Looking for a delicious dinner option that’s low in carbs? Look no further than this recipe for old Fashioned stuffed cabbage rolls. These rolls are both tasty and simple to prepare. In just 10 minutes of preparation, you can get them into the oven quickly. Afterwards, you can sit back and relax for the next 75 minutes while they bake. This recipe is a must-have addition to your cookbook!
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Ingredients For Old Fashioned Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
If you have experience making this recipe, you’ll find most of the items on this ingredient list familiar. We’ve included a few additional ingredients to enhance the taste and add a unique touch.
Cabbage: A whole head of cabbage is required, and we recommend green cabbage due to its tenderness and pliability after a brief boiling.
Meat mixture: To make this dish, you will require a mixture of lean ground beef, pork sausage, and pre-cooked long-grain white rice. While certain recipes suggest using a single type of meat, we prefer the combination of both.
Spices: Creole seasoning is the main spice in this recipe, which provides a touch of spiciness to the finished dish. You can remove it completely without suffering any harmful effects.
Tomato sauce: Although some traditional recipes for cabbage rolls may suggest using tomato soup or bottled tomato juice, we are elevating our recipe by incorporating onion, bell pepper, celery, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes to enhance both the texture and flavor. Additionally, the beef stock contributes to the sauce’s volume, ensuring there’s just enough to coat the bread.
Notably absent from these cabbage rolls is sugar. Unlike several cabbage roll recipes that call for brown sugar, omitting sugar gives these rolls a distinctly savory flavor.
How to make Old Fashioned Stuffed Cabbage Rolls?
Preparing the cabbage leaves for rolling is the most challenging aspect of creating homemade cabbage rolls, but it is not a difficult task. Our Test Kitchen has provided some helpful tips to simplify the process.
Step 1. Make tomato sauce: The flavor of this dish resides in its tomato sauce, though the pork, beef, and rice also contribute to its savory taste. For an enhanced flavor, cook the onion, bell pepper, and celery in a Dutch oven by sautéing until they become tender. This will help build up a robust flavor profile.
Next, include garlic, stock, tomato paste, tomatoes, and a portion of the Creole seasoning. Next, adjust the boiling point of the mixture, then reduce the heat until the mixture is cooked and thickened.
Step 2. Boil cabbage: After removing the core of the cabbage (to allow water to penetrate deep into the cabbage leaves), carefully place the cabbage in a stockpot filled with water. Bring the water to a boil and let the cabbage leaves simmer for approximately 5 minutes until they become tender.
Remove the cabbage head from the water and carefully detach 10 large leaves, while keeping a few extra ones on hand in case of any tearing or damage. Using a knife, remove the ribs or tough inner stalk from the leaves. In case the remaining leaves start to become stiff, you can put the cabbage head back into the boiling water for a little while longer.
Step 3. Make cabbage rolls filling: Here’s a helpful tip to avoid confusion with this step: Remember that the meat is raw, while the rice is already cooked. Take a bowl and mix the cooked rice with the raw sausage, beef, and egg. Afterward, add 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and additional Creole seasoning according to taste. Keep in mind that you can adjust the amount of seasoning if the spice level is too intense for your liking.
Step 4. Fold and roll: This is a wonderful chance to have some assistance with dinner preparation, including from the kids. Scoop roughly 1/4 cup of the meat mixture and put it in the center of every cabbage leaf. Mold the filling into a log or thick cigar shape, then wrap and fold the cabbage leaf around it, similar to how you would assemble a burrito. Repeat this process nine more times until you have made a total of 10 cabbage rolls.
Step 5. Bake: Once you have finished rolling all 10 cabbage rolls, place them into a baking dish measuring 13 x 9 inches, and pour the remaining tomato sauce over them. Cover the dish using aluminum foil and bake it in a preheated oven at 375°F for around 1 hour and 30 minutes. The cabbage and filling will be exceptionally tender and can be easily cut with a spoon. And when you want to serve, before that, let the dish cool down for a short time.
My Best Tips
Rolling old fashioned stuffed cabbage rolls may present some difficulty initially, but with practice of one or two rolls, you will get the hang of it. Here are some suggestions from the Test Kitchen:
- It is important to cut the V shape on the core side of the leaf as it provides a smoother and more even surface to work on.
- Use your fingers to form the filling into small logs and place them in the center of the leaf, just above the V-shaped cut. Next, fold the open parts of the V-cut over the filling and tuck in the two sides over the filling.
- Next, employ your fingers to delicately press the filling from the top, securing it tightly inside the roll. Proceed to roll the entire object over and under to create a sealed roll, with the seam positioned at the bottom.
The step-by-step instructions Old Fashioned Stuffed Cabbage Rolls pictures can be found in the recipe card below.
Questions and answers about the Old Fashioned Stuffed Cabbage Rolls recipe
Recipe Variations
To cook cabbage until tender, boiling it in a large pot of water is an alternative to microwaving. Begin by bringing 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of vinegar to a boil, then add the cabbage with the stem side down. Let it boil for 10 minutes, flip the cabbage over, and cook for an additional 4 minutes (or until it becomes soft). Once
the Old Fashioned Stuffed Cabbage Rolls has cooled down to a manageable temperature, meticulously take off the leaves one by one.
Freezing and thawing the head of cabbage before stuffing and rolling is a technique recommended by other cooks. This eliminates the need to boil the cabbage since the freezing and thawing process sufficiently softens the leaves for rolling.
To use the slow cooker method, prepare the Old Fashioned Stuffed Cabbage Rolls as directed and then put them into a slow cooker that has been coated with cooking spray (or spread with bacon grease). To cook, either set the cooker to LOW heat for 6-8 hours or to HIGH heat for 3-4 hours, while ensuring the lid is securely in place.
