Name: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Eastern European
Ingredients: 1 large head green cabbage; 1 pound ground beef; 1/2 pound ground pork; 1 cup cooked white rice; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 cups tomato sauce; 1 egg, beaten; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon olive oil

Alright, let me tell you why stuffed cabbage rolls have a special place in my heart (and my slightly overworked dinner rotation). There’s something just… comforting about them, right? Reminds me of my gran—she always said you could feed an army with one head of cabbage, or just really impress your in-laws for a weekend lunch. Strange how the kitchen always smelled like both tomato sauce and a hint of panic when she was making it, but hey, that’s tradition for ya. Anyway, I still remember the time my little brother tried to roll tiny cabbage “sushi” and we ended up with a cabbage confetti party all over the kitchen. Still find leaves lurking behind the toaster occasionally.

Why I Keep Coming Back To These

I make this when I’m feeling nostalgic, but also when the fridge is looking sparse and cabbage is the last man standing. My family goes absolutely bonkers for this (except my daughter, who claims the cabbage is ‘weird’… but she eats the filling, go figure). It’s hearty, cheap, and weirdly satisfying to roll each little package—it’s basically culinary origami, if you ask me. Sometimes I curse the cabbage leaves for tearing, though I’ve actually learned not to sweat it, because, once it’s all drenched in sauce, nobody knows the difference. Oh! The leftovers—if they somehow manage to not get inhaled at dinner—are even better the next day, which is also when the sauce mysteriously thickens (don’t ask me how).

What You’ll Need (And What I Cheat With)

One small to medium cabbage (if it’s a bit wilted, that’s totally fine—I’ve rescued more than a few this way)
About 500g ground beef or pork. Or both. Or honestly, I’ve used ground turkey; it was fine.
One cup cooked rice—sometimes I use leftover rice from takeout or even barley if I’m feeling fancy
1 large onion, diced (my gran always used yellow onions, but red is okay too)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
400g can crushed tomatoes (I grab San Marzano when they’re on sale, but any cheap can works in a pinch)
2 tbsp tomato paste, though sometimes I skip it if I’m out
1 egg (or just a splash of milk if you’re eggless—it binds less, but nobody complained yet)
Salt, pepper, and a squidge of dried dill or parsley if you like (my family pretends not to notice herbs)
Optional: a handful of shredded carrot, a hit of paprika, a squeeze of lemon juice

Let’s Make Some Cabbage Magic

Start with the cabbage. Okay, here’s the scoop: I used to boil the whole head, which is a hassle. Now I just cut out the core, peel off the outer leaves, and nuke the whole thing in the microwave (about 10 minutes, flipping once). The leaves get soft and peel right off. If some tear, whatever – just patch it up later.
Make the filling. In a bigish bowl, mix up your ground meat, rice, onion, garlic, egg, salt, pepper, and whatever optional stuff you dug out of the fridge. I sometimes sneak in bits of grated carrot, though my kids start investigating if they see orange flecks.
Get rollin’. Take a cabbage leaf, whack a spoonful of filling near the base, and roll it up, tucking in the sides like a burrito (sort of). No need to be a perfectionist. This is where I usually sneak a taste of the filling for seasoning—shh, no judgment.
Layer in your pan. Splash a bit of tomato sauce on the bottom, then stack your rolls seam-side down. They’ll crowd each other but that’s okay. Top with remaining tomato sauce and tomato paste—you can mix in a bit of water if it’s too thick. I scatter leftover chopped cabbage on top if I feel like it’ll go to waste (and for bonus points with gran’s ghost).
Bake covered at 180°C (350°F) for about 1 hour, maybe up to 80 minutes, until everything is bubbling and the cabbage says “uncle”. Sometimes I discover the sauce is too thick halfway, so I just pour in a splash more water or broth.

Notes (a.k.a. What I Learned The Hard Way)

If you overstuff the rolls, they burst—I do this at least once a batch. It’s not a disaster, just a bit ugly.
Cabbage leaves can be annoyingly stubborn. If they rip, just use two. Or three, who’s counting?
I’ve tried sautéing the onion first and honestly, I can’t tell much difference in flavor unless you’ve got a ton of time to kill.
Let it stand for a solid 15 minutes before serving—seriously. The first time I didn’t wait, lava-hot sauce everywhere.

Variations (Motivated By Curiosity… and Empty Pantries)

Tried it with quinoa instead of rice—tastes good, but the rolls break apart way easier (note to self: quinoa is sneaky like that).
Swapped out beef for mushrooms and lentils for a veggie vibe. Actually, tastes pretty hearty! Even my husband didn’t complain, much.
One time I tried purple cabbage because it’s all I had. Not recommended; turns a bit grayish, looks like a strange science experiment.

My Trusty (Or Not-So-Trusty) Kitchen Tools

Casserole dish is classic, but honestly, any deep baking pan will do. I’ve even used my Dutch oven when the casserole dish was holding brownies hostage in the fridge. Don’t have a microwave? Boil the cabbage in a big pasta pot—takes a bit longer, but works in a pinch.

Storing Your Leftovers (If They Exist)

If, by some miracle, you have leftovers—toss them in a sealed container and refrigerate. They keep fine for 2-3 days, and like I said, the flavors actually deepen (or maybe I’m imagining that?). You can freeze ‘em too, though I admit I never get that far. These get devoured fast in my place.

How I Serve It (And The Family’s Vote)

I like these with a spoonful of sour cream on the side (goes a bit “Eastern European” if you know what I mean), plus a chunk of fresh baguette. Sometimes we make a quick cucumber salad to go alongside, but mostly? Just cabbage rolls, big spoons, and a parade to the TV for movie night. Pure comfort. Here’s a fresh, quick salad I tried last week that pairs weirdly well: BBC’s Smashed Cucumber Salad.

Lessons Learned (So You Don’t Have To Winge About Them)

I once tried to rush the baking step and pulled the dish out way too early—nope, cabbage was chewy, and the filling a bit raw, not my best move.
If you forget to season the tomato sauce, everything tastes kind of flat (ask me how I know!). I now just dump in a pinch of sugar, salt, and sometimes a little vinegar—really perks things up.
Let it cool! Repeat after me: hot cabbage burns are nobody’s friend.

Questions People Have Actually Asked Me

Can I make these ahead? Oh for sure. You can stuff and roll them in the morning, then bake at dinner. I’ve even left them in the fridge overnight unbaked—works fine.
Is there a way to make them gluten-free? Yup, just use rice or another grain like millet—I’ve never noticed a big difference.
Do I have to use beef? Absolutely not. Pork, turkey, chicken—heck, my friend Lisa uses tofu. Try this Serious Eats guide for variations!
What if my sauce is watery? Happens to me all the time! Just bake uncovered for the last 15 minutes or so—it thickens right up. Or, honestly, just eat it as is. Sopping up the sauce with bread is half the point anyway.
Are these actually better the next day? I think so! But my neighbor swears they lose their magic after a day. Guess you’ll have to find out…
By the way, did you know you can use the leftover cabbage core for stir-fry or coleslaw? Just a random tangent—but waste not, want not, as my nan used to say.

If you get waylaid mid-recipe, no stress—honestly, I’ve assembled them in stages over the course of a day. If you have any other questions, or want to see a hilarious photo of my brother’s cabbage sushi fail, I’ll probably post it next time on my favorite food forum (Reddit’s r/Old_Recipes), where people get nearly as opinionated about sauce as we do.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls