Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Video Recipe)
The texture of these Stuffed Cabbage Rolls is just right; not too squishy and not too firm. Classic cabbage rolls are hearty, healthy and so satisfying.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
This recipe uses simple and inexpensive ingredients to make a delicious meal. That’s exactly what I love about Russian and Ukrainian food! The light sauce makes this a feel good meal that even kids love.
My son happily wolfed down 4 of them when he got home from school served with a dollop of sour cream and a thick slice of soft French bread. P.S. these are freezer friendly (more on that below).
Many of you have requested a video tutorial on how to make these classic stuffed cabbage rolls (thanks for lighting that fire under me to do it!). Cabbage rolls aren’t difficult to make. They do take some time but it is a relaxed process (no elbow grease required). If you’ve never given it a go, I hope you feel empowered to try after watching our video. Just be sure watch until the end to hear the important “disclaimer” ;).
Watch Here How To Make Cabbage Rolls:
Enjoy the Show! P.S Have you subscribed to our cooking channel? Click here to be the first to see our new videos and thank YOU so much for subscribing. It means a lot to us!
Click Here To Print the Step-By-Step Recipe for Cabbage Rolls.
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Video Recipe)
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls made with simple and inexpensive ingredients, but they have so much flavor! Serve with sour cream. P.S. They are freezer friendly!
Ingredients
- 2 cups white rice (uncooked), to make 6 cups cooked rice
- 2 cabbages (medium)
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 eggs
- 6 carrots (medium), divided
- 2 cups mushroom marinara
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 7 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp Salt-free seasoning such as Mrs. Dash
- 1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt, divided
Instructions
Preparing Rice and Cabbage:
-
Rinse 2 cups uncooked rice and cook in 3 1/2 cups water with 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Cover and simmer 20 min, or until all water is absorbed (or use rice maker)
-
Fill 2/3 of large soup pot with water and bring to boil. Add 1/2 Tbsp salt and 4 Tbsp vinegar.
-
Peal and discard outer two leaves from each cabbage. Use a knife to cut out the cabbage cores. Place first cabbage in water, cork side down, for 5 minutes, then flip cabbage over and continue cooking 5-6 min. Pull off leaves as they begin to soften. Leaves cook faster if pulled apart. Remove the leaves to a platter to cool when they are done. Leaves are done when soft and yellowish and larger leaves will turn a dull green. Repeat with the second cabbage, adding more water if needed. Reserve 3-4 cups water from the pot.
Preparing the Stuffing:
-
In a large bowl, combine meats and rice.
-
Grate 4 carrots and saute in a large pan in 3 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter over med/high heat until softened then add 1 cup marinara sauce and saute another minute. Add mixture to rice and meats then add 2 eggs and 1 Tbsp salt and mix well.
Cutting Leaves and Making Stuffed Cabbage:
-
Large leaves: cut the leaves in half down the center along the stem and remove tough stem portion. Place 2 Tbsp meat mixture at top of each leaf (or what you can fit since leaf sizes vary). Roll the leaf into a cone shape with the thicker part of the leaf at the base and stuff the wide thiner leaves into the top. Arrange stuffed cabbage in a dutch oven or pot.
-
Small Leaves: slice off the raised surface of the tough center stem to flatten leaves for easier rolling. Fill each cabbage leaf with about 2 Tbsp meat mixture. Place the filling over the stem/ bottom portion. Roll like a burrito and stuff both ends in.
How to make Podliva (Sauce)
-
Heat approx. 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Saute remanding 2 grated carrots with 1 tsp of Mrs. Dash, cooking until soft. Add 1 Tbsp sour cream and 1 cup marinara sauce. Saute another minute and remove from heat.
-
Pour Podliva sauce over stuffed cabbage and add enough reserved water to almost cover rolls (2 1/2 to 3 cups).
2 Ways to Cook Stuffed Cabbage:
-
A: If using the pot, bring to light boil, then cover and simmer 40 min over medium heat.
B: If using a dutch oven (recommended method), cover and bake at 450 ° F for 20-25 min in the bottom third of the oven then reduce heat to 350°F and bake 1 hour.
Recipe Notes
To Freeze: Once cabbage rolls are at room temperature, divide them into freezer safe ziploc bags in single layers, adding a little sauce to each bag. Push out any excess air from ziploc bags then seal and freeze.
To re-heat: Thaw completely in ziploc bags in the refrigerator. Add 1 Tbsp oil to a non-stick skillet, then add thawed cabbage rolls, cover and cook over medium heat, turning a few times until heated through.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi! I have a question about “Fill 2/3 of large soup pot with water and bring to boil” I was wondering how much would that be? My large pot could be different than yours and based on that I want to reduce or increase the amount of salt in water.
Also thank you for your recipes!
I hope you can make more Slavic recipes 🥺
Much Love, Tatiana
HI Tatiana, I re-watched the video and it looks like the pot I used was about 6 qts
I used tomato soup in place of tomato sauce and ground turkey only due to a pork allergy. Everything turned out wonderful! This will be my new go-to recipe. I served them with homemade pierogies.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Miranda!
Natasha (my daughter’s name by the way),
I begin my Pascha cook soon and you know what that involves. Interested that you freeze Golubki, which my family adores, thanks to you. I guess you prepare before and than freeze: what containers do you use to freeze in; how long can you freeze; and most importantly, how do you reheat. Would take a big crunch out of the effort, and spread over a longer period of time. Thanks for all you do!!!
