Chilly nights demand comfort food
Now that fall is officially here, I'm craving rich and hearty comfort foods. Dishes that take just a little love and care to prep, but are left to cook slowly, unaided by stirring, flipping, or prodding. Meals that are perfect to eat on nights when house windows get cold enough to form condensation and throw blankets start making a regular appearance when snuggled up on the couch. My Golubtsi (or Cabbage Rolls) are the perfect "Welcome to fall!" food, but they only get better as the nights get colder. This dish is a favorite cold weather comfort food that carries all the way through the chilly winter months.
What is Golubtsi?
Golubtsi, or Cabbage Rolls, is a hearty dish comprised of savory filling (usually beef and/or pork mixed with rice or potato as well as onions and carrots) rolled in cabbage leaves and baked in a creamy tomato sauce. I've come across several different variations at both German and Russian restaurants locally, but they also have a huge presence in many other Central and Eastern European cuisines.
How to tenderize and prep the cabbage leaves
There are several ways to tenderize the cabbage leaves so they are pliable for stuffing and rolling, but my preferred way to tenderize them is by simmering them in a big pot of hot water.
Add cored cabbage to a large pot of water over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the leaves are tender and pliable, then remove from heat. Remove cabbage from the water, drain, and allow to cool until it has reached a temperature that you can comfortably work with the cabbage by hand. Carefully separate the outer leaves of the cabbage one at a time, working inward. Reserve separated leaves to the side to be filled.
Baking low and slow is best
This dish bakes low and slow for 2 hours in a dutch oven, which I think is the best way to produce tender, fall apart Golubtsi. If you would like to shave the bake time down by half an hour, the meat should be cooked through to a safe temperature (165 degrees F) after 90 minutes and you technically can remove them from the oven at that point. However, the cabbage will continue to tenderize as it cooks in its sauce, so I highly recommend cooking for the full two hours, especially if you are cooking your Golubtsi in multiple layers.
If you do not have a large dutch oven, this recipe can also be made in a casserole dish topped with an oven-safe lid or tin foil.
What tools do I need to make this recipe?
- cutting board
- a good chefs knife
- a stockpot or large soup pot
- a medium saucepot
- a large dutch oven. Alternatively, you may use a casserole dish topped with an oven-safe lid or tin foil.
- 2 large prep bowls to reserve the cooked cabbage leaves and mix the filling
- measuring cups and spoons
- 2 wooden spoons to mix the filling and the sauce
- a can opener
Storage and Freezing
Leftovers may be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to three months in airtight freezer-safe containers. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight then bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F, or from frozen for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees F. Thawed Golubtsi can alternatively be reheated in the microwave for 2-4 minutes per serving.
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Golubtsi (Cabbage Rolls)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Mains
- Method: Stovetop + Oven
- Cuisine: Russian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
My Golubtsi (or Cabbage Rolls) are the perfect "Welcome to fall!" food, but they only get better as the nights get colder. This dish is a favorite cold-weather comfort food that carries all the way through the chilly winter months.
Ingredients
For the cabbage rolls:
- 1 large head of cabbage, cored
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 2 cups riced cauliflower or cooked rice
- ¾ cup green onions, chopped
- ⅓ cup parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
For the sauce:
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic oil (may substitute olive oil + 3 minced garlic cloves)
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Add cored cabbage to a large pot of water over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the leaves are tender and pliable, then remove from heat. Remove cabbage from the water, drain, and allow to cool until it has reached a temperature that you can comfortably work with the cabbage by hand. Carefully separate the outer leaves of the cabbage one at a time, working inward. Reserve separated leaves to the side to be filled.
- While the cabbage cools, start prepping the filling. In a large bowl, add the ground beef, Italian sausage, shredded cauliflower, green onions, parsley, and black pepper. Mix until well incorporated. Reserve to the side.
- In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat add the crushed tomatoes, sour cream, dill, garlic oil, and sea salt. Stir until combined and allow to come to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes then remove from heat.
- Now if a good time to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (177 C).
- In a large dutch oven or deep oven-safe baking dish, add ⅓ of the tomato sauce mixture to the bottom. Then assemble your cabbage rolls. Start by peeling an outer leaf off of the cooled cabbage head, then fill with your meat mixture. Roll like a burrito, tucking the sides in as you roll until it is a closed parcel. Stack each roll with the edge of the roll facing downward so they do not unroll and repeat, side by side until you have one well-packed layer.
