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close up of cut open stuffed cabbage roll.
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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are a classic comfort food dish that consists of cabbage leaves filled with beef, pork, and rice covered in homemade sauce.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 474kcal
Author Courtney

Ingredients

Cabbage Rolls

  • 1 head green cabbage
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1 cup par-cooked rice cook rice 3-4 minutes less than directions, you could also use cold leftover rice
  • 1/4 cup parsley freshly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 egg

Tomato Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup onion chopped finely
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar optional for added sweetness, to taste
  • 1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or 1 lemon juiced
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Tomato Sauce

  • Add the olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  • Pour the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix and bring to a simmer. Cook on simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Cabbage Rolls

  • Core the head of the cabbage. Place the cored head of cabbage in a large pot with a large steamer basket at the bottom. Add about 1-2 inches of water. Steam the cabbage head until the outer leaves are easy to remove. Careful not to burn yourself. Remove the leaves as they become soft and can easily be removed from the head of the cabbage. If you want to boil the cabbage, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the cabbage for 4-5 minutes until the leaves are softened, and remove the soft leaves. Don't overcook, they will cook further in the oven.
  • Place the cabbage leaf onto a cutting board and use a pairing knife and cut a V to remove the rib and make the leaves more pliable. Set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet and brown the onion for 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook an additional minute.
  • Place the cooked onion, cooked garlic, cooked rice, ground beef, pork, salt, pepper, parsley, and egg in a mixing bowl. Add a ladle full of the prepared tomato sauce to the mixture and combine.
  • On a clean surface lay the cabbage leaves flat. Place a heaping cookie scoop of meat into the cabbage leaves and roll up, tucking in the ends. Repeat with remaining cabbage leaves and meat mixture.
  • Pour half of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place the cabbage rolls on top of the sauce, seam side down, and pour the remainder of the tomato sauce onto the cabbage rolls.
  • Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake for 75-90 minutes. For food safety, ground meat should be cooked to 160 degrees F.

Notes

Add more beefy flavor by adding a 1/2-1 teaspoon of better than bouillon beef base to the sauce when cooking.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cabbage rolls | Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 1011mg | Potassium: 1294mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 994IU | Vitamin C: 80mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 6mg