David
Hi David, I like using my airtight containers, but freezer ziplock bags work also! You can find our favorite kitchen tools in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE.
My dad always put sauerkraut sprinkled with brown sugar in between the layers of cabbage rolls.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Jeanette!
Just something I do: I buy the cabbage about 2 weeks before I want to make the cabbage rolls, and I freeze it.
I take it out the night before I want to cook it and leave it out to defrost. Much easier then playing with the boiling water. Try it, it’s easy!
Thanks for sharing that with us, Gabriela!
Hi Natasha I made your cabbage rolls tonight they are Delicious thank you so much I’m wondering if you have a recipe for cheese and ham tea biscuits I would really appreciate if you do, keep the great work up I just love you you are so down to earth like me thank you again I don’t miss a day everything you put on here I make the night before or the night off thank you so much all your recipes are delicious happy Valentine’s Day to you and your hubby
Hi Shirley, thank you for your good comments and feedback. I don’t have a recipe for that yet but I will try that to add that to our list and hopefully we can find an awesome recipe to share later on.
The area in (Alberta)where many of my relatives lived, was populated by a large Ukrainian Community. Many of the dishes from that community made there way into non Ukrainian families all over the province. Just like with Borscht, 100 different homes 100 different recipes for Holubči, Golubki etc. I’ve making these for years. I use my favourite version of my friend’s Baba. She didn’t use ground pork or beef in the fillings, but rather chopped bacon, onion, carrots, dried wild mushrooms, ground pepper, marjoram and a dash of paprika. Most Polish, Ukrainian, Czech families traditionally don’t eat mea other than fish on Christmas Eve, so I have also had many meatleaa Holubči/Golubki. Noe of interest the work Holub means Pigeon…thus Holubči mean little Pigeon. Vesele Vanoce.
Mushrooms and chopped bacon sound amazing in stuffed cabbage rolls. Thank you for sharing that delicious idea.
Is it necessary to cook or can I just freeze them and cook later
Hi Connie, I always cook and then freeze because they reheat so well. They take so long to cook that it doesn’t make sense to cook them in portions from being frozen uncooked.
What brand of Mushroom Marinara do you suggest.
Hi Mike We used our homemade marinara for this recipe. I’m not a big fan of store-bought Marinaras so we always make our own but I bet there are some good ones out there.
Hi Natasha! I love watching your tutorials…I always learn some useful tips and add your recipes to my menu rotations. We are Polish and my Grandmother used to make this scrumptious recipe of Kluski potato dumplings with cabbage, mushrooms, onion and bacon. Unfortunately, after she passed, her recipe was not passed on and boy do I miss it. Can you help?
Hi Tammy, good to know that you’re enjoying my videos I don’t have a recipe for that yet but thanks for the idea and suggestion. I’ll try to add that to our list.
How long can I freeze the cabbage rolls for ?
Hi Angelika, these will last up to 3 months in a freezer-safe bag (remove as much air as you can from the bag for best results), and even longer if vacuum sealed and in a deep freezer.
Hi Natasha, quick question.
If I’m doing exactly half the recipe, how much do I reduce my cooking time by?
Thank you
Hi Alla, the cooking time should be about the same since they need time to soften and cook through.
Always delicious.. I add onion to the carrots.. any ideas on what to do with leftover filling? I’ve already used two cabbage heads and still have filling left over
Hi Lidiya, you can ball them up and cook them similar to our Lazy Cabbage Rolls.
Been making stuffed cabbages for years. This is the best recipe I have tried. The mushroom sauce makes the dish. Definitely a keeper. I did add a few cloves of chopped garlic to the meat mixture & used 1 lb beef, 1 lb turkey & .25 lb pork. I like recipes that combine a more flavorful meat with turkey. Gives some of the health benefits of turkey, with flavor of the other meat, since turkey is mild in flavor. Thanks for the great recipe!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
love these… they’re so small and bite sized, just the way I love them (just how my babushka makes). I switch it up with the meat combinations (and the addition of veggies I need used up), but all in all, they’re amazing. Thank you
You’re very welcome, Lena. Thank you too for your awesome review! I appreciate it.
This is the first NK recipe that, while I think I kept to the recipe, didn’t taste very good in the end. Mine came out a little bland. Not sure how I blew it. Love all other NK recipes!
P Smith You must have goofed somewhere. I’m Ukrainian. This is the best cabbage roll recipe ever.
What type and size Dutch oven do you use? is one brand you prefer?
Hi Rosa, you can find our favorite dutch ovens in our Amazon Shop HERE or our blog shops HERE. We used this 5 1/2 Quart Dutch Oven here.
Hey Natasha, I don’t have a Dutch oven, and was wondering if I can just do these in a foil container and bake them in the oven?
Hi Julia, my mother in law does that in a disposable foil pan and covers with foil and that works well for her.
So enjoying all your recipes!
Quality ingredients, healthy & tasty. Looking forward to more recipes!
Thank you for that wonderful compliment! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes!
We made the stuffed cabbage rolls with the help of your video. We found the rolls bland. I wonder if we used sausage and ground beef instead of the turkey and pork it would jazz it up. What do you think?
Hi Suzanne, that may be due to under seasoning the meat mixture. If using kosher salt, you would need to add more. Also, make sure to use marinara and not just tomato sauce. Mushroom marinara adds great flavor and a tomato sauce would be bland. I hope that helps.
Lithuanian recipe is the best. My mom made the best. I would make 70 at a time and never had any left over to freeze. We cooked ours on top of the stove and used hamburger and Hunts tomato sauce and Hienz catsup for the sauce. Green peppers and garlic added to the filling. No carrots!