- Depending on the size of your dutch oven or baking dish, you may end up with 1-3 layers. My baking dish allows 2 layers of 8-9 cabbage rolls, for a total of 16-18 rolls. After I complete each layer, I pour an additional portion of the tomato sauce over the top, finishing with the last of the sauce on the top layer.
- Bake, covered, for 90 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake for an additional 30 minutes. I like to serve this with an additional dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh dill.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 361
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 1034 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 93 mg
Dan Zehr says
My family loves the Cabbage Rolls. We love this recipe with mushroom sauce. It is really very tasty. Beautiful presentation. Thank you for sharing this.
Mahy Elamin says
mmm i love it! Golubtsi is a very popular recipe in western Ukraine. Not a single holiday can do without this delicious dish.
Karyl Henry says
I love cabbage rolls, but I've never tried to make them at home before. I'm definitely saving this recipe, as we head into the colder months. This will be perfect for a weekend dinner
Claudia Lamascolo says
I love cabbage anyway its made but these are my favorite and yours looks super yummy and perfect!
Denay DeGuzman says
What a delicious-looking recipe! I love cabbage rolls, and your special spin on this makes me want to rush to the kitchen and start putting these together.
swathi says
I love simple and comfort meals during winter times, because I don't have patience to cook this one is yum. and filling great as family meal.
Mary says
I’m so curious about these! They look so good. Bonus that they’re GF DF (my kids have allergies to both).
Kylee from Kylee Cooks says
I do love a good cabbage roll, especially with such a yummy filling! So good for this time of year.
Veena Azmanov says
I love cabbage and we make it often. But the only person that I have ever eaten stuffed cabbage was my mother in law. Since then we have not had any. I must try this one soon.
Marisa Franca says
Your cabbage rolls bring back such fond memories. We used to make them all the time but we called them pigs in the blanket. Many years ago we'd invite my husbands folks for dinner and we'd make the dish. They loved it. In fact we've had some huge family gatherings and the main dish we the cabbage rolls. Your recipe is a bit different than ours - we had sauerkraut in ours. The addition of cauliflower sounds delicious.
Dan Zehr says
GOLUBTSI is a very popular recipe in Ukraine. It's really incredibly delicious. Wonderful combination of ingredients. Great idea for dinner. Thank you for sharing.
Michelle says
This is similar to the polish version my family makes, we call it galumpki, but there are so many names for the same dish in those tiny european countries
Lauren Vavala says
I hadn't had cabbage rolls of any kind until a couple years ago. I've never made them myself though, but I'm saving this recipe to try soon! I especially love this uses cauliflower!
Claudia Lamascolo says
I eat cabbage twice a week and love it. these looks fantastic. I will have to try them soon.. I usually decontruct everything.. thanks for the recipe
Marlynn | Urban Bliss Life says
I've admittedly never been a fan of cabbage rolls, but the sauce in your recipe is so intriguing and sounds yummy. It makes me want to try it! I do love when someone's recipe can help me change my mind about food 🙂
Danielle says
Cabbage is one of my favorite vegetables, so I'll have to try this recipe this fall/winter! Do these reheat well for leftovers? I'll probably be the only one eating them in my household, so curious if they'd be good to take for lunch at work 🙂
Whip & Wander says
They are awesome the following day as leftovers!
Renee | The Good Hearted Woman says
Cabbage rolls are one of my go-to comfort foods. I learned to make them from the Polish mother of a childhood friend. The sauce in this version is quite different from my recipe - I'd love to try it for comparison.
April says
This is incredible that this recipe is so healthy! Grain-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free and friendly for Keto diets? That is all you need!
Erin @ Platings and Pairings says
One of my former co-workers was Russian and she made us all a batch of these as a lunch treat one day. I haven't been able to get them out of my mind ever since. I loved how she topped them with sour cream and dill, so I'm excited to see you did that too!!! Will definitely be giving this recipe a try soon!
Catherine @ To & Fro Fam says
I love comforting, warm food this time of year! I get really excited to switch up my cooking as well as my wardrobe. 🙂