Talk about timing! The theme for this month’s Progressive Eats is Memory Lane Comfort Food. My mom‘s Jewish stuffed cabbage fit the bill perfectly. She gave me the recipe when I went off to college. I haven’t made the dish in years and was looking forward to it.
I planned to cook and photograph the dish this past weekend.
Then the blizzard of 2016 happened. As the snow fell for hours on end and the winds whipped the trees, the stuffed cabbage cooked.
We ate the stuffed cabbage in our warm and cozy den, watching a marathon of streaming episodes of our favorite shows.
Once the snow stopped we started shoveling. We’re still shoveling as I write this, more than 18 hours after the record snowfall ended.
But we’re grateful for many things – our power didn’t go out, all of our family and neighbors are safe, and we still have some of the stuffed cabbage left to eat tonight.
This dish is old school. It takes a long time to prepare and cook. Multi-tasking had not yet been invented when my grandmother and mother folded their cabbage rolls. You might get on your smartphone once it goes in the oven. Before then, just turn on good music and enjoy the process of putting the stuffed cabbage together.
The stuffed cabbage has a mild sweet-and-sour flavor. With the proportions and directions handed down in my family, there is just enough sauce to give each roll a spoonful as you plate it. If you want more sauce, cook it covered for a longer part of the specified cooking time.
It’s a one dish supper, with vegetables (cabbage and tomatoes – yes I know tomatoes are really a fruit), meat, and rice. We enjoyed the cabbage rolls with just challah and a glass of red wine. Add a salad if you must – just don’t feel obliged.
The ingredients are simple.
The principle is one people of any ethnicity can relate to – stretch the meat with rice, and cabbage. Then cook it in sauce to make a hearty meal.
Cabbage is easier to work with than you might think. After you cook it to make the leaves pliable, you simply shave off the thick part so the leaves roll more easily.
The cabbage rolls on their own would be rather plain; once stewed in the sweet-and-sour sauce, they are divine.
Jewish Stuffed Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cabbage
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
- 1/2 cup rice raw
- 1 small onion grated
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- 3/4 teaspoon Freshly ground pepper divided
- 1 large onion sliced into thin half moons
- 15-16 ounces canned tomato sauce two 8-ounce cans or one 15-ounce can
- 2-28 ounce cans tomatoes with their juice
- 2 medium-large lemons - Juice
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar gently packed
Instructions
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Boil a huge pot of water. Cut the core out of the cabbage. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the cabbage and cook, covered for about 10 minutes. Occasionally roll the cabbage around so each side is under water as it cooks.
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Once it is done, gently lift the cabbage into a colander or strainer set in a bowl. Pour cool water over the cabbage. When it is cool enough to handle, separate the leaves. If inner leaves are not pliable, put what is left of the cabbage back into boiling water for a few minutes.
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Shave off the thickest part of each leaf, near where the leaf had been attached to the core.
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Pre-heat the oven to 375 degree F.
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Mix the rice, grated onion, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add the beef and combine all the ingredients with your hands. Make small meatballs between golfball and baseball-sized. Set them aside on a plate.
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Loosely wrap each meatball in a cabbage leaf and place seam side down on a platter. Arrange the leftover leaves on the bottom of 1 or 2 heavy oven-safe pots. (Total volume of the entire dish is about 6-6.5 quarts.) Move the cabbage rolls into the pot(s), making sure to put the seam side down. Layer with about half of the thin onion slices, which typically fall apart into crescents as you pick them up.
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Once all the cabbage rolls are in the pot(s), add the tomatoes and their juice, the tomato sauce, the lemon juice, and the remaining teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. If the canned tomatoes are whole, open them with a spoon or knife, so that their juices flow out. You can either mix the ingredients in the pot or stir them in a bowl first. Top with the remaining onions.
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Bring the pot(s) of stuffed cabbage to a boil on the stovetop. Sprinkle on the brown sugar and gently mix it in. Transfer to the oven and bake covered for 1 hour, then 1 & 1/2 - 2 hours uncovered.
Recipe Notes
If you lift the cooked head of cabbage out of the pot - instead of pouring out all the water after the cabbage cooks - you'll still have the hot water left if it turns out that the inner leaves are not yet cooked when you peel down to them.
Do not be concerned if a cabbage leaf tears. You can use it to line the pot(s) or keep it on the bottom side of the roll as you put it the cabbage roll in the pot.