Hi Natasha – Thanks for an amazing looking recipe! I might take one of the advice of another commenter and freeze my cabbage the day before for easier peeling of the leaves. Because of this there will be no reserved water, do you think I should just use 3-4 cups of plain water or jazz it up a bit with vegetable stock? Thanks!
Hi Laura, I would probably use broth since the water also had salt and vinegar in it which adds to the flavor of the sauce.
1 tablespoon of sea salt was too much for me and my husband. I can’t image putting another half to it. Other than that it’s pretty good 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Can the cabbage recipe be made on stove top or must it be baked?
Hi Adaku, you may try it on the stovetop, if you experiment please let me know how you like that.
We always cooked them on to of the stove. Baking dried them out.also put a little vinegar in the juice. (To taste)
The cabbage rolls were delicious! My husband and I ate until we were as stuffed as the rolls! We had plenty of leftovers for freezer meals too.
Your recipe was easy to follow and I took close to the estimated time to assemble the ingredients and cook everything. It was an ambitious recipe to start after a day at work so I would recommend to viewers to make sure you give yourself enough time for prep and extended cooking. Takes a while, but it was definitely worth it.
Hello Michele, thank you so much for sharing that with us. So great to hear that you and your husband enjoyed it!
I love the new recipes you cook.
For a single man you make the food prep and cooking very easy.
I knew a lady some time ago that made what she called a fruit pizza out of cookie dough with sliced fresh fruit and was wondering if you had ever made one or knew of such a recipe. Thank you in advance Michael.
Hi Michael, I’m so happy you’re enjoying our recipes! I do not have a fruit recipe at this time but I’ll dd it to my to-do list. Thank you for that suggestion!
Using sour cabbage : What do you do differently in the recipe?
Hi Lynn, I have not tested that with sour cabbage to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I’m confused. What is sour cabbage? Thank You.
Sour cabbage is Sauerkraut.
Oh now I see. I sprinkle sauerkraut on top of cabbage rolls.Then bake them.I think I mentioned this once on your site. It really gives a great flavor. Thank You Natasha. Love your recipes.
hello, i was just wondering if you could make these the night before and not cook the rolls yet just prepare them wrap them in saran wrap and store in the fridge and cook them next day? also BTW i love this recipe and so does my bff she want it for her b day dinner i just wanted to cut my work in half in a day that is why i am wondering about the storing in fridge uncooked but rolled up.
Hi Melanie, I am assuming that would work, but what we always do is to cook the full batch and then reheat them. They reheat beautifully. They also keep well in the freezer after they are cooked and reheat just as good as freshly cooked in my opinion.
awesome thank you!
Great tutorial! They were delicious!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Hi Natasha, in Croatia we make Sarma, it is usually made of sauerkraut, minced meat and rice. A mixture of meat, rice and spices is wrapped in sauerkraut leaves and then placed in a pot, in which it simmers for a long time, on low fire for hours, making its taste even better. Thank you , your recepies are yummy. Stay safe.
That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing that with me!
with so many carrots, does this dish tend to be on the sweet side? Would love to give this recipe a try.
Can I make this with Savoy cabbage?
Hello Katia, I haven’t tried that yet to advise but I imagine that should work. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
Hey Natasha…love your blog! A suggestion to make life simpler… Instead of par-boiling the cabbage, simply freeze it in a sealed bag. When you remove it from the freezer and thaw completely, the leaves will be limp and you can proceed with the rest of the recipe. It works great. Thanks!
Hello Patty. Thank you for your suggestion. I have to try your tip the next time I’m making this!
Hey,Natasha
How much lbs of ground meat will I need to have enough for a size small cabbage? Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Hi Olga, if you are looking to use just one small cabbage instead of two, you may need to halve the recipe.
Thanks! It was good. We always make it in big batches due to it is a time consuming. Now I’m married and have a small family. My husband and 2 girls really liked it. J sure hope our 1st baby boy 3.5 months old will like it aswell. We r thankful to u for sharing all your recipes, hints and more. May God bless you abundantly and your family too.👍😊💖
Thanks for sharing Olga. Maybe God bless you and your family too!
I wish I could agree with Robert Riddell about freezing the cabbage and having the same results. I find the cabbage to be chewy and stringy when you freeze it. I tried it once but sorry to say I will never do it again.
Hi Kate, that is great to know and hear your feedback on that. I haven’t tested it that way but it sounds like the texture of frozen wasn’t for you. Thanks for sharing!
If you don’t want to boil the cabbage you can freeze them and get the same results.
Thank you for that suggestion, Robert!
Hi! I am going to make them for Christmas Eve. Any ideas what else could I put on the table? What would they be good with? I am a little bit lost.
I am good with appetizers, will use couple of your recipes.
Hi Natalie, you are definitely welcome to serve these as a meal or as an appetizer. We enjoy these with a dollop of sour cream and a thick slice of soft French bread. A good Potato or rice dish may work like this Creamy Mashed Potato Recipe. Or some people just eat that as a meal with a side of sour cream
Hey Natasha!! I’m making your cabbage rolls for the third time and I just wanted to drop a line to let you know how much I love them. My extended family beg me all the time to make these. I wish my mother was still alive to try these. Her Eastern European tastes would have gone crazy. Thank you so much!!!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Hi, Natasha.
How many quarts your Dutch oven for this recipe?
