Description
This traditional stuffed cabbage recipe features tender cabbage leaves wrapped around a flavorful mixture of rice, ground meat, onions, and spices, then baked slowly in a rich tomato and duck sauce glaze. Freezing the cabbages beforehand helps soften the leaves for easy rolling without tearing, resulting in a comforting and hearty dish perfect for family meals.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling
- 3 small cabbages (plus additional shredded cabbage, optional)
- 6 onions, diced small, divided
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ cups uncooked rice
- ½ cup oil, plus extra oil for frying
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 teaspoons chicken soup mix
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 pounds chopped meat (ground beef or a mix of ground meats)
- 3 eggs
Sauce
- 21 ounces tomato paste (1 [15-ounce] can plus 1 [6-ounce] can)
- 1 cup duck sauce
- 3 cups brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons chicken soup mix
- 2–3 tablespoons lemon juice (added after baking)
Instructions
- Freeze Cabbages: Place the cabbages in the freezer and freeze them for at least one week. This step softens the leaves, making peeling easier without using hot water.
- Defrost Cabbages: Remove cabbages from the freezer and let them thaw in large bowls or a colander in the sink for several hours, allowing excess liquid to drain.
- Prepare Filling: Heat ½ cup oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add half of the diced onions (3 onions) and minced garlic; cook slowly until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Stir in uncooked rice, paprika, sugar, chicken soup mix, and black pepper until well combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- Mix Meat and Eggs: Add ground meat and eggs to the cooled rice mixture and combine thoroughly to form the filling.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Arrange three 9 x 13-inch roasting pans for baking.
- Peel Cabbage Leaves: Carefully peel softened cabbage leaves one by one, being gentle to avoid tearing. Trim thick central veins on larger leaves to make rolling easier. Add any broken pieces or stems, along with the remaining 3 diced onions and optional shredded cabbage, to the roasting pans.
- Roll Cabbage: Place a heaping tablespoon of the meat filling in the center of each leaf. Roll the leaf tightly around the filling, tucking in the sides to enclose the mixture. Place each roll seam-side down, snugly next to each other in the roasting pans over the onions.
- Prepare Sauce: In a bowl, mix tomato paste, duck sauce, brown sugar, and chicken soup mix to form a thick sauce. Spread the sauce evenly over the cabbage rolls. The sauce will be thick and will turn into gravy as cabbage releases liquid during baking.
- Bake: Cover the pans and bake in the preheated oven for 2½ hours.
- Add Lemon Juice and Continue Baking: Remove pans from oven, stir lemon juice into the sauce to taste, adding more if a tangier flavor is desired. Return the pans to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 1½ hours until cabbage is tender and sauce has thickened.
Notes
- Freezing the cabbages before using softens the leaves and makes peeling easier without damaging them.
- You can substitute tomato paste with tomato sauce if a runnier sauce is preferred.
- Stuffed cabbage can be frozen raw, half-baked, or fully cooked for later use.
- The recipe yields three full 9 x 13-inch pans, ideal for large family gatherings or batch cooking.
- Trimming thick ribs of cabbage leaves helps roll them without tearing.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes plus freezing and thawing time
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Eastern European
Keywords: stuffed cabbage, cabbage rolls, Eastern European recipe, baked cabbage rolls, comfort food, ground meat, rice stuffed cabbage
