Call them old-fashioned if you like, but stuffed cabbage rolls are comfort food with a playful twist. Once you master the roll, the kitchen becomes your playground: swap beef for turkey, trade rice for barley, or tuck in a surprising filling. The cabbage leaf is your edible envelope, ready for delicious secrets. Polish Golabki, like the ones my mom made, combine seasoned ground beef and pork with rice, then bake in a savory tomato sauce until tender and fragrant. Some versions add barley, a spoonful of sour cream, or extra herbs. Every roll feels like a warm hug from another culture—simple, cozy, and wonderfully adaptable.
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cabbage (3 pounds)
- 1/2-pound uncooked ground beef
- 1/2-pound uncooked ground pork
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce, divided
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup cooked long grain rice (See Note)
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of dill weed (or marjoram)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained or your favorite marinara sauce
Process
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Boil a whole head of cabbage until the outer leaves loosen and can be easily removed from the core.
- Set aside 12 large leaves for rolls. Cut out the thick vein from the bottom of each leaf, making a V-shaped cut.
- In a small bowl, combine the beef, pork, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, egg, onion, rice, parsley, salt, dill, and cayenne; mix well.
- Place about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture on a cabbage leaf. Fold the leaf sides over the filling, then roll from the cut end until sealed. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
- Slice the remaining cabbage; place in a Dutch oven. Place the cabbage rolls seam-side down on the sliced cabbage.
- Combine the canned tomatoes and remaining tomato sauce; pour over the rolls. Cover and bake until cabbage rolls are tender, about 1-1/2 hours.
Note: Use precooked rice or another cooked grain (for example, barley, farro, or lentils).
Kitchen Moxy 