Thanks
Hi Olga, great question! We used this 5 1/2 Quart Dutch Oven here. It can also be found in our shop here.
Great! Thanks again!
You’re welcome.
Hi! this in romania they are called -Sarmale-take it from Turkey! The cabbage must be pikled! and we don°t add so much things!But we have our secrets for taste!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Ukrainian halupshi (cabbage rolls)would not taste very good with pickled cabbage I don’t think.
Natasha,
Would it work to use a glass baking dish and cover with foil? Or is the right fitting lid and important factor?
Hi Julia, the tight-fitting worked for us. I haven’t tested that with glass but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Has anyone tried making these in an Instant Pot? If so for how long did you cook them and on what setting?
Hi Mariya, I haven’t tested that in an Instant Pot but one of readers tried it in a slow cooker, here’s what they said “I did it in the slow cooker followed the recipe and cooked on low for 6 hours. It was really good.” Let me know how you like it in the slow cooker!
Good old fashioned cooking that I grew up with
I’AM GOING TO MAKE THIS’ BUT WHAT SIDES WILL GO WITH IT? ALL OF YOUR RECIPES ARE AWESOME!!!
Hi Pauline, A good Potato or rice dish may work like this Creamy Mashed Potato Recipe. Or some people just eat that as a meal with a side of sour cream.
You really don’t need a side dish. There is everything you need in the cabbage roll.,and they are pretty filling and delicious.Especially Natasha’s recipe.
Love you, Girl. I love your bubbly personality and warm heart not to mention you are a great cook! May the God of all creation bless you abundantly.
Aww thank you Linda! You’re so nice!
we make cabbage rolls all the time but i usually have marinara and top mine off with bag of unrined sauerkraut, yours were very good different but i much prefer the sour over the sweetness of carrots but my daughter preferred yours and she made them with vegan beef i couldnt even force myself to try hers lol
Hi Marcy, I hope you actually give them a try – it might just change your mind! Although we love sauerkraut too and might just have to give that a whirl! At what point do you add the sauerkraut?
Hi Natasha I mentioned topping cabbage rolls with sauerkraut a while back. You should try it it gives the rolls great flavor,I use silver floss but you can use any brand. Sprinkle it right out of the jar on top of the rolls It even taste good after the rolls have cooked with the tomato sauce.
What I do is after rolling all the rolls nice and tight in roasting pan I cover with sauerkraut and a little tomato sauce then I save the outside leaves of cabbage lay the them on top..
cover and bake.
Hi Natasha.
I’ll make these today! In english – cabbage rolls, in russian – golubci. In Lithuania we call them “balandėliai”, this is very popular dish here. One question, I have soup pot only, is it suitable to cook in oven? I never did it before, I always cook them like you said on first way, but I want to try second way. Is it supposed to be a special pot, suitable for oven? Or any will do?
Thanks!
Hi Alina, as long as the soup pot is heavy bottomed and oven safe (including handles & cover-its hard to advise without being there) it should work. Worst case you may try it on the stove top. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
HELP! 😬I’m currently making these cabbage rolls and we never buy marinara.. What can I substitute it with?
Hi Olga! We’ve only made it with that however one of our readers wrote “for the sauce I use heavy whipping and ketchup instead of marinara..they turn out very soft and delicious” I hope that helps!
My mother in law uses tomato juice and tomato sauce
I followed your recipe except for substituting lean ground beef for the turkey. Very very good. I have never had much success with cabbage rolls in the past but I learned a lot from your instruction. I love your website, everything I have tried has worked well.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Annie 🙂
I’ve been looking for a good cabbage roll recipe. Looked at “many” recipes and none clicked for me….I came upon your website, liked the ingredients for your recipe….and watched your video. Your torturial (video) was very easy to follow. Thank you!!
I will continue to view your website for future recipes.
I’m so happy to hear you are enjoying my blog! Thank you for sharing that with us 🙂
Hi Natasha! When you said that you were proud of yourself when make these cabbage rolls, I can see why! They are a true labor love, but so worth it! Every recipe I have made from your website has been amazing! Thanks for this one! Kat
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kathleen! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Easy and delicious. Made a few versions using your recipe (pork/beef, turkey/beef, savoy cabbage and green cabbage) all a bit different and all delicious. On to chocolate babka!
Wow! That’s so great! I’m so happy you were able to try so many recipes!
thanks dear natasha you realy very helpfull regarding preparing the cabbage, Good luck
It is my pleasure, Muna!
I made these cabbage rolls this morning to have for the week. They are indeed tasty! If there is anything I would change it would be the amount of water added to rolls. It was too much (I only used a little over 2 cups). It made them soggier than I would otherwise like. Still, they were tasty and I will make them again – just less water.
Thank you for sharing that with us, Ellie! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
How long do they keep in the freezer? Thank you
Hi Angie, up to 3 months in a freezer safe bag (remove as much air as you can from the bag for best results), and even longer if vacuum sealed and in a deep freezer.
Hello, I just love this stuffed cabbage recipe! Thank you for it. Sometimes when I make it I do not get enough sauce. Is it possible to make extra sauce on the side and how would you suggest to make it?
Thanks
Rita
Hi Rita, I’m so glad you loved it! It is best to make the sauce along with the cabbage rolls. I would suggest reserving more water from the cabbage boiling liquid and add more of the remaining sauce ingredients proportionally.
I have been looking for years for a Stuffed Cabbage Rolls .recipe that has flavor.My husband’s family is Slovic and he is over the moon happy with this dish. His Babba would be so pleased! You really nailed it with this recipe! Wow!
