Connecting Through Food Project - Cabbage Rolls

UC Davis Connecting Through Food Project aims to collect and distribute beloved recipes from our community so that everyone can learn and enjoy.

Food is culture. Food is memory. We all have recipes that we cook at home or eat with people whom we love. Sharing a meal together can be a practice self-care and celebration of community. Showcase your culture, whether local or global and special memories by submitting your favorite recipe and/or backstory.

Share your recipes and stories with us! 

Kimberly's Story on Cabbage Rolls

This was my grandmother's recipe. She was second generation Polish-American and thanks to her, I grew up eating cabbage in many forms. This is one of my favorites. The ingredients are simple, but it's delicious and perfect for colder days. Because it is quite a bit of work to roll all the leaves, this is more of a "celebration" food in my family, and we had it for a number of Christmases in my teens - including one where the oven broke, so we had to simmer the rolls in baking dishes on the stove because my mom didn't have a dutch oven!

Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:

1 large/medium head green cabbage

1 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

16 oz can tomato sauce

2 cups cooked rice

2 eggs

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 tbsp butter salt/pepper to taste

 

Recipe Procedure:

  1. Remove the core from the cabbage, but keep the head intact.
  2. Dip the head of cabbage into a pot of boiling water to scald it and remove the leaves individually as they soften. Place on kitchen towels to drain.
  3. Heat the butter in a small pan and sauté the onion in it lightly - do not brown it. In a large bowl, combine the butter and onion with the meats, rice, eggs and seasonings. Mix well; hands are the best tools for this!
  4. Set up a rolling station with your bowl of filling, cabbage leaves, and a large dutch oven/baking dish. Place 2 tbsp of the meat mixture in the center of a cabbage leave, roll and fold so that it is encased. Place seam side down in the dutch oven/baking dish. Repeat until all mixture and leaves are used.
  5. Pour tomato sauce over the rolls and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. If using dutch oven, bring to a simmer and simmer over low heat for 2 hours. If using baking dish, cover them with foil and bake in 350 degree oven until internal temperature reaches 165 F.

 

Other Information: 

Category: Main Dish

Time typically served: Dinner

Servings: 10-15 servings | (one to two rolls each)