These are the melt in your mouth stuffed cabbage rolls I grew up loving. If working with cabbage leaves feels intimidating, this recipe breaks it down into simple, stress free steps. A favorite family recipe comes loaded with all my tips and tricks to ensure perfect results every single time.
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Cabbage Rolls
For the past 17 years, I've made this cabbage roll recipe only once, yet I've made it in the last month for three times! Trying to reach the easiest way to boil, cut, and make delicious cabbage rolls without jeopardizing the authenticity.
This is everything you need to make the BEST meatless cabbage rolls! Inspired by my mother's kitchen, these rolls are stuffed with a vibrant rice filling with onions, loads of fresh herbs, and simple spices. It’s a deliciously comforting recipe that is naturally vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
Pro Tip
For the easiest assembly, I recommend using Taiwanese (also called flat) cabbage. Its leaves are more pliable and yield more rolls. While regular green cabbage works perfectly fine, its tighter, more compact leaves are a bit more challenging to separate.
Meatless Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
For the rice stuffing:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 2 cups short grain rice
- 1 cup parsley chopped
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup dill chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
For the Cabbage:
- 1 head of cabbage preferably Taiwanese cabbage also known as flat cabbage.
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Cooking Liquid:
- 1 cup chicken broth vegetable broth can also be used
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- Salt to taste
- 1-2 Tablespoons ghee or butter melted
Instructions
Separate cabbage leaves:
- Place the cabbage on a cutting board so the root at the bottom is facing you.
- Using a sharp knife cut around to remove the root exposing the core of the cabbage. This step allows the water to reach inside the cabbage to make separating the leaves easier
- Fill a large pot with water add cumin and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Place the whole cabbage in the water and let it boil for about 5 minutes then using tongs remove the leaves one by one to a separate plate.
- Let them cool down so you can handle.
Meanwhile make the rice filling:
- In a large skillet over medium heat saute chopped onion in oil until translucent.
- Pour in tomato sauce then add tomato paste and stir to dissolve.
- Bring the mixture to a light boil then add rice, spices and chopped fresh herbs.
- Mix everything well for a couple of minutes then turn heat off.
Prepare and roll:
- Fold cabbage leaves in half along the ribs. Arrange same sized cabbage rolls in piles of 3-4 leaves.
- Take one pile and using a sharp knife cut off the ribs from the leaves all at once. Keep the ribs and do not discard.
- Now cut the leaves in half or thirds depending on the size of the leaves.
- You will now be left with long strips of cabbage leaves. Cut each strip in half or thirds depending on the desired size of the rolls.
- Stuff each cabbage piece with about 2 teaspoons of the rice mixture and roll the leaf over the rice. You do not need to fold the sides as we do with stuffed grape leaves.
- Continue stuffing and rolling the leaves until you are done.
Arrange and Cook:
- Place the ribs and any cabbage leaves bits that are not suitable for stuffing at the bottom of a large pot.
- Arrange stuffed leaves at the pot packing them tightly next to each other.
- Mix the cooking liquid ingredients and pour over the rolls.
- Shake the pot a little to allow the liquid to seep to the bottom of the pot.
- If you want, place a heavy plate or a smaller pot lid on top of the rolls.
- Bring the pot to a boil on medium high heat for 5 minutes then reduce heat to medium low, cover and continue to cook for 1 to 1½ hours
- Turn heat off, remove the lid and let it cool down for a few minutes.
- Tilt the pot to drain any excess liquid if any and flip the pot on a larger serving platter.
- Discard the leaves at the bottom of the pot.
Notes
- Cumin is added to the boiling water during the stage of separating the leaves. It is believed to ease digestion.
- If you have space in your freezer, here is a huge time saving tip. Place the whole cabbage head in the freezer. When you are ready to stuff, take it out and let it thaw. It will be very easy to separate and cut.
- Taste the cooking liquid before pouring it over to make sure it is salted properly.
- It is very traditional, and so tasty, to cook cabbage rolls with duck broth. If you do so, then you may want to skip the melted ghee in the cooking liquid.
- If you only have duck fat and not broth, you can use it instead of the melted ghee in the cooking liquid with chicken broth.
- To make this dish vegan, use vegetable oil and olive oil in the cooking liquid.
- For a quicker recipe, you can skip partially cooking the filling and just mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then proceed with the recipe as is.
- Make ahead tips:
- I like to prepare the cabbage leaves in one day, then stuff and cook in another day.
- You can prepare the cabbage leaves, then freeze for up to 3 months.
- You can stuff the cabbage leaves and refrigerate for a couple of days before cooking. You can also freeze for a couple of weeks before cooking.
Nutrition
How to Make Cabbage Rolls
1- Boil a whole head of cabbage in water with cumin for about 5 minutes to soften. Using kitchen tongs start removing the leaves to a plate. Leave them to cool so you can handel.
2- Sauté chopped onion in oil until soft. Stir in tomato sauce and paste, then add the rice, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill). Mix well and set aside.
3- Stack 3-4 similar sized cabbage leaves, fold them in half along the rib, and slice off the tough rib. Cut the leaves into smaller squares.
4- Place a small amount (about 2 tsp) of the rice filling on each piece and roll it up, without tucking in the ends.
5- Place the leftover cabbage ribs and any torn leaves in the bottom of a large pot. Pack the stuffed rolls tightly in layers on top.
Whisk together the cooking liquid, pour over the rolls. Optionally, place a heavy plate on top to weigh them down. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 1 to 1½ hours.
Let the pot cool for a few minutes. Carefully tilt it to drain any excess liquid, then invert the entire pot onto a large serving platter to release the rolls. Discard the cooked leaves at the bottom.
More Tips
- If you have space in your freezer, here is a huge time saving tip. Place the whole cabbage head in the freezer. When you are ready to stuff, take it out and let it thaw. It will be very easy to separate and cut.
- It is very traditional, and so tasty, to cook cabbage rolls with duck broth. If you do so, then you may want to skip the melted ghee in the cooking liquid.
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Della
So many new and different recipes to try! So excited! 🙂
Fiona
So happy to see this treasured family recipe here at last Amira! Thank you!
Della
I cannot wait to make these! I live differently new recipes! Thank you! ❤️