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Next time you see big, beautiful, green heads of cabbage in the market, grab one up and make this delicious Classic Cabbage Rolls Recipe!

Making cabbage rolls is a family affair.

TIPS for making the stuffed cabbage rolls recipe:
The filling comes together quickly and easily, similar to an easy meatloaf. The sauce is super easy to make too. The cabbage leaves are the only thing that need a little finessing to make it easy to roll up the beef filling. Here are a few tips that will help make this recipe a breeze!
- Buy the biggest head of cabbage you can find.
- Look for a cabbage that is a little loose, with leaves that are easy to peel off.
- Select a cabbage with plenty of dark green leaves on the outer layers. These large green leaves make the best rolls.
- If you can only find small tight cabbages, pick up two so you have enough of the bigger outer leaves to use for rolling up the filling.
- If you find yourself with a lot of inner, lighter colored, small leaves, they will work just fine but they need to be cooked a little longer to make them pliable and soft enough for rolling.
- Don’t worry if each cabbage leaf is not the same size. Adjust the amount of filling so you are able to roll it up easily.
- Use toothpicks to secure the cabbage if needed on the smaller rolls.
- There are two different methods I recommend for preparing (precooking) the cabbage leaves. Core the cabbage and carefully peel off the leaves taking care not to tear them. For this first method you can boil the leaves for a few minutes in a stockpot of salted water. If you have a hard time removing the tight leaves from the head of cabbage, place the whole cored head in a large mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap. Microwave for 3 minutes on high until the outer leaves of cabbage are pliable and translucent. Carefully remove the wilted, outer leaves with tongs and repeat the process until you have enough for the recipe. Whichever method you use, make sure you can bend, and roll the leaves easily to form the rolls.

Cabbage rolls can be found in many cultures.
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Classic Cabbage Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
For the cabbage rolls:
- 18 large cabbage leaves
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef (95% lean preferred)
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ cup milk
For the sauce:
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup chopped parsley leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
To prepare the cabbage rolls:
- Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat until boiling. Drop the cabbage leaves, a few at a time, into the boiling water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes or until wilted and pliable. Remove with tongs to a strainer to drain. Repeat until all leaves are par-boiled. Remove the thick central ribs by cutting along both sides of the rib in a long narrow triangle. Discard ribs. Set leaves aside. (SEE NOTES BELOW)
- Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until starting to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for 30-seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat. Transfer half the onion to a large mixing bowl.
- Off heat, add the ground beef, cooked rice, salt, pepper, egg and milk to the remaining onion mixture in the skillet. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Divide the ground beef and rice mixture evenly between the 16 cabbage leaves. Overlap the cut ends of the cabbage to prevent the filling from spilling out. Place the filling over the area that overlaps and fold in the sides. Roll the leaf tightly around the filling to create a tidy roll. Place the cabbage roll, seam side down, in the now empty skillet, Dutch oven or baking dish. Repeat until all filling is used.
To prepare the sauce:
- In the mixing bowl with the remaining onions, add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, brown sugar and vinegar. Pour over the cabbage rolls. Cover the skillet with a lid or foil and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the rolls are heated through, about 45 minutes. Remove the lid and spoon some of the sauce over the cabbage rolls. Continue to bake, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the cabbage rolls to a serving plate. Put the skillet with the sauce on the stove top and heat on medium. Whisk together the 1/4 cup water and cornstarch then slowly add to the sauce in the skillet. Heat until thickened. Pour the tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls and serve immediately garnished with parsley.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Here are a few more hearty family style dinner recipes you might enjoy:
Try our easy Beef Stroganoff Recipe made with tender, quick-cooked strips of beef, sliced shallots, mushrooms and paprika simmered in a flavorful sauce of beef broth, dry white wine and sour cream. Â Serve over egg noodles, mashed potatoes or rice for an easy company-worthy dish that comes together in under an hour. Click HERE to get the recipe for Beef Stroganoff.
