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Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

elaine's cabbage rolls

BreadandSoupLady avatar
Recipe by
Elaine Douglas
@BreadandSoupLady
Vancouver, BC

This is a very old recipe that I have been using since 1965. Can be made ahead of time. They taste even better the second day. Leftovers freeze well. Sometimes I double the recipe so that I will have some to freeze. The leaves from Savoy Cabbage or Chinese cabbage are easier to work with. Preparing the cabbage leaves is the most time-consuming part of process. My cousin freezes the cabbage heads so that when they defrost the leaves are already pliable.

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yield serving(s)
prep time 1 Hr
cook time 3 Hr
method Convection Oven

Ingredients For elaine's cabbage rolls

  • FOR THE CABBAGE ROLLS
  • 1 lg
    green cabbage (pref. savoy)
  • 1 lb
    ground beef (or 1/2 beef or 1/2 pork)
  • 3 Tbsp
    cooked rice or 1 1/2 tbsp uncooked rice)
  • 2 Tbsp
    sugar
  • 2 Tbsp
    grated onion
  • 1 Tbsp
    lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp
    salt, divided
  • 1/4 tsp
    pepper
  • 1/2 tsp
    paprika, divided
  • FOR THE SAUCE
  • 1 lg
    onion, chopped fine
  • 1 pinch
    pepper
  • 2 Tbsp
    vegetable oil
  • 1/2 c
    hot water
  • 1 can
    tomato sauce (398 ml or 14 oz)
  • 1/3 c
    brown sugar
  • 1/4 c
    lemon juice

How To Make elaine's cabbage rolls

  • 1
    Wash cabbage; cut out core. Drop cabbage, core side down into a large saucepan of boiling salted water to cover and blanch five or six minutes or until softened. Drain and carefully separate leaves. Alternatively, you can put the cabbage in the microwave to soften the leaves. Take the leaves off the head as they soften and then put the cabbage back in the microwave to soften the next layer. Alternate method- Blanch and remove cabbage leaves as above. Stack the leaves neatly and put in a plastic bag in the freezer. When you are ready to make the rolls,they defrost quickly and are pliable to make the rolls. This also divides your time so you can make the recipe over two different days.
  • 2
    Combine beef, rice, sugar, grated onion, one tablespoon lemon juice, one teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon paprika.
  • 3
    Drain cabbage leaves. Trim the tough center rib to make leaf more pliable. Place a spoonful of meat mixture on each leaf; roll up from the stem end leaving the sides loose. After it is rolled up, tuck in the sides like a dimple. This will secure the rolls without using toothpicks.
  • 4
    Saute fine-chopped onion with remaining 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp paprika and pinch of pepper in hot oil in skillet or dutch onion for about 10 minutes. Add hot water and transfer onion mixture to casserole or leave in dutch oven. Arrange cabbage rolls on top of onions.
  • 5
    Mix tomato sauce with sugar and the 1/4 cup lemon juice; pour over cabbage rolls and cover.
  • 6
    Bake at 325 F for two to three hours. Taste and add more sugar and lemon juice if necessary. If cooked on stove top, cook over low heat. Cabbage rolls can be frozen after cooking.
  • 7
    Alteratively -You can cook these in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Do step 4 in the Instant Pot. Continue with step 5. Then cook on Manual - High for 16 minutes. Let stand for 16 minutes before removing lid. If you want a thicker sauce after you remove the cabbage rolls from the pot, let the sauce cook down for a few minutes or use less water in the recipe.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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