cut and remove it. Use an ice cream scoop to distribute the meat. Take each leaf and put a scoop of meat on the bottom third of the leaf. Roll up and the sides in. Try to roll it as tight as possible. For larger leaves, use more meat.
- Line the bottom of a heavy pot with a few of the remaining cabbage leaves. Pour a ¼ cup of sauce on top and spread. Put the cabbage rolls in seam side down, however many fit in a single layer. Add ¼ cup more sauce and the rest of the rolls. Pour the remaining sauce all over the rolls. Cover with a few more leaves. Put the lid on. Cook on medium heat for a few minutes until you hear the sauce boiling, it should take less than 5 mins. Then turn the heat down to low and cook for 2 hours. You should be able to hear the sauce simmering while it’s cooking. If you don’t hear anything, turn the heat up slightly. To bake in the oven, do the same layering, cover the baking pan and cook for 1.5 hrs at 350 F/ 180 C.
- Open the pot after 2 hours to check if the rolls are tender. You may need to cook for 15 or 30 minutes longer, the cabbage should be soft.
- ***To cook the cabbage, use a deep pot and cover it. If you don’t have a deep pot, leave it open and turn the cabbage over once in a while. It’s best to put less water in at first, otherwise you’ll have to scoop out boiling water and it may spill all over your stove. If you have a large cabbage, trim more of the bottom so it’ll fit in your pot.
- ***Don’t worry if the leaves tear a little, you can always patch them with another leaf while rolling.
- ***The middle part of the cabbage with small leaves, you can slice and put on the bottom and top of the cooking pot along with any extra leaves. Salt and pepper them if you want to eat them along with the rolls.
- ***If you want all the rolls to be the same size, trim a piece off the end of the larger leaves and they’ll look more uniform.
- ***If you want to reduce the sauce to get it thicker, take the rolls out first and leave the sauce in the pot on medium heat for a few minutes. Another way to serve the sauce is to whisk sour cream into it. It’ll be pink, creamy and smooth.
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