This stuffed cabbage rolls recipe is cabbage leaves filled with beef and rice, coated in a homemade tomato sauce and baked to perfection. A comfort food classic that’s hearty, delicious and simple to make.
I’ve been eating stuffed cabbage since I was a child, and I’ve been working on this recipe for a long time to create the ultimate rendition of cabbage rolls. Serve your stuffed cabbage rolls with a side of mashed potatoes and broccoli, and watch the rave reviews pour in!
I grew up eating cabbage rolls, and I’ve had enough in my time to know the difference between a good cabbage roll and a less than stellar cabbage roll. My version of cabbage rolls features a flavorful beef and rice filling, and the rolls are cooked in a simple homemade tomato sauce for fabulous results.
How do you make stuffed cabbage rolls?
The first step is to make your filling. The filling is a combination of ground beef, cooked rice, onions, garlic, egg and seasonings. Everything gets mixed together to form the base of your dish.
The meat mixture gets wrapped up inside cooked cabbage leaves, then the cabbage rolls are layered in a baking dish on top of homemade tomato sauce and baked. This dish takes over an hour to bake because to want to make sure your meat is cooked through, so plan accordingly!
How do you get cabbage leaves off the head?
If you try to remove raw cabbage leaves from the cabbage head, you’ll want to slice off the root end and very carefully peel the leaves off to avoid tearing. Sometimes tearing is inevitable no matter how careful you are, so I’ve found the best method is to cook the head of cabbage first. Cut off the root end, then submerge your cabbage head in a pot of boiling water until the leaves are tender and can easily be peeled away.
Tips for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
- You’ll need to cut thick part of the cabbage leaves away before you start rolling them up. I’ve found it’s easiest to take a paring knife and cut a V-shape out of the bottom of each leaf to remove the tough rib.
- Place the cabbage rolls seam side down in the baking dish.
- The homemade tomato sauce does contain brown sugar and vinegar, as cabbage rolls are traditionally baked in sweet and sour style sauce. If you don’t want to use brown sugar, you can omit it, but the flavor won’t be as authentic.
- Cabbage rolls can be assembled and stored covered in the fridge for up to 8 hours before you plan to bake them.
How long do you bake stuffed cabbage rolls?
You’ll want to plan on baking your cabbage for a minimum of one hour. The cabbage should be tender and the meat cooked all the way through. I typically start checking at the hour mark, but have found that sometimes it can take as long as 1 hour 30 minutes for cabbage rolls to be ready.
Cabbage Roll Soup
Love cabbage rolls but don’t want to go through all the effort of peeling and folding and baking? Try my easy and wildly popular cabbage roll soup instead!
These stuffed cabbage rolls may be a little more work than your typical dinner, but they’re totally worth it the extra effort!
More great dinner options
- Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
- Pizza Stuffed Shells
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Beef Noodle Casserole
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Video
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes do not drain
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
For the cabbage rolls
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves chopped, divided use
- 1 egg
- 1 head cabbage
- cooking spray
Instructions
- For the tomato sauce: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt and pepper to the pot.
- Stir in the brown sugar and red wine vinegar. Bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the sauce is simmering, assemble the cabbage rolls. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Immerse the cabbage head in the boiling water. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until cabbage leaves are pliable. Peel 12 large leaves off the cabbage.
- Place the ground beef, rice, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of parsley and egg in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce to the bowl. Stir to combine.
- Lay each cabbage leaf on a flat surface. Use a small knife to cut a V-shaped notch to remove the thick part of the cabbage rib.
- Shape 1/3 of a cup of the meat mixture into a log shape and place in the center of a cabbage leaf. Roll the cabbage leaf around the meat mixture. Repeat with remaining meat and cabbage leaves.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Coat a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray. Place 1/2 of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Place the cabbage rolls, seam side down, in the dish. Top with remaining sauce.
- Cover with foil. Bake for 60-90 minutes or until cabbage is tender and meat is cooked through.
- Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, then serve.
Bobbie says
I definitely will be making these today. ate them years ago when a friend made them. recipe sounds delicious. looking forward to making these for my family.
Angela says
I used a meatloaf mix of beef veal and pork which had very little fat from Wegmans . Recipe was delicious. I also substituted Wegmans brand fire roasted crushed tomatoes for plain crushed – it added another layer of flavor and rich texture to the sauce.
patti says
I’ve made similar recipe and looking forward to trying yours. Was taught not to waste so excess cabbage slice in strips and placed in bottom of pan with sauce. For those who like cabbage added bonus.