Keeping the meat and rice balls loosely formed and loosely wrapped is important so that the rice has space to expand inside the meatballs and the meatballs themselves can expand in the cabbage rolls.
When reheating any leftovers, add a bit more tomato sauce, juice, or other liquid if the rolls have absorbed most of the liquid.
Ansh says
Absolutely perfect dish for a cold winter day. Glad you guys are safe. It was a terrible blizzard. I don’t think there is a dish more comforting and old school than meat and cabbage. There is something about the combination that brings warmth and just good feelings. I will be making this soon.
Laura says
Thanks Ansh. Our stuffed cabbage dinners have made shoveling a lot easier:)
Sandy says
This is almost the same recipe I use (from my Hungarian family) but we also add a can of rinsed sauerkraut at the bottom of the pot…….the sauerkraut is divine!
Laura says
Sandy, Love the idea of adding sauerkraut. Not surprised that our family stuffed cabbage recipes are similar. Laura
Jenni says
Lemon juice and brown sugar?! Oh wow–that sounds perfect! So glad you guys didn’t lose power and had these cabbage rolls to keep you company, Laura!
Laura says
Thanks for stopping by Jenni. We’re in good shape blizzard-wise. These cabbage rolls have had a big part in keeping us sane and happy these past few days.
Betty Ann Quirino says
Oh we love Stuffed Cabbage! My mom used to make these for us and when I try to make her recipe, I miss her even more. Your photos are so mouthwatering I am resisting the urge to crack the computer screen open. Thanks for the recipe. Fun doing Progressive Eats with you and the group, Laura. Hope all is well with you!
Laura says
Many thanks Betty Ann. We should get together and cooke our mom’s stuffed cabbage recipes together, then have a huge Filipino/Jewish-american banquet. It is fun to do Progressive Eats together – so glad that you’ve joined us.
susan // the wimpy vegetarian says
His family is from Poland, so yes it’s very familiar 🙂
susan // the wimpy vegetarian says
What a perfect dish to be full of memories and comfort. I’ve never had this dish, but my Jewish husband would love me to make it. Thanks for sharing your mother’s recipe!
Laura says
Thanks Susan – if your husband’s family is from Eastern Europe, then this dish may well be familiar to him. Hope you like it.
Megan says
I’ve honestly never had cabbage rolls, but the combination of flavors sounds great! I’ll have to try your recipe the next time we get a cabbage in our CSA.
(BTW your redesign/new logo looks lovely! Not sure I mentioned it before 🙂 )
Laura says
Megan, Glad you like this recipe – it’s a great one for using cabbage and for taking meatballs in a whole new direction. Also, appreciate your kind words about the redesign.
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Dear Laura, these cabbage rolls look divine. And they do look like they take time to make, but oh so worth it! I love that it was your mom’s recipe. We missed out on the blizzard this time around (for once) and I missed that snowed-in, mandatory hibernation that I love. I’m so glad you all enjoyed your time in!
Laura says
Allie, I’m done with the snow now (as it turns black and melts – too slowly) but while the blizzard was raging and I was cooking it was fun. Hibernation with food isn’t a bad way to spend a few days.
Lisa @ Panning The Globe says
This reminds me a lot of my grandmother’s Russian stuffed cabbage – one of my all time favorite recipes from childhood to now. Your photos are amazing and your stuffed cabbage looks incredible. I’m craving some right now!
Laura says
Thanks for the complements Lisa. Yes, it’s my Ashkenazic family recipe. If you come over, we can pull out the portion I secreted into the freezer for the next time I crave it.
Catherine says
Dear Laura, I love stuffed cabbage. What a delightful and comforting winter dish…this looks wonderful. xo, Catherine
Laura says
Thanks so much Catherine
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
Go on; call this Jewish Stuffed Cabbage but it’s almost exactly what my Catholic grandma used to make and now I’m dying for some! Literally would walk through 3 feet of snow to get some. 🙂
So you had some Denver weather hmm?? OK, we don’t get that every year but I do know the feeling and I also love cooking during a storm!
Laura says
OK, we can call it Jewish/Catholic stuffed cabbage. My 90 year old mom wouldn’t mind a bit and neither would I. Yup we got some of that Rocky Mountain weather and we’re not used to it. But since I was able to cook during the storm, I can hardly complain.
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
I can’t remember the last time I had stuffed cabbage rolls and now I’m absolutely craving them! What a perfect choice for our Progressive Eats theme for January!