Hello Katie, I’m happy to hear how much you both love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review with other readers!
Natasha, I just made these tonight and they are seriously AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe with us.
My pleasure Sammie! I’m happy you find the recipe so tasty. Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Natasha,have you ever tried sprinkling sauerkraut from a can over the top of the halupchi when you bake them? Gives them great flavor.My Mom use to do that..
That sounds delicious! I haven’t tried that but we love sauerkraut and I love that idea! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I did.
Hi Natasha, I would like to know if this recipe can be done in a slow cooker and if so how long? I’m anxious to try this method…my recipe is quite different from yours but looks delicious.
Hi Madeleine, I have not tried that in a slow cooker myself but one reader wrote this review: “I did it in the slow cooker followed the recipe and cooked on low for 6 hours. It was really good.” Let me know how you like it in the slow cooker!
I will and thank you for such a quick response. You’re amazing, love your sense of humour, your instructions are always very accurate, and that smile of yours takes the joy of cooking to a new level. Thank you Natasha !
My pleasure Madeleine! Thanks for sharing your thoughtful comments! 🙂
I tried it in a slow cooker, 5-6 hours, and will never use anything else!! I now Use the slow cooker each time, they fall apart in your mouth! So soft and moist, my family loves them!
Hi Natasha! These were wonderful! Approximately how many rolls are considered a serving for your nutrition facts?
Hi Jessica, This makes 40-50 rolls (I average 45) so 45/18 servings = 2.5 or 2 to 3 rolls per serving
Can we cut this recipe in half with no complications? Just two of us here and pretty sure our stomachs can’t handle cabbage everyday for a week
Hi Liz, Halving the recipe should work just fine. I actually freeze half of the batch for future dinners :).
These were great – by far the best ones I tried. Took a bit of time to make but lasted a while and nobody complained about eating them 4 days in a row.
That’s great! I’m glad to hear how much you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing Elena!
Natasha,
When I was a little girl my mom was terminally ill and we had a lady that lived with us from Czechcoslavakia. Baba made us stuffed cabbage rolls and she used a tomato sauce with a can of sauerkraut to simmer hers in and they were delicious!
I’m glad the recipe has brought back fond memories Nona. I hope you try this recipe!
I mentioned that to Natasha on February 2018. My mother did that as well It really flavors the cabbage rolls.
Well I tried so hard all day to make these look at good as yours, no such luck ! What a mess. I wish there was a class where I can have someone guide my fingers . I’m just going to have to buy them at my parish, they are also so perfect.
Hi Patricia, did you have a chance to watch the video? Also, did you cook the cabbage for the specified time? If it is too firm, or if they are overfilled, it is more difficult to roll them. I hope that helps!
Hi! I’m making these this week! I don’t have a Dutch Oven though. How else can I cook them?
Hi Melissa, I have stovetop cooking instructions in this recipe.
No need to boil the cabbage… just freeze the head solid for a couple days!
When you defrost it, it will be soft & pliable same as if you boiled it, except it will not rip as easily.
You may want to cut out the thickest part in the middle of each leaf, but I don’t; I leave it in.
Thanks for sharing your helpful tip with other readers Lia!
Lia,I find when you freeze the cabbage,after baking them the cabbage is tough and stringy and a little chewy. Can’t rate this recipe cause I didn’t try it…..
That is great to know since I haven’t tried that method but have always done my Mom’s and Mother-in-laws methods of boiling the cabbage. Thank you for your insights! 🙂
These look amazing – I’m going to try a version of this recipe today. My secret ingredient (passed down from my German Oma) was to add some V-8 juice to the sauce you pour over. Adds extra flavour!
Nice, thanks for sharing that with us, Kristin!
The cabbage when frozen has a bad texture and the cabbage rolls do not turn out half as good. I only tried it once and everyone said they was something wrong with them compared to usual. I do not recommend freezing the cabbage.
Susan.I agree with you 100%. I was curious and tried it once.Just as I mentioned in a comment above,they were stringy and chewy.It takes a little more time to slightly boil them,but it is well worth it.
Always wanted to learn how to trim, fold,tuck cabbage rolls like your video. They look so dainty like you do them. Love all your videos, you’re a great cook. Patricia, Canada.
Thank you Patricia! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
My grandma makes these golubtsi all the time and I love them! They are my favorite food to serve for dinner or lunch out of all Russian/Ukranian food. I seem to never get sick of them or have enough. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Also, I hope you’ll post an angel food cake recipe in the future (although I don’t think it’s a Russian/Ukranian food). I think it’s a cool cake!
That is a great suggestion – thank you! I’ll add it to my list 🙂
I make my “zelne zavitky” from savoy cabbage and ground pork with smoked pork , onion, rice , spices…
That sounds so good! Thank you for sharing that with us!
5 stars for flavor but one star deduction for the amount of time this takes. I would rather sacrifice some of the flavor and just use pre-cooked cabbage leaves in jars from the Russian store. Also, for a family of two, I would reduce the filling portion by half.
Hi Elena, keep in mind also these cabbage rolls freeze really really well! Put them in ziploc bags or freezer safe storage containers, pour over with extra sauce, removing any air from the bags and freeze. Thaw and reheat on a skillet and they are just as good. Also, if you love the flavor of these but want an easier recipe, try these lazy cabbage rolls. I think you would love them! 🙂
We are hosting a Ukrainian girl and wanted to make some familiar foods for her. Your site is beautiful and easy to navigate. I showed her the recipe and she is excited for it. However, she says that at home they don’t use carrots. If I omit the carrots will the recipe still work? If not, I’ll keep them in and give her a new version of a familiar favorite.
