Here’s a classic, comforting cabbage rolls recipe—stuffed with a savory meat and rice filling and simmered in a flavorful tomato sauce.
🥬 Classic Cabbage Rolls
🧾 Ingredients
For the rolls:
- 1 large head of cabbage
- 500g (1 lb) ground beef (or a mix of beef & pork)
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika (optional)
For the sauce:
- 2 cups tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tbsp sugar (optional, balances acidity)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano or thyme
- 1 tbsp olive oil
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Prepare the cabbage leaves
- Remove core from cabbage
- Boil the whole head for 5–10 minutes until leaves are pliable
- Carefully peel off large outer leaves and set aside
2. Make the filling
- In a bowl, mix ground meat, cooked rice, onion, garlic, egg, salt, pepper, and paprika
3. Assemble the rolls
- Place 2–3 tbsp filling in the center of each cabbage leaf
- Fold sides over, then roll tightly from the stem end
4. Prepare the sauce
- In a large skillet or pot, heat olive oil
- Add tomato sauce, beef broth, sugar, salt, pepper, and herbs
- Simmer 5 minutes
5. Cook the rolls
- Place rolls seam-side down in the sauce
- Cover and simmer on low for 45–60 minutes until meat is cooked and cabbage tender
6. Serve
- Spoon sauce over the rolls
- Optional: garnish with fresh parsley or sour cream
💡 Tips
- For extra flavor, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil before adding to the filling
- Leftovers taste even better the next day as flavors meld
- You can bake in the oven at 180°C (350°F) covered for 45 minutes instead of simmering
If you want, I can give you a faster, “weeknight-friendly” version of cabbage rolls that doesn’t require boiling the whole cabbage first.
Do you want me to do that?
