This stuffed cabbage rolls recipe is one I enjoyed from my grandma’s kitchen for years and years.
Tender cabbage leaves are filled with a beef and rice mixture and baked in with a simple tomato sauce.
This dish can be made ahead of time and reheats and freezes well.
Types of Cabbage Rolls
This cabbage rolls’ recipe comes from my grandma and my mom. My grandma immigrated from Poland so we have enjoyed many cabbage dishes or even just simple fried cabbage. Between pierogi and rouladen, Grandma’s kitchen always smelled incredible and there was always something amazing to eat!
There are many many different ways to make cabbage rolls based on family tradition and location. Polish cabbage rolls usually contain meat and rice while the Ukrainian version my friend Penny makes generally contain only rice.
While some add raw meat and rice and cook them with the cabbage, our family has always pre-cooked the rice and meat.
Ingredients in Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage
We use a head of regular green cabbage and boil it in a large pot of water to make it tender. Many people freeze the whole head of cabbage and thaw it to eliminate the boiling step but I find the cabbage isn’t as tender this way.
Meat Mixture
My grandmother always used pork in her cabbage rolls so I use a mixture of beef and pork. You can use just one or the other (or any ground meat). Cooked long-grain white rice is added to the meat along with an egg to help it hold together.
Sauce
Most Polish cabbage roll recipes are covered in tomato sauce or tomato juice. We love the addition of a can of tomato soup to tomato sauce. It may not be typical but it softens & sweetens the sauce slightly and tastes delicious!
How to Make Cabbage Rolls
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil cabbage until tender.
- Cook rice slightly undercooked per the recipe below. Brown the ground beef and pork while the rice is cooking. Combine remaining filling ingredients
- Add the filling to cabbage leaves and roll. Place seam side down in a casserole dish.
- Top with the sauce and bake.
Tips for Great Cabbage Rolls
- For the most tender cabbage leaves, boil them in salted water.
- Cut 1/2 inch off the head of cabbage, the leaves will fall off as they cook.
- Once boiled, use a small knife to cut the thick stem of the leaf (image above).
- Overlap smaller leaves and fill, even if they’re not pretty, they’ll cook perfectly.
- You may have leftover filling depending on the size of your cabbage. Extra filling can be added to tomato soup, or stuffed in zucchini or bell peppers.
- Cabbage rolls can be frozen before or after baking.
More From Grandma’s Kitchen
- Homemade Pierogi
- Cabbage and Noodles
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- American Goulash Recipe
- Beef Rouladen
- Homemade Borscht
Did you make these cabbage rolls? Leave a comment and rating below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head green cabbage
- 1 cup long grain white rice uncooked
- 1 pound lean ground pork or ground turkey
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- 2 small yellow onions diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or, 1 tablespoons dried parsley
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 (14.5 ounce each) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 egg
- 1 ¾ cups tomato sauce divided
- 1 (10.75 ounce each) can condensed tomato soup
Instructions
- Boil cabbage leaves for 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 pork (or turkey), beef, onions, garlic, & seasonings in a pan until no pink remains. Drain any fat. Add in rice, diced tomatoes, and ⅓ cup of tomato sauce. Stir in egg.
- Mix the remaining 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 ¼ to ⅓ 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 for 75-90 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Once boiled, use a small knife to cut the thick stem off the leaf (image above).
- Overlap smaller leaves and fill, even if they're not pretty, they'll cook perfectly.
- You may have leftover filling depending on the size of your cabbage. Extra filling can be added to tomato soup, or stuffed in zucchini or bell peppers.
- Cabbage rolls can be frozen before or after baking.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Casserole, Dinner
Cuisine Polish© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
My wife and I thought it was delicious and fun to prepare. Great for freezing for a later date, guests think you slaved over the stove all day. I made this from start to finish in less than 2 hours first try. I know I could prepare it faster now that I know what I’m doing!
recipes are great. everyone I’ve tried turned out great
solid recipe. I added spices to the meat mixture then caramelized the bottom before cooking them in the oven.
Not a very good recipe – have made stuffed cabbage many times but thought I’d try this one and didn’t really care for it.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Barbara. I am sorry it didn’t turn out as good as expected for you!
thanks. I’m making cabbage rolls now. I run out of tomato sauce so I mixed w honey garlic sauce n pasta mushroom tomato sauce. I dont have Cube tomatoes from the can instead I’m using fresh Romano tomatoes .
