Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. [Oven & Instant Pot Instructions]

This is my (nontraditional) version of my Ukrainian family’s tradition, Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.

The cabbage rolls are filled with a mixture of beef, pork, brown rice, and fresh herbs and spices, then baked in a homemade tomato-based sauce, which has an amazing depth of flavor. Served with extra sauce on the side because you can never have too much sauce!

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Favorite equipment for this recipe (not all items required – see notes below):

Dutch Oven

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Pots and Pans

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Fine Mesh Strainer

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this recipe

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe – Oven and Instant Pot Instructions

The Ingredients

How to Make Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Ingredients

THE RICE

First, cook the rice according to package directions. You can use any rice, such as brown, white, basmati or jasmine.

The Tomato Sauce

In the same Dutch oven you will use to bake the stuffed cabbage rolls, heat the oil, and sauté the onion with dried thyme and tarragon for a few minutes. Add in the garlic and tomato paste and continuously stir for a couple minutes, being sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Finally, tip in the tomatoes with their juices, tomato paste, a cup of beef or chicken broth, and black pepper. Bring that to a simmer on medium/high heat, then lower heat to medium/low and continue to simmer, covered, until you are ready to assemble your rolls. We will talk about the fresh thyme and tarragon soon.

Regarding the broth, I like to “make my own” using Better than Bouillon’s Organic Roasted Chicken or Beef base. They’re so flavorful and delicious! It just makes this recipe extra special. You could also use store-bought broth, or even better, homemade chicken bone broth. I wrote about homemade chicken bone broth in my Chicken Manchow Soup recipe here, if you’re interested!

Remove the sauce from the heat and add a tablespoon of fresh thyme and tarragon. Fresh herbs are added to the sauce towards the end of the cooking process because this helps maintain their fresh flavor.

While some add brown or white sugar, this recipe doesn’t need it because the tarragon adds a subtle sweetness to the sauce, naturally! Now is the time to check to ensure the sauce is to your preferred saltiness! Add a little bit at a time until it’s just right for you.

The Cabbage

While the rice is cooking and the sauce simmering, fill a stock pot three quarters of the way full of water along with the quarter cup of red wine vinegar, and bring that to a boil. The vinegar tenderizes the cabbage and adds a slightly sour, acidic flavor to the dish!

Carefully place the cabbage into the boiling water, one at a time, and cook for about six to eight minutes, depending on the size of your cabbage. I use a large fine mesh strainer to remove the cabbage from the boiling water; however, two wooden spoons or something similar will work as well. Set both heads of cabbage aside to cool.

Tip: If your cabbage is bobbing like an apple above the water, flip the pot lid upside down. The handle should hold it down depending on what kind of lid you’re using!

The Filling

For the stuffed cabbage rolls filling, sauté diced onion and fresh garlic in a pan with a tablespoon each of butter and olive oil and let that cool. To a mixing bowl (I use my KitchenAid Stand Mixer), add ground beef and pork sausage (I use hot Italian sausage but mild will work too), cooked rice, chopped fresh herbs, hot Hungarian paprika, salt, and pepper, along with the onion and garlic mixture. Stir to combine.

Rolling the Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

By now, your cabbage should be cool enough to handle. Take your knife and deeply cut an octagon shape into the core. This will release the cabbage leaves from the core, allowing you to separate each leaf with ease. Cut a V shape into the lowermost part of each cabbage leaf, removing the hard white center (the rib).

Now, time to stuff and roll! Place a quarter cup of the meat filling on a piece of cabbage towards the core. Fold up each side of the V, roll forward, fold the ends up, then roll forward again to seal. Repeat with each piece of cabbage until the meat mixture is gone.

Any leftover cabbage can be stored in the refrigerator for three to five days and used for other recipes like stir-fry or soup, and/or you can share some with your dog if they’re weird and cabbage obsessed like mine!

Assembling and Baking the Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in the Oven

Transfer most of the sauce from the Dutch oven to a bowl to make room for the cabbage rolls. Spread a little sauce around the bottom and edges of the Dutch oven, create a layer of stuffed cabbage rolls, then a layer of sauce, and repeat.

Pour the remaining half cup of beef or chicken broth around the edge to create steam, cover, and bake at three hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit (one hundred seventy-seven degrees Celsius) for an hour and a half.

Serve with a bowl of extra sauce on the side (spooned from the Dutch oven), garnish with a sprinkle of fresh herbs for added color and enjoy!

How to Freeze Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

• Uncooked: Once you’ve finished rolling all the cabbage; place the rolls on a baking sheet (ensuring they aren’t touching, to prevent them from sticking together), cover with foil, and freeze completely. Once they are frozen, place the rolls in a freezer bag or other freezer-safe packaging and label it. You can also freeze the sauce and thaw it prior to cooking.
  
• Cooked: Cook the cabbage rolls as directed. Once cooled (they can be placed in the fridge overnight), put them in a freezer-safe storage container and freeze for up to two months.

Inspired by my Grandma’s Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Stuffed cabbage rolls were always a staple in my grandma’s kitchen, especially during holidays, like Easter and Christmas. The family always loved it when she made them and sometimes, I would get lucky enough for her to make them a few random times throughout the year. I don’t know what it was about them, but I just remember getting excited when she or my grandpa would stroll through the short path that connected my parents’ house with theirs, with a big baking dish full of stuffed cabbage rolls in tow.

My grandma left behind several recipes like crab stuffed flounder and jambalaya; however, the stuffed cabbage rolls recipe is nowhere to be found! It’s tough for me to think back to my childhood and remember exactly how hers tasted. I’ve been trying for years to get it right and it just never seemed to work. I guess mine could never top grandmas! It’s nontraditional, but it does have a distinct flavor that brings me back to those days.

So, even though I had a dream last night that my grandma tasted my stuffed cabbage rolls and hated them (it makes sense, because she was brutally honest), this recipe is dedicated to her! 🖤

As always, I’d love to hear from you all! About your experience with this dish, any alterations you may have made and loved (or didn’t love), or just life and cooking in general. Please leave a review/comment/question below, reach out via email, and/or stay connected with me on social media, which I have linked below. Take care! – Jenna 🖤

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