Laura says
Thanks Lana – for me too, it had been years. But now I’m delighted to know that I put a few away in the freezer for reserve. Next storm, guess what I’m pulling out:)?
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen says
I’m not missing those winter blizzards since we moved from Wyoming to Oklahoma! This does look like amazing comfort food. I’ve never had anything like it but I know my family would absolutely love it!
Laura says
I’m sure the Wyoming blizzards are much worse than the ones we have in DC. Still, this did help us get through the shoveling. And we should do a switch night – you make my dish and I’ll make yours and both of our families will be happy!
Jane, The Heritage Cook says
I can’t believe I’ve never had these, but I am certainly going to remedy that right away. What a wonderful meal on these cold and wet days of winter Laura. I can’t wait to make them! Perfect for #ProgressiveEats!!
Laura says
Thanks Jane. Progressive Eats is so much fun – and yields so many ideas for dishes I want to make every month.
Debbie says
I have been searching for a good stuffed cabbage recipe and this one looks perfect. The directions say to add eggs, however they are not listed in the ingredients. Would it be a good guess on my part if the recipe calls for 2 eggs?
Laura says
Debbie – Oy! You are so right that I neglected to include the eggs in the ingredient list, even though they are pictured in the photo of the ingredients and described in the preparation directions. Just fixed that omission – many thanks for your sharp eyed editing. I hope you enjoy the stuffed cabbage.
Sheila says
I made these tonight. They were delicious. We have plenty of leftovers. Do they freeze well?
Laura says
Sheila, So glad you liked them. Yes, they freeze well. (We ate some from the batch in the post after they had been frozen, defrosted and re=heated.) You may want to make a bit of additional sauce once you reheat them, as the cabbage rolls tend to soak up the sauce when they sit. Microwave reheating works fine because the dish is saucy, rather than crunchy. I’ve used both microwave and stovetop re-heating. Both work fine with fully defrosted cabbage rolls.
Sheila says
Thank you for the quick reply!
jules says
Just to confirm , use raw rice in the meat?
Laura says
Right Jules – Raw rice. It cooks while it is rolled up in the cabbage leaves with the meat (also uncooked until this stage.)
Linda says
Delicious & comforting food my mother used to make & called it Brakas…my Jewish grandmother was Russian. Same ingredients..just cooked whole dish on the hob instead of oven. It brings back so many memories when I eat it. So thank you.
Laura says
Linda, So delighted it brought back good memories. It does for me too. We didn’t call it Brakas, but my mom’s family was from Eastern Europe, mostly Russia and Romania. What is a hob?
JA says
This is very close to my grandma’s cabbage rolls. She didn’t use onion and used torn bread rather than rice and white sugar not brown. HOWEVER, I am going to try your way! The brown sugar for depth, onion because I like onions and they never hurt a savory dish, and rice because that seems to be the standard. The main thing is the slow cooking in lots of liquid. And I definitely agree — no garlic. Thanks for keeping the tradition alive!
Laura says
JA – How lovely. I am honored that you’re going to try my mom’s recipe. Even just thinking about it brings me joy.
Joe says
White rice I assume? Does short/long grain matter?
And the tomatoes looked a little confusing. One had 15-16oz worth, and the next seemed like you meant “2 x 28oz”, but it looks like “2-28oz” currently.
And wow…think I’ll have to wait on this 4+ hour recipe :), though it does sound tasty. Wonder if anyone has thought to make pre-steamed and trimmed cabbage leaves? I’d assume that might speed things up a bit. Though freezing might change the texture. And they wouldn’t keep as long just refrigerated. Wonder if you could dehydrate them like rice wraps for SE Asian salad rolls?
Laura says
Joe, You’re right that the recipe calls for white rice. Brown rice would take much longer to cook and would have a different texture. It doesn’t matter if you use medium or long grain rice. I wouldn’t use short grain (although it might work in the most general sense) because it would change the consistency of the meatballs inside the cabbage. The tomatoes are two 28 ounce cans. the 15-16 ounces refers to tomato sauce (not canned tomatoes) – a separate ingredient from the canned tomatoes. Yes, I think you could make pre-steamed and trimmed cabbage leaves. But I would only do that a few hours before – or maybe the day before – and not freeze them. Simply refrigerate the pre-steamed and trimmed leaves, wrapped in towels, until ready to use. Can’t imagine dehydrated cabbage rolls:)
CSG says
Actually, freezing can be an alternative to cooking the cabbage leaves. Freezing breaks down the cells in the cabbage and makes the leaves pliable – similar to what boiling the cabbage accomplishes. The cabbage needs a few (say, 2-3) days in the freezer to freeze completely, then another day or so in the fridge to fully defrost. Then it’s ready to use in the recipe! I don’t make stuffed cabbage often, but, ever since I learned of this trick of freezing the cabbage, this is the only way I do it!