Hi Gail, we have always used carrots and it makes up a large part of the sauce and filling mixture. I haven’t tested it without the carrots to say if it would work as well. I think you could make it work but I haven’t tested it that way.
Natasha, I love your recipes! You always provide so many helpful hints that make cooking even traditional foods that I have always cooked a little easier and better. You are very specific and I always learn something new from your blog! You never post a bad dish! Thank you for doing what you do.
Maria, thank you so much for sharing that with me 😊. I’m all smiles! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Natasha!
We all grew up eating tons of these. But now we are all grown up and grandma isn’t around to make them (by the truckload) anymore. So I had to hunt down recipes….
Gotta be careful, though. If you serve these to the people in my family, they will be come your loyal subjects and nag you for them all the time! LOL
Thanks for this recipe. I am very intrigued by the addition of the carrots!
LOL! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
Hi Natasha, you are awesome cook, I love all of your recipes, they are looking fantastic and easy to make.
Love your website 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your great recipes
Zahra, thank you for such a sweet comment 😊. I’m so happy to hear that you are enjoying the site.
Hi
I am persian and we have a little bit different stuffed cabbage which we add greens such as parsley mint and coriander
I will try yours soon
Thank you for wonderful recipes
I hope you love it! 🙂
Is this how your mum made them? We use sour cabbages to make stuffed cabbage rolls. Just wondering if this is the norm.
Hi Lola, yes, this is the method my Mom and Mother-in-law both use. 🙂
Found you site recently – thank you!!! Easy recipes that are delicious!!!! My husband and his family are Ukrainian and learning to cook the food was trying. I made these tonight and WOW!!!! SO DELICIOUS!!!!
Welcome to the site Leah and thank you for such a nice review on the cabbage rolls. I hope you’ll find many new favorites here 😀.
Hi,Natasha, these golubsi look,good. For a pound of meat,and pound of ground meat,how much salt do we need to put?
Hi Olga, I add 1 Tbsp of salt to the meat mix (see step 3 under the meat mixture section here).
Thank you,Natasha. Just wanted to know,cause sometimes I add to much salt or not enough,for the most part,when I cook do it by eye,or in Russian на глас.
I loved these growing up but had no idea to make them. I wanted to reach through the screen and steal one out of your pot! I’ve never tried them with sour cream, yum! As soon as I invest in a grater, these are next!
I’m glad these reminded you of your childhood. I love how food holds memories 🙂 Thanks for sharing that with me!
Wow love the video tutorial on how to make stuffed cabbage gotta try totally thumbs up Natasha my mom made a similar version for the last days of suckot (feast of the tabernacle) and it brought back such nostalgia on her side of the family I’m Russian Lithuanian and polish miss em soook much also can I substitute mayo for sour cream and another tsp of oil instead of butter since I can’t mix milk and meat together keep u the great cooking and baking luv cheers
I think those substitutions would work just fine. I hope you enjoy the recipe! I love that you are able to weave the recipes into your special traditions and holidays. Thank you for sharing that with us! 🙂
Cool really brilliant that I can use another tsp of oil and mayo yup food definitely plays a role in keeping our heritage alive np my pleasure for sharing all the juicy stuff btw would they freeze well
Yes these do freeze well. We put portions into ziploc bags with some juice, squeeze out excess air and put them in the freezer.
Do you freeze these before you cook or after?
Hi Olga, if I’m freezing these, I fully cook them then put them into freezer safe ziplocs with as much liquid as possible then freeze. Thaw in the fridge and reheat on a skillet 🙂
Thank you for this recipe as well! I made this twice… I don’t make it often because it is cumbersome and takes a while but like you recommend, I do freeze these. My mom doesn’t generally like to cook but loves Russian food, so she loves to eat these when I make them. 🙂
I also love that it has a make-ahead option. We make the full pot and freeze some for later 😉
Hi Natasha, I enjoy your receipe blogs. I’ve made many of these Ukrainian recipes since my mom taught me. I’m 1st generation American Ukrainian. We call them “holubtsi”. My variation is more fattening LOL. I do up the cabbage in boiling water but I don’t discard the outer leaves unless they are super green or in bad shape. I take off the rib off each leaf and save them as a filler for my “kapystnyak” or ” sour” soup. I saute lots of onion using chopped fat back (I usually make over 140 at one time) and I add barley and wild rice and a mixture of pork, beef & veal (I’ve been skipping the veal lately)with some white rice and spices. I layer my cabbage with either stewed tomatoes or sometimes saurkraut instead. I also like to eat them with “smetana”. I cook mine in a pressure cooker and it cuts the time in half.
I really enjoy your recipes.
Your version sounds wonderful and I love the idea of putting them in a pressure cooker to save time! One day I’ll invest in one of those 😉
Natashi,
This was a weekly staple in our home. I am first generation Ukrainian and had these all the time. However, my mom and grandmother didn’t put in carrots. Do you happen to have a recipe for Borscht or perogie’s? What about kapusta soup? Borsht? Just love it all!
Donna, I have four recipes for borscht, click here for perogies and here for kapusta soup. Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed ?.
What is the name for these in Ukranian? My great grandmother used to make these… and she emigrated to the US from the Ukraine in 1911… and this recipe reminds me so much of her! Thank you for the good memory!