The Dublin Coddle is a delicious savory Irish classic made with potatoes, onions, rashers (bacon) and bangers (sausages) with a little chicken broth and beer thrown in. This would also be great with cabbage too. Click HERE to get the recipe for Dublin Coddle.
Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe – put your leftover turkey to work in this creamy, hearty casserole loaded with peas, carrots, Parmesan cheese and plenty of mushrooms. Click HERE to get the recipe for Turkey Tetrazzini.
Haha – my husband found this at the farmer’s market – what would you make with all this cabbage? Cabbage rolls of course!
Kitchen Essential Tools Spotlight: Stainless Sauté Pan
A well equipped kitchen needs a good all-purpose stainless sauté pan that easily goes from stove-top to oven. This affordable 5 1/2 quart Cuisinart Chef’s Classic comes with a lid and helper handle for easy removal from the oven. Click on the photo for more information about our favorite large stainless skillet.
*Saving Room for Dessert is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program ~ I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, which I use to pay for web hosting and services for this blog. Thanks for supporting SRFD!
Thanks so much for stopping by! Tricia
Originally posted October 2012, updated October 2018
Kevin
re Cabbage Rolls ingredients… “95% fat”?? 🙂
Tricia Buice
Hi Kevin. Ground beef is usually labeled as 80%, 90% or 95% lean meaning the higher the number the leaner the beef. I’ve corrected my typo.
handmade by amalia
Looks amazing. I’d love to give these a try.
Amalia
xo
Tricia Buice
Thanks Amalia! Hope you are doing great.
Barb
I made these with vegan ground beef and a flax egg bc we didn’t have real eggs on hand. It was my first time making cabbage rolls and I mostly followed the recipe as written. I did add salt to the sauce, and I only used about half the sauce although in the end I should’ve used more. I also skipped the sauce thickening part because my kids just wanted to eat lol. Thank you for this great recipe!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Barb! So glad it turned out great for you. We appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Natasha Stamper
These are delicious! My mom used to make them for our family and used a recipe from her Hungarian/Italian grandmother. They were so yummy. I wasn’t able to get the recipe as my mom passed a few years ago and I never knew my grandmother’s as they also passed. I made these and they were wonderful! I added sauerkraut and a little less sugar plus some italian spices and was brought back to my childhood. Truly a comforting and delicious meal. My husband and toddler loved them as well. Thank you for the recipe! I will be making these often.
Tricia Buice
What a sweet comment Natasha. I love food memories and how special those times were with my mom and grandmother. Thank you for sharing and for trying the recipe. We truly appreciate the feedback.
Randy Kent
One of the best cabbage roll recipes I made. I added some kraut on top also. Thickening the tomato sauce also was a keeper. Well done !!
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Randy! So thrilled you enjoyed this recipe. Bravo!!
Kris
I doubled this recipe, and still only got 18 cabbage rolls when all was said and done, while ending up with twice as much sauce as I needed.
I omitted the sugar, because to me, sweet and meat don’t go together, and I saw a couple other commenters saying it was too sweet for them.
I also don’t understand the need for so much extra liquid (vinegar/water) because the tomatoes and tomato sauce were more than runny enough as a sauce, and wouldn’t need to then be thickened with the corn starch and water after the fact.
flavor is great, recipe just needed to be tweaked a bit.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Kris. Sugar is a common ingredient in this kind of recipe, especially one with cabbage. Sugar helps reduce the amount of gas and bloat some might have after eating cabbage. Feel free to reduce the amount but I don’t recommend leaving it out all-together. Slightly sweet main course meals are pretty common, too. Honey glazed fish, brown sugar BBQ sauce, honey glazed ham and sweet glazed Korean ribs, etc. Also you need a little extra liquid to properly cook the cabbage. Vinegar provides the sour to compliment the sweet while adding another layer of flavor. Be sure to use lean ground beef so there’ll be less fat, therefore less liquid overall. Cook it down until it thickens and then serve. I believe the recipe is terrific as is, but I understand we all don’t like the same things. Thanks for trying the recipe and for taking the time to comment!
