Juicy Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are made with simple and inexpensive ingredients, but they have so much flavor! Tender cabbage leaves stuffed with meat, veggies, and rice and simmered in a marinara sauce, make the perfect dinner.
You’ll love that you can cook Cabbage Rolls on the stovetop or bake them in the oven. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is to make this satisfying, freezer-friendly meal.
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We grew up eating traditional family recipes, from Pierogi to Beef Stroganoff, and these are foods we will never get tired of. They are so warm and comforting, especially in the colder months. If you are a fan of wholesome dinner ideas, this cabbage roll recipe is a must-try!
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Video
If you’ve never given cabbage rolls a go, I hope you feel empowered to try them after watching our video. And be sure to watch until the end to hear the important “disclaimer.” 😉
Easy Cabbage Rolls Recipe
This simple cabbage rolls recipe uses budget-friendly ingredients to turn out a delicious, feel-good meal. It’s precisely what I love about Ukrainian food!
Ukrainian golubtsi, or stuffed cabbage rolls, are juicy and filling, with a light sauce that even kids love. My son will happily wolf down four whole rolls topped with sour cream as an afternoon snack. And you won’t find me complaining – stuffed cabbage is a nourishing meal for feeding a hungry crew.
Ingredients
What’s in this homemade cabbage rolls recipe? Below is what you’ll need, and don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card for the full ingredient amounts.
- Rice – The best rice for cabbage rolls is regular white rice.
- Cabbages – You’ll need two medium-sized heads of green cabbage.
- Ground meat – We love the combination of ground pork and ground turkey to keep it juicy and flavorful.
- Eggs – To bind the ingredients in the cabbage roll stuffing.
- Carrots – You’ll need four medium-sized carrots for the stuffing and two for the sauce.
- Marinara – I use my easy Homemade Marinara Sauce, or storebought sauce.
- White Vinegar – to add to the water when boiling the cabbage. Vinegar helps alleviate some of that “boiled cabbage” smell.
- Olive Oil and Butter – for cooking.
- Sour Cream – Sour cream adds creaminess to the sauce. It’s also my favorite for topping and serving cabbage rolls.
Pro Tip: Aim for medium to large-sized heads of cabbage so that the leaves are big enough. You can always cut the leaves in half, and it’s always good to have extra leaves just in case.
How to Make Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage rolls aren’t difficult to make. They take some time, but it’s a simple process that I’ve outlined below with step-by-step photos. Also, make sure to watch the video above and you’ll be a pro in no time. Here’s how to do it:
Prepare the Rice and Cabbage
- Cook the rice – Cook the rice on the stovetop or in a rice maker if you have one.
- Boil the cabbage – Remove the outer leaves, then cut out the cores (see photo). Boil the cabbages one at a time in a large pot of water with salt and vinegar. Pull off the leaves as they begin to soften, and lay them on a platter to cool. Reserve 4 cups of the cooking water.
Prepare the Stuffing
- Combine the rice and meat – In a large bowl, combine the meats with the cooked rice.
- Saute the carrots – In a pan, saute grated carrots with oil and butter, then stir in your marinara sauce.
- Mix everything together – Pour the carrot mixture into the bowl with the rice mixture and, finally, mix in the eggs and salt.
Pro Tip: The easiest way to mix the filling is in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Filling the Cabbage Rolls
- Prepare the leaves – Depending on the size of your cabbage leaves, cut larger leaves in half or flatten smaller leaves by shaving off the thick stems with a pairing knife for easier rolling (see photo).
- Fill and roll – Fill each leaf with a couple of spoonfuls of stuffing mixture, then tightly roll up the cabbage and tuck in the ends. Larger half-leaves are easier to shape into a cone while smaller leaves are rolled into a little log.
- Arrange inside the pot – Place the stuffed cabbage into a large pot or Dutch oven, then prepare the sauce.
Making the Sauce
- Saute the carrots (again) – To make the Podliva sauce, begin by sautéing the remaining grated carrots in a skillet with olive oil and a dash of seasoning.
- Add sour cream and marinara – Once softened, stir in a bit of sour cream and additional marinara sauce.
- Pour over the cabbage rolls – Pour the Podliva over the cabbage rolls, then top with the cabbage water that was reserved earlier on. Your cabbage rolls are now ready for cooking!
How to Cook Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
There are two ways to cook cabbage rolls:
- Oven Method – My preferred way of cooking stuffed cabbage is in a Dutch oven with the lid on. Bake at 450ºF for the first 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350ºF and bake 1 hour.
- Stovetop Method – Bring the stuffed cabbage and sauce to a boil in a large pot with a lid. Reduce heat, cover and leave the rolls to simmer for about 40 minutes.
Pro Tip: There’s no need to cook the ground turkey and pork ahead of time, as it will cook inside the rolls. Cooking ahead will dry out the meat.
Common Questions
Cabbage rolls consist of cooked, softened cabbage leaves filled with ground meat, rice, and other fillings.
These rolls turn out great with inexpensive, regular green cabbage. Another good option would be savoy cabbage.
Boiling the cabbage makes the leaves soft and pliable. Cutting out the cores beforehand also makes it easier to remove the leaves as the cabbage softens.
Yes! This recipe can easily be cut in half. The pot will come to a boil faster, but the final cook time in the oven or on the stovetop will be the same.
To Serve
Serve your cabbage rolls with a dollop of sour cream and a thick slice of soft French bread. We love ours as a meal with the following easy sides:
Make-Ahead
This recipe makes a lot of cabbage rolls. Luckily, stuffed cabbage is easy to store and freeze:
- To Refrigerate – Cabbage rolls can be stored airtight in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing – Transfer cooled cabbage rolls in a single layer into freezer-safe Ziploc bags. Add some of the sauce to each bag, remove excess air then seal and freeze for up to 3 months or longer in a deep freezer.
- To Reheat – Thaw frozen cabbage rolls in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat on an oiled skillet over medium heat until fully heated through, turning a few times while cooking.
Enjoy these homemade cabbage rolls! I’d love to know how you serve your stuffed cabbage in the comments below.
More Cabbage Recipes
If you love these cabbage rolls and are a fan of cabbage, then you won’t want to miss these cabbage recipes:
- Cabbage Soup
- Lazy Cabbage Rolls
- Homemade Sauerkraut
- Cabbage Casserole Recipe
- Red Cabbage Salad with Apple
- Coleslaw Recipe
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (VIDEO)
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 marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 6 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 of rice and transfer to a large saucepan. Add 3 1/2 cups of water with 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 min, or until all water is absorbed.
- Fill 2/3 of a large soup pot with water and bring to boil. Add 1/2 Tbsp salt and 4 Tbsp vinegar.
- Peel and discard the two outer leaves from each cabbage. Use a knife to cut out the cabbage cores. Place first cabbage in water, cork side down, for 5 minutes, flip cabbage over and continue cooking for 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 4 cups of water from the pot.
Prepare the Stuffing:
- In a large bowl, or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, 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 the 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, thinner leaves into the top. Arrange stuffed cabbage in layers in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup 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 at the end.
Make the Sauce:
- Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Saute the remaining 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:
- Oven Method: 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 for 1 hour.
- Stovetop Method: If using a heavy-bottomed pot, bring to a light boil over medium heat, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 min.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
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!