Karin, these are called “golubtsi”. I’m very happy to hear that this recipe brought some good memories for you :).
Hi Natasha, thank you for the awesome recipe and rolling technique. I am a 67 year old cook not Ukranian but love great food so thanks and my family thanks you as well. I will share your Mom’s recipe and give you all the credit.
Pat
Do you have recommendation for reheating cooked meat on a stick and keep it moist.
Hi Pat! Welcome to my blog :). Thank you so much for sharing! Is your meat on wooden skewers? You might brush with butter or oil, wrap in foil and put them on the grill or in the oven. Don’t microwave as that dries out meat. You can also sautee over low heat just until warmed through.
LOVE LOVE LOVE Cabbage rolls…..I grew up on them and when I do make them I use 4 or 5 cabbages….and bake in a huge pan and then hand them out to my brother’s families…..and the rest for me. They are my all time favorite food.
That’s so generous of you! Keep in mind you can also freeze some after they are cooked and cooled by placing them in ziploc bags in single layers. Then thaw and sautee to reheat. They are just as good as fresh.
Hi.Really enjoyed the video!Grew up on this kind of cooking.My Dad always made them on weekends.For the liquid ingredients: a large tin of tomato juice and the rice stuffing had salt ,pepper, paprika,butter,ground pork and beef mixture.After slow baking when done they would be topped with melted butter(sometimes with chopped fried bacon or sauted garlic)Being vegetarian I make a meatless version that is still quite yummy.
Ow wow the way you just described your Dad’s made me so hungry!
Can you use ground turkey instead of pork, my husband can’t have pork or beef?
I think that would work fine. Pork is a juicier meat but it will still taste great with turkey.
how is this ukrainian/russian? it’s an armenian dolma.
It is how our Ukrainian family makes them and every family makes them slightly differently. What you are referring to is different. Dolmas are usually made with grape leaves.
Natasha,
This is my first time reading your blog and it is so exciting that someone from Ukraine (like myself) have a good blog and they share Ukrainian and Russian recepies. I’ve always wanted to start cooking Ukrainian food but I never had luck finding good recepies. Now these look almost identical to what my mom and my grandma makes. Keep on doing a great job!
Anna, welcome to the site 😀. I hope you’ll find lots of new favorites.
I also grew up eating them…. yummm… but my mom always served them with boiled potatoes and also cut up the very small leaves to serve on the side.
Also, you can avoid the ‘bubbly gut’ by adding caraway seeds to anything with cabbage.
Now, when I make them, I use Savoy cabbage. I don’t really know why, just like it better.
Lol the bubbly gut. I had no idea caraway seeds help with that! Thank you for sharing! Do you use ground caraway seed or do you add them whole to the liquid? Someone else mentioned savoy cabbage as well. Do you pre-cook the leaves with savoy or skip that step? Thanks Heike!
Hi Natasha,
Just another comment on prepping the cabbage. In fall when the cabbage is in season I purchase around 10-12 heads of cabbage. I then core them as you did and put each one in a plastic bag and then freeze them. Defrost the cabbage when ready to use. Once defrosted the cabbage is so soft rolling is a breeze.
Gloria, what a great idea, thank you for sharing your tip 😀.
Hello darling,
I am planning to make these tonight! Just a few questions.. I see that you do not add onion anywhere in the meat or zazharka. I know usually adding onions make the mean taste better, does it taste very different not adding the onion? And also about the vinegar, what is the purpose of adding it to the water when cooking the cabbage? Does it make the cabbage more sour?
Thank you
Hi Karina, Sorry I couldn’t get to your comment sooner. We don’t usually add onion but you could if you wanted to. I don’t think it would hurt. The vinegar keeps the cabbage from becoming mushy after baking/cooking.
Natasha, Beautiful golubtsi! You make these look so easy. Every family probably makes them different but the concept is the same and your tutorial was very helpful and quick, good job! I usually make mine with a hint of ketchup…Does the marinara sauce give the cabbage rolls a spaghetti kind of aroma or does it completely incorporates into the rolls?
Hi Alyona and thank you! It completely incorporates into the rolls. Eating it, you’d never guess there’s marinara in there 🙂
Hi Natasha, thank you – thank you for posting this video! Keep up the good job! Also, do you have a recipe for a good loaded baked potato soup?
Thank you so much for the awesome feedback :). I don’t have that posted yet but it’s such a great suggestion! I’ll add it to my list 🙂
Luv luv LUV me some cabbage rolls! When I was in college, I dated a polish girl and her mom would make big pots of galumpkis. She would freeze the cabbage head instead of boiling it and she used tomato soup too, like others have already suggested. Cruciferous vegetables get bitter and stinky if cooked too long. But they get sweeter if roasted. And savoy cabbage is softer so it doesn’t take as long to get tender. Try making them with savoy and baking them in a single layer in a 9×13 dish for 30 minutes, then pour on the sauce and bake 15 minutes longer. Oh and put a layer of the small leaves under the rolls to keep the bottoms from burning, then remove them b4 saucing. I know, it’s not traditional and I can appreciate what you are trying to do on your blog and keeping true to your roots. You don’t have to post this and I’m sorry if I sound critical. I don’t mean to come across that way. Just sharing my experience. Have a great day.
Hi Greg! thanks for sharing your methods and tips! I’ve never considered savoy cabbage but it sounds like a good idea. Thanks! 🙂
Natasha,
What is Dash. Never seen it in Western Australia.
Hi Maria, it is a salt free all-purpose seasoning. You can substitute for your favorite salt free seasoning.
