Baked Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Written by
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Diana Rattray
Updated 12/16/20
Baked Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 75 mins
Total: 100 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
320 Calories
10g Fat
32g Carbs
27g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 320
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 12%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 103mg 34%
Sodium 669mg 29%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 4g 14%
Protein 27g
Calcium 79mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

These cabbage rolls are baked in a baking dish with a tomato-based sauce. The mixture of ground beef, rice, and onion makes a delicious filling for the partially cooked cabbage leaves.

The head of cabbage is frozen and then thawed, which softens the leaves and makes them easy to peel and stuff. 

The perfect accompaniment to this dish is some homemade dinner rolls or a fresh tossed salad.

2:02

Click Play to See This Baked Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe Come Together

Ingredients

  • 12 to 14 large cabbage leaves
  • Filling
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 3/4 cup rice (cooked)
  • 1/2 cup onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • Sauce
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (undrained)
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water (plus 3 tablespoons for thickening the sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather ingredients.

    Baked Stuffed Cabbage Rolls ingredients

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  2. Core and peel the leaves from the cabbage.

    Core and peel the leaves from the cabbage

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  3. Drop the cabbage leaves into boiling salted water. Cover and cook for 3 minutes or just until pliable. Drain well. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C/Gas Mark 4.

    cabbage leaves in a pot of hot water

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  4. For filling, combine ground beef, rice, onion, egg, paprika, and salt, pepper, and milk. Mix well and divide into 12 portions.

    Combine ingredients for the cabbage roll filling in a bowl

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  5. Place a portion of the ground beef mixture into the center of a cabbage leaf.

    Place meat on the cabbage leaf

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  6. Roll leaf around filling; fasten with a toothpick. 

    stuffed cabbage rolled

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  7. Place in a baking dish or Dutch oven. Repeat with the remaining ground beef and cabbage leaves.

    Finish stuffing the remaining cabbage leaves

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  8. In a bowl, combine the tomato sauce, tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water.

    Combine ingredients for the tomato sauce

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  9. Pour sauce over cabbage rolls.

    pour tomato sauce over the stuffed cabbage in the baking dish

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  10. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until cooked through and cabbage is tender.

    baked cabbage rolls in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  11. Remove the cabbage rolls to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Take out the toothpicks and discard.

    cabbage rolls in a bowl

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  12. Place the pan with juices over medium heat or transfer the juices to a saucepan and place over the heat. Combine the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water and mix until smooth. Stir the cornstarch and cold water mixture into the sauce; bring the sauce to a boil and cook until thickened.

    tomato sauce in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Tip

  • To help with peeling the cabbage leaves, place the whole head—cored or not—in a microwave-safe dish with a small amount of water and microwave it on full power for about 10 to 15 minutes. The leaves should peel off nicely.
  • You may freeze cabbage rolls for later use, but do not cook them before freezing. Thaw and then cook them as directed above.

 

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