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 04/07/21
Baked Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 75 mins
Total: 100 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
364 Calories
11g Fat
41g Carbs
29g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 364
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 99mg 33%
Sodium 915mg 40%
Total Carbohydrate 41g 15%
Dietary Fiber 9g 33%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 29g
Vitamin C 144mg 719%
Calcium 236mg 18%
Iron 4mg 24%
Potassium 1353mg 29%
*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.)

Cabbage rolls are a traditional preparation of Eastern Europe so popular that people have made them their own over time and there are plenty of variations for the filling and cooking liquid. Sometimes cooked in just broth, and others in tomato sauce, cabbage rolls look harder to make than they really are. With a little planning and some patience, even a novice cook can make these little pockets of flavor. Beef—or a combination of beef and pork—eggs, rice, and seasonings make a thick and unctuous filling to the soft cabbage leaves.

There are plenty of great side dishes for these rolls, from mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce to dinner rolls, a fresh tossed salad, potato pancakes, spaetzle, or a side bowl of creme fraiche or sour cream. If you want, prepare ahead of time but don't bake, place in the fridge, covered, and bake one hour plus before dinner time—the cooking time can vary depending on the thickness of the rolls and how much stuffing you used.

2:02

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

Ingredients

For the Filling:

  • 1 pound lean ground beef

  • 3/4 cup rice, cooked

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika

  • 1 teaspoon pepper

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

  • 1/4 cup milk

For the Sauce:

  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water

Steps to Make It

Make the Rolls

  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. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Drop the cabbage leaves into boiling salted water. Cover and cook for 3 minutes or just until pliable. Drain well. Reserve.

    cabbage leaves in a pot of hot water

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  4. Combine the ground beef with the cooked rice, onions, egg, sweet paprika, pepper, salt, 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. Tightly roll the leaf around the filling, fastening it with a toothpick. 

    stuffed cabbage rolled

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  7. Place the formed rolls in a baking dish or Dutch oven. Repeat the process with the remaining filling and cabbage leaves.

    Finish stuffing the remaining cabbage leaves

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Prepare the Sauce, Assemble, and Bake

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, sugar, apple cider vinegar, and water.

    Combine ingredients for the tomato sauce

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  2. Pour the sauce over cabbage rolls.

    pour tomato sauce over the stuffed cabbage in the baking dish

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  3. 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

  4. Remove the cabbage rolls to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Remove the toothpicks and discard.

    cabbage rolls in a bowl

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Thicken the Sauce

  1. Place the pan juices in a pan over medium heat. Combine the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water and mix until smooth. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until thickened.

    tomato sauce in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  2. Pour the sauce over the rolls. Serve hot and enjoy!

    Baked Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Can I Freeze Cabbage Leaves?

You may freeze the uncooked cabbage rolls for later use. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as directed.


Other Ways to Retrieve the Cabbage Leaves

Although it looks intimidating to use cabbage leaves as the wrapper for the rolls, there is an easy way to retrieve the leaves from the cabbage head:

  • 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.
  • Alternatively, remove the stem root and place the whole head core down into a pot of salted boiling water, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes; this technique also makes removing the leaves an easy task.