Laura says
CSG – What an interesting alternative way to deal with cabbage leaves! I’ll have to try it.
Linda Abraham says
What kind of rice?
Laura says
Linda, My mom always used Uncle Ben’s converted rice. I generally use “regular” long grain rice.
Debra Favale says
My childhood memories….. this was a favorite dish. I became vegetarian about 10 years ago, so sadly I no longer treated myself to Jewish Stuffed Cabbage. Well, I decided to give your recipe a whirl trying with Beyond Burger plant based patties. I used six patties mashing them together as if it were ground chuck. My dish came out EXEMPLARY!!!!!! Omg it is sooooooo delicious. I did use Rokeach tomato sauce, which is really amazing and keeping in line with the Jewish taste. Thank you. (And I never write comments) but this was too perfect not to rave.
Laura says
Debra, Thanks for letting me know how you made this vegetarian. So glad it worked out. My son is vegan and I wonder if he’d like your version – I’m going to suggest it to him.
Marny says
I haven’t tried your recipe – but know that my mom used sour salt.
Her ‘recipe’ is lost – because I never watched her after she cooked and prepared the cabbage. When I’ve attempted hers, it failed miserably.
Her sauce was rather thick and I’m not sure she used ‘kraut … she did keep kosher, however.
Laura says
Marny, How interesting. I don’t know about sour salt. What is it?
Lynn Lawson says
Sour salt is actually citric acid, a white crystalline compound with an acidic, tart taste; it is often used to furnish the sour taste element in sweet/sour dishes such as cabbage soup. Incidentally, sour salt can easily be carried in the purse in a little shaker for use when dining out.
Laura says
Lynn, Good to know. I’ve never used sour salt, but I’ll have to look for it now.
Elaine Wax says
Use sour salt in place of the lemon juice.That’s the way our Jewish Deli person and caterer did it. Only one large can of tomatoes and one large can of Hunts tomato sauce,2 or 3 small pieces of sour salt, brown sugar to taste. We liked it sweet. I’m going out to buy the ingredients tomorrow and cook them in my crock pot..
Laura says
Elaine, Many thanks for giving us your family’s take on this iconic recipe. Glad you enjoy it. Shanah Tovah
lauren kramer says
can you use ground turkey? Do you need to add oil if the turkey is low fat?Thanks
Laura says
Lauren, Sure, if you prefer ground turkey to ground beef, go ahead and make that substitution. If the ground turkey will have less liquid and fat than the ground beef, I would add a bit of oil and water.
Lynn Lawson says
I have been looking all over for this recipe. I can’t wait to make it. Thank you so much for bringing back memories of mom’s cooking. 🙂
Laura says
Lynn, Glad you’re a fan of this recipe too. It always reminds me of my own mom – who wasn’t a great cook, but could do a few dishes that I loved, like this one.
Lynn Lawson says
We’re trying this right now and am in the midst of putting the smaller part of the cabbage back in the water to reboil. So far we’ve been prepping for an hour and a half. You must be a wonder woman to do all that in 45 minutes! It took 45 minutes just to assemble ingredients and measure everything out, prep the cabbage, heat the water to boiling, open cans, split the tomatoes, mix the meat/rice mixture. We’re still waiting on the second round of cabbage to finish. LOL We (my grown daughter and myself) must be super slow people.
Laura says
Lynn, My prep times are just estimates and wouldn’t include the time to do any of the cooking. I’d agree that you have to be super organized – I never am and I’m taking photographs so I have to estimate how long it took me if I discount all the stuff I have to do for the blog while I’m making the recipe. In any event, hope you enjoyed the final result.
Deb says
My autistic son wanted to try these and we both loved them. So now we can call the Jewish/Catholic/Pentecostal/ cabbage rolls. Your particular flair is tops to all the others tried. Believe the brown sugar makes it. Thank you so very very much. We are West Tennessee and get those huge snows about every 5 or 6 years. So they are somewhat enjoyed when they come. Bless all.
