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CHOW: Recipes: Slow-Cooked Stuffed Cabbage

Slow-Cooked Stuffed Cabbage Recipe
Slow-Cooked Stuffed Cabbage
Makes: 6 to 10 servings

We partnered with the blog The Jew & The Carrot for some High Holidays recipes. This recipe, by Jeannette Hartman, slow-simmers meat-and-rice-stuffed cabbage in tomato sauce, making cabbage as pleasing as can be.

Game plan: Stuffed cabbage ages well and tastes better if it has a chance to sit longer. If possible, leave it in the fridge for at least 24 hours before serving. To reheat, warm in a low oven using shallow trays covered with foil.

This dish was featured as part of our Hanukkah Recipes photo gallery.

INGREDIENTS

For the cabbage:

  • 1 large head green cabbage, cored
  • 1 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 2/3 cup medium- or long-grain rice
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

  • 2 (30-ounce cans) tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped apples
  • 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 6 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Place chopped meat, rice, eggs, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and mix until evenly combined. Roll into 1-inch balls and refrigerate.
  2. Fill a large stockpot 2/3 full with heavily-salted water and bring to boil. Stick a long fork (one with a rosewood or like handle) into the cabbage head and gently place it in water. When leaves become soft and start to fall off, carefully remove these cooked leaves and place them in a large, flat colander. Return the remaining cabbage to the stockpot and repeat until all the leaves are done. Place the colander in the sink and then pour the water from the pot over the cooked leaves. Gently rinse them with cool water. Drain then cut and discard the thick ends/spines.
  3. Lay each leaf out on a flat work surface and place a meatball in the center. Top with a smaller leaf, roll and tuck edges so that you have small packages. (If there are any remaining cabbage leaves, chop and reserve.)
  4. Begin layering; I use a 7-quart Dutch oven, which generally requires three layers. Add 1/3 each of tomato sauce, apples, onions, tomatoes, brown sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, zest, and the remaining chopped cabbage or meatballs. Place stuffed cabbage on top of this but do not crowd them. Repeat until you have three layers.
  5. Add water until just filled to the top of the last layer. Place on stovetop and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked through and flavors are melded, about 1 1/2 hours. Taste sauce and adjust with salt and pepper as you please. Plate, and serve with egg noodles or boiled potatoes.

This recipe, while from a trusted source, may not have been tested by the CHOW food team.

    Write a review | 15 Reviews
  • Slow-Cooked Stuffed Cabbage Recipe
    5

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  • Slow-Cooked Stuffed Cabbage Recipe
    4

    My Mom,German (the Germans from Russia that were under Catherine the Great and moved to the Dakotas)always made them with cooked rice. Her recipe (which I now have) also has ground pork in them along with the hamburger. I cut a circle on top of the cabbage and cut out part of the spine; somewhat of a top shape, so the leaves just basically fall off; then pick them out of the water with tongs. No apples in my recipe but the meat is laid on a bit of sauerkraut. I also lay halved or quartered potatoes on top of the rolls the last 45 minutes of cooking; they get nicely steamed. I think I will make these soon. Mom called them holuptsie (or pigs in the blanket). Also after they are rolled they were fried in a bit of butter to get a little brown on them before baking them in the oven in a large dutch oven. They are definitely not covered with water, that would make them all soggy.

POST A COMMENT |13 Comments

COMMENT

  • i add apples to my sauce, really scrumptious with the tomato and cabbage...

  • Using raw rice in not new. My mother never precooked the rice for cabbage rolls. (she never precooked the meat, either) She did, however, saute the rice with the vegetables. Also, she parboiled the cabbage to soften the leaves. After assembling all the cabbage rolls, she steamed them with the water that she used to parboil the cabbage. Her cabbage rolls turned out perfect every time. She used...+READ

    Using raw rice in not new. My mother never precooked the rice for cabbage rolls. (she never precooked the meat, either) She did, however, saute the rice with the vegetables. Also, she parboiled the cabbage to soften the leaves. After assembling all the cabbage rolls, she steamed them with the water that she used to parboil the cabbage. Her cabbage rolls turned out perfect every time. She used exactly the same recipe and methods for her stuffed crookneck squash.-COLLAPSE

  • Ive tried the rice both ways, cooked & uncooked and my opinion is the filling is much softer wit cooked rice. However what I have done with my receipe is to use the water that I blanche my heads of cabbage with I then used to cook my rice. I also will add a few pieces of uncooked bacon to the water and uncooked rice. After my rice is cooked and cooled I will add sautaed onions and bacon along...+READ

    Ive tried the rice both ways, cooked & uncooked and my opinion is the filling is much softer wit cooked rice. However what I have done with my receipe is to use the water that I blanche my heads of cabbage with I then used to cook my rice. I also will add a few pieces of uncooked bacon to the water and uncooked rice. After my rice is cooked and cooled I will add sautaed onions and bacon along with apox 1/2C of white vinegar to my ground chuck, pork mixture.-COLLAPSE

  • I stopped cooking the cabbage years ago when I discovered that freezing a head of cabbage works the same way to soften the leaves enough to wrap around the filling...AND no burned fingers. Just drop the cabbage in the freezer and thaw out when needed. It takes about 24 hours to thaw a big head.

