Basic Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are a delicious take on an Old Comfort Food that has well-seasoned ground beef, ground pork, rice, onions, and herbs all bundled in a perfectly cooked cabbage leaf and buried in a rich tomato-wine herb sauce with extra cabbage for additional texture.
Historically, it’s been said many of the Cabbage Roll recipes were brought to the United States by immigrants from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Cabbage rolls have roots in the Middle East as well as Eastern Europe. Some Jewish historians have noted that Stuffed Cabbage rolls were also considered part of Jewish food tradition as early as 1500 years ago.
Cabbage rolls are fairly simple to make, just a little time-consuming initially. The first time I ever made Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, I was 19. It seemed so intimidating because I had to roll the cabbage rolls for the first time. I can roll them in the blink of an eye since I know what I am doing. I always suggest making them on a day off if you have never made them, and this will be your first time. Also, don’t stress they are not hard to make, and once you get that first cabbage roll done, it will get easier with each one.
Cabbage is one of those excellent ingredients that have health benefits, such as:
- It may help reduce the risk of cancer.
- May improve Brain And Nervous System Health
- May help Maintain Blood Pressure
- It may help boost detoxification
- It May help regulate sugar levels
- Great for weight loss
- Improves hair, skin, and nails
- Assists in healing acne
- It May help heal stomach ulcers
- Good for heart health
Below, you will find my recipe for my basic Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with simple-to-follow instructions, tips, tricks, and easy-to-find ingredients you can purchase right at your local market.
Ingredients needed for Basic Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
- Olive oil
- Water
- Jasmine rice
- Kosher salt
- Cabbage
- 1- 28-ounce can of Tomato crushed tomatoes
- Dry red wine
- Vegetable stock
- Fresh Garlic
- Dried Italian herbs
- Fresh chopped parsley
- dried oregano
- Lean ground beef
- Ground Pork
- Onion
- Cheese
Basic Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
For the rice
- â…” cup rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- kosher salt
Sauce
- 1 28-ounce can of organic crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup red table wine
- ¼ cup vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- kosher salt to own taste
- black pepper to own taste
Meat filling
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound ground sausage
- 1 onion diced
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
- kosher salt to own taste
- black pepper to own taste
- 1-2 heads cabbage leaves removed
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 and 1/4 cups of vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then add 1 cup of rice and a dash of kosher salt. Stir rice well let the rice boil 5 minutes uncovered. Place a tight-fitting lid on the rice and turn the burner to the lowest setting, until water is absorbed for about 10-12 minutes. Turn off heat, remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile, in a large stockpot filled with boiling salted water, (the stockpot should contain enough water to completely cover the head of cabbage. Do not overfill the pot) place cored cabbage, as the outer leaves cook, remove larger leaves one at a time with long metal tongs, place on plate till ready to use. (Coarsely chop the center cabbage and reserve for later)
- In a large saucepan combine 1 large can or 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes, 1/4 cup dry red wine, 1/4 cup of chicken stock, minced garlic, dried Italian herbs, finely chopped parsley, sugar, and kosher salt. Cook on low heat for about 30 minutes before adding reserved chopped cabbage, stir and remove from heat.
- Once the rice has completely cooled mix the cooked rice, ground beef, ground sausage, finely chopped onions, minced garlic, 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, Italian herbs, chopped dill, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper to taste. Mix ingredients thoroughly.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Cutaway a portion of the center vein of cabbage, place even amounts of filling about 3 tablespoons on each cabbage leaf toward the center bottom, just above the removed part
- Roll the leaf around the filling, by beginning from the cut end of the leaf, roll each leaf up and over the filling, tucking the leaf underneath itself tightly. Tuck the ends underneath and fold the open ends of each leaf underneath them to prevent the roll from unraveling. Place in an oven-safe glass casserole dish or Dutch oven seam side down. Place a good amount of tomato sauce over, and cover tightly.
- Bake tightly covered, in 350-degree oven 40-45 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Suggested Recipes
- Stuffed Pepper Soup is one of those recipes that you will be thrilled with this easy-to-make, flavorful, and hearty soup if you love Stuffed Peppers.
- Stuffed Cabbage Roll Soup has all the delightful flavors of Classic Stuffed Cabbage Rolls without all the work.
- Veggie Meatball Soup has deliciously tender meatball vegetables, all simmered in a wonderfully rich seasoned tomato broth.
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This recipe was outstanding! I will be adding it to our dinner rotation!
Thank you so much! I appreciate the feedback Raim
The recipe was good except I made some changes. I added white wine, a pinch of sugar for the tomatoes, and used only beef. I really enjoyed the recipe.
Thank you, Donna, glad to hear you enjoyed the cabbage roll recipe.
Loved this recipe–however, we don’t keep wine in the house due to issues in the past with my husband. I did not use the wine but would love to have them just once with the wine. Perfect recipe without the wine though too.
Hi, Vicky, I understand, so happy you still enjoyed it. Thank you for stopping by.
I made a double batch and froze them and they tasted great the second time. The only thing I changed was the stock, I did not have the right one and used beef instead.
Hey there, Patty Anne, totally understand and have been in that situation too. The beef was a great choice though!!!
This recipe turned out perfect. It reminded me of the cabbage rolls my grandmother used to make. Family was pleased.
Hi, Mary, that just made my day thank you.