I made these Cabbage Rolls with just a few changes. I added sliced lemons layered on the bottom of the pan, I used Rotel mild tomatoes with green chilies, and I added 8 ounces of mushrooms to the filling. Very good. I served it with Colcannon potatoes and Roasted Asparagus. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Excellent and easy recipe. I just made a batch, and they are in the oven as I type this. Yes, it is time-consuming to make, but so worth it! For those who claim it is too bland, there is nothing at all preventing you from adding extra herbs or spices, or using an Italian tomato sauce or a can of Italian spiced tomatoes instead of the plain variety. In fact, you can even use your favourite marinara sauce to cook them in. This is a recipe with endless possibilities, you are only limited by your imagination and skill in the kitchen. Like it spicy? Chop some jalapeño peppers into the mixture, add some white pepper, or add your favourite hot sauce to the tomato sauce. In general, the primary source of ‘blandness’ is simply a lack of salt, as most prepared cabbage rolls on the market have much more than we tend to use at home. One thing I do with mine is to add some Aji-no-Moto to my meat mixture, aka MSG. And please do not start up with the old wives tales of allergies to it, or other problems with it. Those things were debunked long ago. There are no risks with using MSG in your food.
excellent. the tomato soup is an interesting ingredient. Only difference i made was to add 1 lb of chorizo instead of plain pork as I had a few pounds in the freezer.
Haven’t tried them yet but your recipes and hints look like really good home cooking that won’t break the bank with fancy spices and ingredients. Just what l need.
Great recipe.
This is the second time I do this recipe based on your instructions, but I also add some cumin and allspice to the rice and meat mix. It brings up the flavor. Superb! Thank you
very bland recipe. texture was good.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Mark!
WOW! Thats alotttttttt of work! But it was truly awesome! Thank you!
Great recipe! You can also freeze the head of cabbage and then thaw it. When it thaws, the leaves will be soft!
Meh… Made this with the pork and beef as suggested, and the overall flavour is bland, bland, bland. The sauce was thin and bland, the filling was unremarkable.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Diane. I am sorry it didn’t turn out as expected!
Add lemon. I cut a couple lemons in half lengthwise, then cut thin slices. I put a few in the bottom of the pot, then bits over over the rolls on each layer. A squeeze of lemon juice and some dark brown sugar mixed in with the sauce ingredients really improves the overall flavor.
Made these last week and they were the best ones I’ve ever made.
As like many I made a few changes.
instead of crushed or cubed tomatoe sauce I used 2 bottles of preggo pasta sauce , herb , onion and garlic flavored. And 2 cans of condensed tomato soup. Didn’t use any pork. Just 1 large pack of med ground beef 1.10 kgs. Made approx 20 med to large rolls. I also added finely chopped mushrooms. Thank you so much for the recipe ❤️. Family loved it and all said it was the best they had.
Tip on cabbage leave removal.
Large pot filled enough to cover cabbage.
I used a long bread knife to poke into center of core to use as a handle. place the cabbage in boiling water until leaves start pulling away. pull out and over a cookie sheet and cut the veins of the first 4 leaves and they should fall off. repeat until only the core is left on the knife. Simple.
I also layered the bottom of my casserole dish with cabbage leaves. then coated them with sauce. added rolls and then more sauce between layers. covered remaining with more leaves and topped with sauce. cooked at 350 for 1.5 hours to 2 hours. Enjoy .
these cabbage rolls are easy to prepare and delicious. I prepared them for guests, and they asked me to serve these cabbage rolls again the next time I cook for them. Thank you for this savory and delicious recipe.
I have tried to make these before and have just ended up with a mess. I followed your instructions on how to boil the cabbage and cut the stem and these rolled up with zero hassle! I used a lot more seasoning than what is mentioned for my family’s taste but I FINALLY made my husband cabbage rolls like his mom made!
I must say when I saw this recipe I was amazed. So I decided to fix this fabulous meal for my senior client, and her son on Wednesday January 22, 2025 and they LOVED IT. The only thing different I’ve done to create your fabulous Cabbage Rolls was to add shredded cheese on top. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your stunning recipes and I want to thank you so much for everything.
Thank You!
“VIRGINIA”
That is so sweet of you, Willena! I am glad they enjoyed it so much.
Delicious! I add 1/2 Cup golden raisins to the casserole dish and bake. Also I don’t cook meat prior and I half cook the rice also add sauerkraut drained and mix in with meat and rice and can of tomatoe soup
Thanks for sharing, Carolina!
ABSOLUTELY DELISH! WILL DEFINITELY MAKE AGAIN AND AGAIN!
THEY WERE A BIG HIT WITH FAMILY!