Jim says
Can you use uncooked rice and let it cook in the rolled cabbage
Sara says
You can try that, you’ll want to cook it for at least 20 minutes more.
Tami Mitchell says
Today I made your Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. They were delicious. Since I did not have any red wine vinegar. I left that part out of it. My family loved this. recipe.
Sharon Topp says
Thank you Thank you , so delicious this recipe is a keeper
Jacci says
Can I cook these in the crockpot , and if so could I layer them?
Sara says
Yes that should work fine!
Lacey says
I can’t say enough good about this recipe! I can my own spaghetti sauce so I was going to forego this sauce but I’m so glad I didn’t, it’s amazing!! I followed the directions for the cabbage and it was so easy! Definitely going to be a recipe I use frequently!
Chelsey says
Can I make ahead of time and freeze them? And cook from frozen?
Sara says
Yes that should be fine!
Renee says
Can u make them and put in fridge and cook next day??
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
April says
Delicious! I did have to make a couple of minor substitutions, partiallydue to poor planning… I used 50/50 venison and beef, diced tomatoes that I just crushed after I simmered and rice wine vinegar (ugh, out of red wine vinegar) This is a keeper! I love that could make ahead, makes weeknight dinners so much more manageable and enjoyable!
TeresaB930 says
Fantastic! These were so good! I used ground turkey and sprinkled with cheese after removing from the oven. Soooo good! Definitely will make again!!
Sherry says
I’m planning on trying this recipe, but I am concerned that the grease from the uncooked beef filling will ruin the dish. I usually buy lean ground chuck but there’s still usually some fat content. Any suggestions?
Sara says
I use 90% lean ground beef and don’t have any issues with it being greasy.
JJ says
I used 90% lean and I had no excess grease. I’m super careful with grease as I have septic system. I haven’t seen any layer of grease on top of a container of the ones I froze either. They are delicious, for sure.
joyce says
Hello, I too made the dish and had to improvise with what I had, of course I was making these guys 2 an d 3 times a week when I was expecting my 1st. I craved them. I had just forgotten been so many years now, but I must say they do keep well & we could eat them almost everyday. Best comfort food & healthy too, I put Quonea instead of rice,DB, Sugars didn’t bother me at all.
Will be making them again soon.
Joy
Crissy says
In your video you don’t top them with sauce- but in the directions you do. Will it effect the cooking if you did top them with sauce?
Sara says
It works perfectly fine both ways!
JJ says
My grandmother was Polish/Austrian and she made stuffed cabbages often. My mother and I also have made them for decades. These are the best I’ve ever tasted. I had to make 130 stuffed cabbages for a family bonfire. They were a huge hit. I only brought home about 20. And they are still delicious, after freezing and reheating. The sauce is outstanding. Who knew a little brown sugar and wine vinegar could transform the sauce? I also used the multiplier on the recipe to calculate the amounts. The only thing I did differently was use equal ground pork with the ground beef. It’s something my grandmother and mother always did. I had thrown away the extra cabbage from the center of the heads (too small and tight to use for wrapping) and my cousins and aunts all told me I could have made Haluski with the extra cabbage. Next year!!
Robin says
Do you cook the hamburger first
Sara says
You do not cook the meat first.
Trista F says
Not a dish I have had much since I was a kid. We wanted to have something different from the usual so I found your recipe and made it tonight. It was a hit! So delicious. I was worried if it would taste as good as it did when my Dad or Grandmother made it. but I think it was better! I used grass fed lean beef. I used Cento San Marzano crushed and puree canned tomatoes. I added fresh garlic and half small onion with double the amount of wine vinegar to the sauce. I forgot to add sauce to the beef mix but it was so good noone knew the difference! I put a table spoon of diced onion in the beef mix since I had plenty in the sauce. I used Jasmine rice. I used organic Italian parsley. I added 1 tsp cayenne pepper. I baked it for 1 hour and 15 minutes. I made buttery mashed potatoes for a side dish and used the red sauce on the potatoes like a gravy. We will be repeating this dish often!
Glo says
Just a quick fact to add to tips and tricks, if you put the cabbage in the freezer atleast over night, then thaw it out, it is soft enough to work with. So hot cabbage to burn you fingers on.