  • Bushwickgirl: I have been making "Golabki" - as they are known here on the Polish East side of Buffalo, New York, for probably 40 years. We always use COOKED RICE, not raw. However, being that people are now into using raw pasta in Lasagne, perhaps raw rice is the new chosen directive for stuffed cabbage as well. I will stick with the cooked version ----- if there's not enough liquid enclosed in...+READ

    Bushwickgirl: I have been making "Golabki" - as they are known here on the Polish East side of Buffalo, New York, for probably 40 years. We always use COOKED RICE, not raw. However, being that people are now into using raw pasta in Lasagne, perhaps raw rice is the new chosen directive for stuffed cabbage as well. I will stick with the cooked version ----- if there's not enough liquid enclosed in those rolls, the rice will not cook [rice needs more than room to expand, it needs liquid to cook properly]. The apples and sugar sound like a nice change worth trying.
    Another note: Savoy or curly cabbage is much more tender, milder, and easy to work with than green cabbage.....definitely worth trying!-COLLAPSE

  • Bushwickgirl: I believe the rice should be raw, concluded after reading a number of other stuffed cabbage recipes. The 'bundles' shouldn't be wrapped too tight, leaving room for rice to expand as cooked.

  • These sound so delicious. I am going to make Tamales tomorrow but after that I am going to definitely make these! They sound a little like wonderful little steamed versions of my favorite meatloaf recipe all the way down to the tomato and sugar and vinegar which is like the catsup, brown sugar glaze I bake onto the loaf. I bet they would be good steamed over marinated red cabbage. Great! now I'm...+READ

    These sound so delicious. I am going to make Tamales tomorrow but after that I am going to definitely make these! They sound a little like wonderful little steamed versions of my favorite meatloaf recipe all the way down to the tomato and sugar and vinegar which is like the catsup, brown sugar glaze I bake onto the loaf. I bet they would be good steamed over marinated red cabbage. Great! now I'm hungry LOL. Happy Holidays!-COLLAPSE

  • In Russian, they are called "Golubtsy" ("o" is pronounced like "a" in Barak, and stress is on the "y" on the end), singular form is "golubets" (stress on "e".) Layered cabbage is called "leniviye (lazy or lame) golubtsy.

  • Well I just finished typing a thank you to Bushwickgirl re: Cornmeal versus Polenta for CORNBREAD & stopped in to look at this recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. My darling recently passed mother (September 28 2009) was a great cook Polish/Ukraine heritage & we (my sister & I ) grew up on Polish peasant food. Mum cooked with a handful of this etc SO I have a recipe to share I have always called...+READ

    Well I just finished typing a thank you to Bushwickgirl re: Cornmeal versus Polenta for CORNBREAD & stopped in to look at this recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. My darling recently passed mother (September 28 2009) was a great cook Polish/Ukraine heritage & we (my sister & I ) grew up on Polish peasant food. Mum cooked with a handful of this etc SO I have a recipe to share I have always called them GOO WOMP KI...some say GOLUBKI , HALUPKIS,
    Mum's Gowompki Recipe
    Fry 3-4 chopped onions in frypan with a bit of butter, till soft set aside.
    Place a whole small cabbage in large pot & cover with water (Cabbage size depends on how much you want to make) Bring to boil then cook on medium heat till leaves soften, while this is going on...Boil 3/4 packet (375grm packet) of rice adding 1or more beef flavour cubes to taste After 10 minutes drain & set rice aside to cool.
    In large bowl mix 2 1/2lbs ground mince (Mum always used an equal combo of pork & veal) 2 eggs, finely chopped garlic, the cooked chopped onions, Add the rice, salt & pepper to taste. Mix well. (Drain the cabbage, allow to cool & GENTLY remove leaves for stuffing) Take about 2 Tblspns of meat mixture put on drained cooked cabbage leaf, & roll them up llike a parcel tucking in the ends. Using leftover cabbage, roughly chop & place into base of baking dish. Carefully layer the cabbage rolls over the chopped cabbage. Pour over the Tomato soup/sauce mixture.Cover tightly with foil & Cook approx 1 hour.
    SAUCE: Put knob of butter in pan, fry 5 rashers chopped bacon, Add 1 chopped onion, fry till light brown, Mix a packet of brown onion gravy with water & add to sauce. ALSO add 1-2 cans cream of Tomato Soup, mix well.-COLLAPSE

  • a little allspice in the filling does wonders--also cooking it over a bed of sauerkraut.

  • Burt, I used to make a cabbage roll casserole when my kids were little many years ago now.. Its much easier that regular cabbage rolls. Not the same ooph one gets from a great pot of rolled cabbage rolls but still good nontheless.
    Check the link. Its pretty well the same as what I used to make except I browned my ground beef ahead of time to avoid the excess fat, plus I added whatever spices &...+READ

    Burt, I used to make a cabbage roll casserole when my kids were little many years ago now.. Its much easier that regular cabbage rolls. Not the same ooph one gets from a great pot of rolled cabbage rolls but still good nontheless.
    Check the link. Its pretty well the same as what I used to make except I browned my ground beef ahead of time to avoid the excess fat, plus I added whatever spices & herbs I wanted to use at the time..

    http://hubpages.com/hub/My-mothers-recipe-when-you-have-lots-of-cabbage-Mock-Cabbage-Rolls-COLLAPSE

  • Is the rice raw or cooked first? I've always made stuffed cabbage with a meat/cooked rice stuffing, but if the raw rice works, I'd like to try it.

  • Sounds great. One of my aunts made the stuffed cabbage rolls as a cassarole instead of rolls. Anyone out there know the technique? Is it just a matter of layering the various ingredients? One aunt called them Holishkas and another called them Chalipshas. Both must be a bastardization of Russian.