It’s quicker to rinse the cabbage,take the core out ,wrap it in plastic wrap and microwave the cabbage for 5-7 minutes 🙂 and for the sauce I use heavy whipping and ketchup instead of marinara..they turn out very soft and delicious 😛
Thank you for sharing your methods! 🙂
I like to freeze the cabage overnight and then thaw it the day I am making galuptsi, instead of boiling it, so that your house doesnt smell like cabage. Also, once I roll them, I lightly brown them on both sides on the frying pan before I place them in the pot to finish cooking. This also reduces the cabbage smell and decreaes the cook time to 25-30min depending on how much meat you have
Alina thank you so much for sharing your tips with me. I love time-saving tips.
My Polish friend taught me how to make these. Instead of boiling the cabbage, he microwaves it on a plate with a little bit of water for like 10 minutes. I just love cabbage rolls… great Eastern European comfort food 🙂 The video tutorial is great. You’re a natural on camera!
Thank you so much Natasha! That’s so sweet of you to say 🙂
This looks so lovely. I am going to try these rolls with an Indian twist.
Thank you for a lovely share
Mmmm yum! I’d love to know what you do to give it Indian flavor!
Great recipe. Love them. One question though why do you add vinegar to boiling warer?
Hi Vera, the vinegar is used to keep the cabbage from turning mushy after its baked.
Does ground beer work instead of turkey ??
Yes, but sometimes when you put beef inside of cabbage rolls, the beef can take on a deep red color making it look uncooked when it really is cooked. So yes, but just so you know… :)
That happened to me before. It is so unappetizing haha.
Love the disclaimer! Too funny!
Can’t wait to make these. My grandma used to make them with tomato soup instead of marinara, and though those hold a special place in my heart, I think this version sounds much better!!
Ha ha, thanks! I do think the tomato soup is a good idea! Thanks for sharing that. I’ll have to try that one of these days 🙂
Oh, boy! I actually got a kick in the inspiration department that I very much needed to finally make cabbage rolls. I think it’s the mouth-watering picture. Or maybe the cute way you roll them in the video. Looooks sooo sooo good! Especially with the snow-storm outside, I could use something so warm and comforting. Do you ship? 😉 Thanks for another great recipe!
Awesome!! I’m so happy you’re inspired from the video :). Ha ha, do I ship? lol you probably wouldn’t want to eat shipped cabbage rolls and can you imagine how the mail man’s car would smell? ha ha. I actually froze half of the batch for future dinners :).
Natasha, where have you been with this video before???
I just made on Saturday stuffed cabbage.
I would like to see video recipe for Paska (Easter Bread)
Thank you
Thank you Ziz’ka. I will try to remember that at Easter time! Thanks for the suggestion!
The last batch of holubtsi I made were awful because the cabbage I picked had super thick and tough leaves, even after the stems had been shaved off.
Is there any way to determine whether a cabbage’s leaves are good for stuffing?Or do you just cook them in the oven for a longer period of time if you notice that the leaves are really thick?
Hmm.. I haven’t had that experience, even with either my Mom’s home grown ones or the regular store-bought ones. Do you pre-cook them the way I did? That usually really helps to soften the leaves and makes it much easier to roll.
Yay cabbage rolls! I could eat them everyday! My favorite stinky dish:) Omgosh and the disclaimer! LOL!
Well said, well said. Stinky dish; lol. I’m glad you enjoyed the disclaimer 🙂
Your stuffed cabbage recipe is definitely the best stuffed cabbage Ive ever had! I always had a hard time turning them into a cone like you had in your pictures but this video should help, thank you!:)
I’m so glad it’s helpful to you! I gave alot of thought to how I should record the rolling part and I actually recorded it from a different angle before I thought the over-the-top way would be better for teaching :).
Love cabbage rolls, and they so stink up the room so bad, but you are right it’s #worthit
Lol definitely #worthit.
I actually bought a head of cabbage a couple of days ago to make the lazy version of golubtsi! That pot full of them looks incredible! I’ve never actually added tomato sauce in the filling before but I will next time I make mine. I am sure that adds a ton of flavour. Great video, Natasha, you guys do videos so well!
It does! I think it makes them a little juicier too 🙂 Thank you so much for that compliment. It really means alot to us :). Those videos don’t look like it but they take SO much time! But we love it anyways.
What a great idea to freeze these! I never thought about that before. My family can never finish a big batch like this so I will have to try that out!
That’s what we end up doing with ours, have 24 of them in ziplock bags in the freezer (dinner 3 more times!)😁.
Do you freeze them after you fully cook them or before?
Hi Gail, freeze them after they are fully cooked and freeze them with some liquid. Enjoy!
You’re so adorable.. That disclaimer😂😂.. Have Vadim do a “manly” video recipe, ya know, for those guy that don’t like to cook. It’d inspire them☺. #TeamVadim #GoVadim
Ha ha thanks! That should be some good inspiration for him :). I’ll definitely pass the message on to him 😉
That is a wonderful idea!!! We would love to see a video recipe of your husband cooking. It will deffinately inspire my husband to cook ;)))
🙂 I think he might be up for something like that 🙂
I love cabbage rolls!
I’ve never made them myself. They’re a fav in Armenian families everywhere.
I’ll have to try making them myself from your recipe!
Give them a try Coco, you won’t be disappointed 😀.
Looks delicious!
Just wondering if I can omit the ground turkey and just double the ground pork?
Thank you.
Hi Maggie, that should work!