Cabbage Meat Rolls (Print)
Meat and rice snuggled in cabbage, cooked slow in a bright tomato sauce. Pure Ukrainian comfort.
# Ingredients:
→ Filling
01 -
0.5 teaspoon granulated garlic
02 -
0.5 teaspoon paprika powder
03 -
0.5 teaspoon ground coriander
04 -
0.5 teaspoon salt
05 -
1 egg
06 -
50 g cooked rice
07 -
450 g minced meat (chicken, beef, turkey, or pork)
→ Vegetables and Leaves
08 -
1 medium carrot, grated
09 -
1 medium onion, chopped
10 -
8-10 big cabbage leaves
→ Sauce and Cooking
11 -
45 g sour cream (plus more to serve)
12 -
240 ml tomato sauce
13 -
1 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying
# Steps:
01 -
Toss your ground meat, rice, egg, granulated garlic, coriander, salt, and paprika into a big bowl. Use your hands or a fork to mash and stir everything together until blended.
02 -
Pop a lid or plastic wrap over the bowl and stash it in your fridge. This gives the filling a chance to sit while you sort out everything else.
03 -
Get a skillet hot over medium-high. Pour in oil, then drop the grated carrot and chopped onion in. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes. They should soften up and smell nice.
04 -
Drop each cabbage leaf into boiling water, one by one. Let them wilt for about 3 or 4 minutes so they're soft but don't fall apart. Drain them after.
05 -
Spoon some meat mixture (about 2 or 3 hearty spoonfuls) at the end of a cabbage leaf. Fold the sides in, then roll it up tight like a burrito. If you want, tie them up with kitchen twine. Keep going until all your filling is used up.
06 -
Spoon half your fried onion and carrot into the bottom of a big pot. Stack the cabbage rolls on top—one or two layers thick is fine. Dump the rest of the onion-carrot mix over your rolls.
07 -
Mix sour cream and tomato sauce together in a little bowl until smooth. Drizzle it over the rolls inside the pot so everything’s covered.
08 -
Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer gently on low heat about 40 minutes. The cabbage should get tender and the meat will be cooked through.
09 -
Move the warm cabbage rolls onto a plate. Top with an extra scoop of sour cream and sprinkle with chopped herbs if you feel like it.
# Notes:
01 -
If you want a gentler taste or have trouble rolling, try using Napa cabbage leaves instead of regular cabbage.
02 -
Folks usually use both beef and pork, but turkey or chicken work just as well.
03 -
It's fine to skip the egg if you like. Just make sure the rice isn't super mushy or the filling could turn out too soft.
04 -
Play around with the seasonings—make it yours. You can swap in tomato juice for sauce if you prefer.
05 -
Try baking these rolls in the oven, or set them in a slow cooker on low if that's easier. Both ways come out great.