I’ve been curious about making this recipe for a long time. I love cabbage. I use it to make slaw, salads, and stir fry all the time. All this meal needs is a slice of homemade bread!
Stuffed cabbage rolls
Stuffed cabbage rolls with ground beef and rice smothered in tangy-sweet balsamic vinegar-infused tomato sauce are one of my favorite meals.
The stuffing is tender and the leaves absorb all the flavors from the meat and sauce. Please believe me when I tell you, this is a winning recipe!
How To Make Stuffed Cabbage?
- For the sauce: In a large pot, saute the onion in olive oil until translucent, about three minutes. Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Mix in the crushed tomatoes and oregano, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil and blanch the cabbage for about a minute. Remove the leaves when tender and flexible.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Make the filling: In a medium-sized bowl, mix the ground beef, one cup of sauce, rice, bread crumbs, chopped onion, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make the rolls: remove the tough part of the white vein in the middle of the leaves and place ⅓ cup of filling on one end
- Roll up, tucking in the sides as you go. Keep your rolls seam-side down as you finish rolling all of them.
- Spread one cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish and arrange the rolls seam-side down on top of the sauce
- Spoon the rest of the sauce on top of the rolls, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Can I Make Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Ahead Of Time:
You certainly can. Make the sauce and rolls the day before you plan to serve them. Since there is raw meat inside the rolls, don’t keep them in the fridge for more than a day.
Assemble, bake, and serve the next day. You can also refrigerate the baked casserole and reheat it in the oven, covered with foil, for 20 mins.
Best Way To Freeze Stuffed Cabbage Rolls?
The best way to freeze them is slowly. By this I mean, place them first in the refrigerator for a few hours to “harden” them up a little, then place them in a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible.
Freeze them without the sauce. You can freeze the sauce in a separate bag, otherwise, when they thaw out, they will fall apart.
When you are ready to bake them, thaw the rolls and the sauce overnight in the fridge, take them out 30 minutes before baking, and assemble them in the baking dish just before putting them in the oven.
What To Serve With Stuffed Cabbage Rolls?
As I said, bread is a must, but a side of candied carrots, or a Caesar salad would be a great addition to the meal.
A great dessert is always a good idea, and Chocolate Orange Cake is to die for.
Other Casserole Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- MEXICAN CORNBREAD CASSEROLE
- OLD-SCHOOL CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE
- CRAZY GOOD CHICKEN PASTA CASSEROLE
- SLOPPY JOE CASSEROLE
- EASY COWBOY CASSEROLE
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE:
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE CABBAGE ROLLS
- 15 cabbage leaves
- 1 lb ground beef
- ¼ cup uncooked white rice
- ¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ½ large onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the sauce: In a large pot, saute the onion in olive oil until translucent, about three minutes. Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Mix in the crushed tomatoes and oregano, season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer sauce for 20 minutes
- Bring water to a boil in a large pot and blanch the cabbage for about a minute. Remove the leaves when tender and flexible.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Make the filling: In a medium-sized bowl, mix the ground beef, one cup of sauce, rice, bread crumbs, chopped onion, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper
- Make the rolls: remove the tough part of the white vein in the middle of the leaves and add ⅓ cup of filling on one end
- Roll up, tucking in the sides as you go. Keep your rolls seam-side down as you finish rolling all of them
- Spread one cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish and arrange the rolls seam-side down on top of the sauce
- Spoon the rest of the sauce on top of the rolls, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Delicious! Just made for a second time! I use ground turkey!
Awww thank you!! 🙂
Just curious – what do you usually do with the rest of the cabbage? Save it for another meal? Dice it and put it under the rolls?
I usually save it and make chicken soup with it!
I cooked Spanish rice and browned hamburger added green pepper and onion. Then I put this mixture into the cabbage leaves. It turned out great and only baked it for 25 to 30 minutes.
Absolutely delicious!
Really Good!
I made these today and really enjoyed the flavours!! While I was reminded why I don’t make cabbage rolls often, simply because I suck at the rolling them part, I will use this recipe again in the future. I made two batches. Your way, and then I added some kimchi to the bottom of the other. What a nice, very subtle difference. Thank you for this recipe.
Thanks for the suggestions. So glad you decided to try it again and customize it to your liking. 🙂
Does it matter what type of rice, can you use basmati?
You can use your favorite rice. Basmati is perfect.
Thanks for the suggestions. So glad you decided to try and customize it to your liking. 🙂
These are simply the Best cabbage rolls I’ve had. Easy to make and delicious. I pre-measured the prepared filling and was able to get 15 cabbage rolls using a 1/4 cup measure in lieu of the suggested 1/3 cup measure. I’ll be making them again! Thanks for the recipe.