Deb says
PS. The water where the cabbage was boiled can be used as a tea when cooled enough not to burn your mouth. Quite healthy and tasty. If you need to, add sweetener of choice.
Laura says
I had no idea – I’ll have to try it.
Laura says
Deb, What a lovely comment – I am so glad you and your son enjoyed the cabbage rolls. Yes, they are really multi-religious, so your name for them is quite wonderful.
Louise says
Can I cook this on top of the stove rather than in the oven?
Laura says
Yes, you can do it on the stovetop, but that takes some careful watching and probably a longer time to get the cabbage rolls fully cooked but not to burn them.
Mimi lieber says
My Hungarian grandma made this with 4 pieces of Rye bread on the bottom because her mom added caraway seeds! We ate the soaked bread with spoons before we got to the table! Also, she and I make the meat mixture w/out rice and instead like her meatloaf, which had milk soaked bread (I use biscotte a’la French boulettes), Dijon mustard and sour cream. Plus fround turkey meat. Like yours, it’s delicious and tender and filled with great memories!
Laura says
What a great story – and an interesting way to make stuffed cabbage.
Roberta Gottesman Moskowitz says
Your recipe brought tears to my eyes. The last time I made rolled meat and cabbage was in 1983 for a surprise anniversary party for my parents. I used my maternal grandmother’s recipe then. Your ingredients pretty well matched hers except hers included raisins. Thanks for the memories and the inspiration.
Laura says
Roberta, If my recipe brought tears to your eyes, your note brought tears to mine. Wish we could get together for a cup of tea and trade recipes.
Michelle says
Your recipe is similar to my mother-in-law’s. She adds ground up ginger snaps to the sauce.
I’m making them today for our 44th wedding anniversary. If I’m ambitious I’ll make some Potato
Latkes to go with them.
Laura says
Your mother-in-law’s secret ingredient sounds wonderful. Hope you enjoyed the anniversary dinner and congrats.
bb says
Only one thing that makes it easier – I have found that you can take the large cabbage leaves and put them on a micro plate loosely piled up and micro for about 15 seconds to make them as soft and good as boiling. Check after 15 seconds and zap more if needed or less if needed. A big time and mess saver. A perfect recipe and we LOVE it.
Laura says
BB – Great tip. I’ll have to try it. Glad you enjoy the recipe.
Laurie says
The best! I have made this recipe 3 times now and get rave reviews. It’s easy, inexpensive and most importantly, delicious! I’m planning on making a bunch of recipes from this site. Love it!
Laura says
Laurie, You made my day!! Many thanks for your kind comment. Laura
Clare says
I had Jewish stuffed cabbage at a recent Jewish food festival and I loved them. Looking forward to making these! When putting the cabbage rolls in the pot, do they need to be a single layer? Or can I stack a second layer of rolls on top of the first layer? Thanks!
Laura says
You can stack them – carefully:) Enjoy.
Melissa Saven says
Can I prepare this ahead of time and freeze? If yes what is the best way to do this.
Laura says
Yes you can prepare this ahead of time. To freeze it, try to pull out as much air as possible before covering the stuffed cabbage rolls. Best to make some extra sauce & freeze separately, so after defrosting the cabbage rolls, you’ll have sauce to add.
Matt Leger says
Like others, this recipe reminds me of my grandma’s recipe. She used golden raisins to add some sweetness. If I did that would I add to the beginning of the oven cooking you think, or halfway through (once you uncover the pot)?
Laura says
Matt, Hope this recipe brings back wonderful memories. If I added raisins, I’d probably add them about halfway through.
Harvey says
My bubbie and mother added some vinegar made it sweet and sour
Laura says
That version sounds wonderful. And of course, any bubbie-approved version is fine with me 🙂
Mimi Chep says
Hi,
I just saw your recipe and I’m not sure if you are still looking here for comments. I have never made stuffed cabbage and I remember my mom and Bubby making it and seeing that it was a “process”! I eat very clean and wanted to know if I could make this with cauliflower rice or hearts of palm rice? I would also make this with ground bison as that is healthier also.
Thank you.
Mimi
Laura says
Mimi,
Sure try vegetables “rice”, although I’d be concerned if that kind of “rice” falls apart. The rice in the recipe cooks in the stuffed cabbage. Ground bison should work fine if it has a bit of fat. And like you, this is a recipe that brings up memories.