When substituting brown rice for white rice, boil the rice for 15 minutes before mixing it with the meat.
To enhance the taste of the stuffed cabbage filling, consider incorporating garlic powder or freshly minced garlic. To further elevate the dish, add a touch of red wine vinegar or lemon juice to the sauce before serving. Sprinkling fresh dill on top will also add more flavor.
What Do You Serve With homemade stuffed cabbage?
While these homemade stuffed cabbages is already incredibly filling, if you’re looking to add some extra heft to your meal with garnishes or sides, any of the following options are great choices.
Sauerkraut (and to be frank (although it’s not conventional), I also adore it with kimchi).
Sour cream
Homemade bread
Mashed potatoes
Skillet potatoes
Simple side salad
A dash of vinegar (I personally enjoy the slight tang it adds to my cabbage rolls). The subtle sharpness really complements the dish!
Can You Freeze authentic cabbage roll recipe?
Certainly, the authentic cabbage roll recipe can be frozen. After assembling the rolls and covering them with tomato sauce, place the dish in the freezer while covered with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. As for freezing, you can freeze it for up to two months. When you are ready to bake, remove the dish from the freezer, discard the plastic wrap, and bake at 375°F without thawing. The meat filling may take longer to cook and become tender, but it will warm up nicely even when frozen.
Have a look at our other recipes, how about oven baked chicken and rice
How to reheat cabbage rolls?
To reheat cabbage rolls, you can put them in a pan along with some tomato sauce and a small amount of water. Cook over medium heat while covered for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until the rolls are thoroughly heated.
One can reheat cabbage rolls by placing them in an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, as an alternative method. To do so, place the rolls in a baking dish with a bit of tomato sauce and a splash of water. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, leaving some space, and bake for around 30 to 40 minutes until the cabbage rolls are thoroughly heated.
Can You Store Old Fashioned Stuffed Cabbage Rolls?
If there is any leftover food, you should transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it, which will help it stay fresh for approximately four days. When reheating, you can use a microwave, but for better results, it’s recommended to preheat an oven to 350 degrees and reheat for about 5 minutes.
How to thicken cabbage roll sauce?
You can thicken the sauce for cabbage rolls in multiple ways:
Use a roux: To thicken sauces, a roux made by combining fat and flour is commonly used. To make the roux, take a skillet and simmer it over medium heat and melt the butter. Next, add an equal amount of flour and stir constantly until the mixture is smooth. Cook the mixture for a few minutes until it turns a light brown color, then whisk in the cabbage roll sauce. Stir the sauce continuously and cook until it becomes thick.
Add a cornstarch slurry: Mix cornstarch with water in a separate bowl until it forms a slurry. Add the slurry to the cabbage roll sauce and stir until it thickens. The quantity of cornstarch needed may vary depending on the amount of sauce you have.
Simmer the sauce: Simmer the cabbage roll sauce on low heat, uncovered, for a longer period of time. The sauce will naturally thicken as the liquid evaporates.
Use tomato paste: Adding tomato paste to the cabbage roll sauce can help thicken it. You can thicken the sauce by stirring in a tablespoon of tomato paste and letting it simmer for a few minutes.
Note: Be careful not to add too much thickener at once, as it can cause the sauce to become too thick and lumpy. To achieve optimal results, add small amounts at a time and make adjustments as needed.
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Old Fashioned Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 6 oz yellow onion
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 oz celery stalk, finely chopped
- 2 cup beef stock
- 6 oz red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 15 oz crushed tomatoes
- 3 tsp Creole seasoning, divided
- 2 lbs head cabbage, cored
- 8 oz ground pork sausage
- 8 oz lean ground beef
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 cup cooked long-grain white rice
- Finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- To begin, preheat the oven to 375°F. Next, heat some oil in a Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Following that, include the onion, bell pepper, and celery, stirring occasionally until they soften, typically taking approximately 5 minutes. Then, incorporate the garlic, stirring continuously for approximately 30 seconds until it becomes fragrant. Subsequently, pour in the stock, tomato paste, tomatoes, and 2 teaspoons of Creole seasoning, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer, stirring occasionally and uncovered, until the sauce has slightly thickened and the flavors have combined, which should take around 12 to 15 minutes. In the end, remove the sauce from the heat source and keep it aside.
- To prepare the cabbage, put it in a different large pot with the cored side facing upwards. Pour sufficient water into the pot to cover the cabbage by 2 to 3 inches, then raise the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. Then, lower the heat to medium to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the cabbage leaves become soft, which usually takes around 5 minutes.
- With the aid of tongs, handle the cabbage with care and transfer it to a cutting board. Extract the 10 most substantial leaves, and set them on top of paper towels to dry. The remaining leaves can be saved for later utilization. Proceed to cut out and dispose of the ribs of the leaves, leaving a "V" shaped opening. Once completed, store the prepared cabbage leaves in a separate location.
- In a medium-sized bowl, gently mix together sausage, beef, egg, rice, 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning using a fork or your clean hands until the ingredients are well combined.
- Divide the filling evenly among the centers of the cabbage leaves, using approximately a heaping 1/4 cup per leaf. Take a log about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide and pour the filling into it. Next, take each leaf from the base where the "V" cut was made and fold the end of the leaf over the filling, followed by folding in the sides. Finally, roll each leaf tightly, similar to how you would roll a burrito, into a cylinder.
- Organize the cabbage rolls into two rows side by side in a baking dish measuring 13 inches by 9 inches, placing 5 rolls in each row.
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