Cabbage Rolls Recipe (VIDEO)

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.

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

1. Cook the rice – Cook the rice on the stovetop or in a rice maker if you have one. 
2. 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

1. Combine the rice and meat – In a large bowl, combine the meats with the cooked rice. 
2. Saute the carrots – In a pan, saute grated carrots with oil and butter, then stir in your marinara sauce. 
3. 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 mixerfitted with a paddle attachment.

Filling the Cabbage Rolls

1. 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). 
2. 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.
3. Arrange inside the pot – Place the stuffed cabbage into a large pot or Dutch oven, then prepare the sauce.

Making the Sauce

1. 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.
2. Add sour cream and marinara – Once softened, stir in a bit of sour cream and additional marinara sauce. 
3. 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 ovenwith 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.