by Holly 
©SpendWithPennies.com
My grandma was directly from Poland so Cabbage Rolls is a dish I’ve enjoyed my whole life. Grandmas kitchen always smelled incredible… and there was always something amazing to eat!
Cabbage rolls can vary depending on the origin, the Polish version usually contains meat and rice while the Ukrainian version generally contains only rice. I use a combination of beef & pork for the best flavor but you can use any type of ground meat for these easy cabbage rolls. While the tomato soup may not be typical, it softens & sweetens the tomato sauce slightly and tastes delicious!
This great dish is amazing left over as well… should you be lucky enough to have any left!
Items You’ll Need For This Recipe
* Meat Chopper Tool * 9×13 Pan * Large Sauce Pan *
Cabbage Rolls
Prep Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 head green cabbage
- 1 pound ground pork (or ground turkey)
- ½ pound ground beef
- 2 small onions diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dill weed
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz) undrained
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups + ⅓ cup tomato sauce or pasta sauce divided
- 1 can tomato soup 10.5 oz
Instructions
- Boil cabbage leaves about 2 minutes or until soft. (See note below for removing leaves). Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook rice according to package directions but reduce cooking time by 5 minutes so the rice is slightly underdone. Set aside.
- Cook beef, pork (or turkey), onions, garlic & seasonings until no pink remains. Drain any fat. Add in rice, diced tomatoes, ⅓ cup of tomato/pasta sauce, salt & pepper. Stir in egg.
- Mix tomato sauce and tomato soup in a bowl. Spread a very thin layer of the tomato sauce mixture in a 9x13 pan.
- Remove or thin any thick stem on cabbage leaves. Lay the cabbage leaf flat and add ⅓ to ¼ cup filling to the center of the leaf. Fold in the sides and roll the cabbage up. Place seam side down in the pan. (See note for small leaves). Repeat with remaining cabbage.
- Pour sauce over the cabbage and cover tightly with foil. Bake 75-90 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
More Recipes You’ll Love
* Cabbage Roll Soup * Lazy Cabbage Rolls * Crock Pot Cabbage Roll Casserole *
This recipe sounds wonderful. Quick question, when the recipe states put 1/3 1/4 C. filling, are you saying to use 1/3 C. Meat mixture and then 1/4 C. Sauce on top of meat mixture before rolling and baking? I can’t wait to try it! Thanks.
Sorry for the confusion Krisinda. You will add between 1/3c and 1/4 c of filling depending on the size of your cabbage leaves.
You mean between 1/4 to 1/3 c of filling the smaller amount goes first in the equation.
Going to try this
I really want to make this but I dont eat ground turkey or pork can I sub them both for more ground beef?
You sure can Cheyenne! Enjoy the cabbage rolls!
Always wanted to make cabbage rolls. First time and your recipe was a huge hit. Used ground Turkey instead and added paprika to seasoning. Thank you.
You’re welcome Del! Sounds great!
They’re in the oven as I type! The filling was super tasty couldn’t help myself from having a taste here and there throughout the process.
So I’m re-reading the steps and notes as these morsels are in the oven… I FORGOT THE EGG!
I’m sure they’ll still taste wonderful, but I’m worried they’ll be a little messy with nothing to bind them.
Hi!
Do you have to mix water with the tomato soup? Or just use it straight from the can?
Thank u
We do not add water to the soup, use it directly from the can Christine. Enjoy!
This recipe is spot on! Just like the family recipe I knew as a kid! I did boil the cabbage for longer and I added Worcestershire sauce, beef flavoring, and a little sugar to the sauce.
Definitely need to boil the cabbage for longer, and there is way too much rice. I was looking for a lower carb meal and this definitely had way too much rice. Also, this makes SO much filling. Should use two heads of cabbage and idk what cabbage this recipe used, but I could not use more than a quarter cup of filling per leaf. You can’t roll them properly if you use more. I also like more sauce on my cabbage rolls so I had to make more on the side. Overall I did not love this recipe. I needed to use way more seasonings than recommended and the proportions and timing for everything was very inaccurate.
First time making it. I had a Costco sized half jar of Rao’s and didn’t know what to do. The recipe turned out great!!
My BF said he’s never used pork and the recipe won him over. I think I’ll use more sauce and maybe less rice (3/4 cup) next time.
I’ve just put my cabbage rolls in the oven, but I’m wondering why these need to cook for so long. Everything seems to have been fully cooked already. They tasted pretty yummy while I was stuffing them!
The cabbage takes some time to cook, and the flavors meld together! Enjoy Elizabeth!
Easier to freeze head of cabbage then when you thaw it out leaves are soft and tender.
Thank you for sharing Donna!
Hi Donna
I do same as you did, freezing my cabbage. It’s been a while since I made cabbage rolls. So need to ask a question, do you still bake them for time indicate…75 – 90 minutes?
Thanks
Your site is my go-to whenever I’m looking for a recipe, because everything I’ve gotten here has been consistently DELICIOUS!
I do have a question, though.
How do you refrain from telling some of these rude, downright nasty commenters, “****!”?
Thank you Carolyn! You’re so kind ;) People like you make things worthwhile.
Made these last night with a bit of a twist- instead of diced tomatoes I used puree tomatoes and the pasta sauce was store-bought garlic,onion&sausage. Added celery salt and seasoning salt to the beef and rice mixture as well as changed the dill weed to 2 tablespoons. Topped it off with fried mushrooms and shredded cheese…Turned out amazing and so flavourful
Sounds delicious!
Cooking the cabbage rolls recipe tonight for dinner. We are snowed in , in Oklahoma. It sounds like great, comfort food. May even make some mash potatoes with it.. Just like my mother used to cook them. I didn’t like them as a child, my taste buds had not fully developed. But, now in my early 40’s. I am excited to make them for my husband and family. Life can be awe so good.
Enjoy the cabbage rolls Lisa, thank you for sharing!
I have never left a food review. I made a few seasoning adjustments and used ground chuck 85/15, did not precook meat. It’s delicious. Love the tomato soup addition. Not sure why people say it’s bland. Add salt when cooking rice. Before adding rice to mixture cook a small amount of meat and adjust seasonings to taste. I added a teaspoon of paprika, teaspoon of garlic and onion powder and additional salt and pepper as cabbage really requires salt. If tomatoes are really acidic add a bit of sugar. After saucing rolls put extra cabbage leaves on top and any remaining sauce. It’s by no means bland, everyone’s taste preferences are different. Make it taste your way. Love the recipe. Thank you so much
You’re very welcome Glenda! Thank you so much for writing a review. I’m so happy to hear that you love these cabbage rolls as much as I do!
Can’t wait til tomorrow to try the
Polish Verizon of the cabbage rolls. I’m Hungarian and the recipe is similar..adding garlic! Thank you!!
You’re very welcome Gerrie!
My daughter and I made these yesterday morning for the Super Bowl. It was fun and easy. We had only a couple of modifications. We used mild Italian sausage instead of ground pork. We had a half-pound of tired crimini mushrooms so we chopped those up and gave them a home. And we always have a large container of leftover short-grain rice and barley mix (50-50) in the fridge, so we used two cups of that instead of making more rice. (We all love barley.)
Kids wolfed down everything and licked their plates. We’re definitely making these again. (And there’s just enough leftover stuffing for a couple of stuffed peppers for lunch.) Thanks!
These were easy to make and were fantastic. I had a lot of the stuffing leftover and I made some stuffed peppers that were excellent too.
Do I add the whole can of diced tomatoes into the beef mix?
Yes, they are added in step 4 after cooking the meat. Enjoy Lisa!