Christine Butt
No one enjoyed the 16 cabbage rolls. Way too sweet the sauce was yucky. I’ll never make this recipe . Leftovers had to be thrown away ..what a waste of time and my.money .
Tricia Buice
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the cabbage rolls Christine. People like different things and I’m sorry this was not for you.
Don
I love the sauce, which has some complexity and a lot of flavour. I couldn’t open the bottle of white balsamic vinegar (the screw caps was stripped, so I substituted red balsamic vinegar and it was wonderful.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Don! Glad you enjoyed these cabbage rolls. We appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Denise
Can these be frozen after cooking?
Tricia Buice
Hi Denise. I have not tried freezing these cabbage rolls. My initial instincts tell me that cabbage may not freeze well. Leftovers are great however, and you can make the entire dish ahead of time and bake hours later. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Cheryl reid
I freeze them all the time amd they come out delicious. The only thing is the sauce gets a little thinner.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Cheryl. Great to hear they freeze pretty well for you. Food is always best when fresh but being able to freeze a meal for later is priceless. Thanks again for trying the recipe and for the feedback.
Jackie Neumann
I also freeze these. I make enough for several dinners through the winter. I individually wrap them with saran wrap, bag & freeze them. When I want some for dinner I thaw & bake the number I want, then make the sauce needed for the cabbage rolls. I like my cabbage baked soft, I’m happy with the way they bake after being frozen. An easy and delicious meal.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Jackie. Great idea. I’m going to try this next time. Thank you for the wonderful suggestion.
Julia
This recipe looks amazing! I’ve never made a cabbage roll but I’m going to attempt this recipe. I realize this post is quite old but would you be able to tell me what kind of rice do you use? Thank you for sharing and I can’t wait to try this!!!
Tricia Buice
Hi Julia – I use any kind of long grain white rice for these cabbage rolls. Enjoy!
Sharon
I use the cook in bags rice and cook as normal. Works great in this recipe.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Sharon – good tip!
Karen
Cabbage rolls look absolutely delicious….Recipe sounds easy, definitely going to try it.
Tricia Buice
Good deal Karen! Thanks so much and hope you love them.
Polly
Tricia, thanks! I made this yesterday and it was a HUGE hit! My hubby said it was as good as anything you can get from an restaurant. Delicious!
Tricia Buice
That’s fantastic Polly – thanks so much for taking the time to let us know, and for trying this recipe! Outstanding 🙂
Heyhey
Uggg lol restuarant. U ment homemade from home. Most places use frozen. Trust me I’ve work at tons lol
Stephanie Ellis
Where is the recipe
Tricia Buice
Hi Stephanie – the printable recipe is just above the area where you left the comment. It’s shaded in beige and is usually the very last thing in the post. Let me know if you still can’t find it. Such a good recipe!
HD Hasselbarth
So for the cabbage rolls, do you put the red pepper flakes in the meat or the sauce?
Tricia Buice
Sorry about that – I updated the recipe to show the red pepper is added with the garlic. Thanks for catching that! Enjoy 🙂
Foodiewife
I haven’t made cabbage rolls in years, and I love them! Your photos are stellar, and make me long for a bowl of this– as soon as our Indian summer is over. That photo of your husband that the humongous cabbage is hilarious!
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much! Cabbage rolls are a favorite of ours too.
Susan
This looks like a perfect fall comfort dinner and I’m going to our farmers’ market this week! Oh my goodness that’s a big head of cabbage that your husband is holding!
Tricia Buice
We love cabbage rolls but don’t make them often enough. Thanks!
Thomas P.
These rolls look SO yummy!
They kind of look like raviolis with all that red sauce around.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Thomas.
Mimi
This is a beautiful thing! I love cabbage rolls. A while back for the blog I made a de-constructed cabbage roll dish, just because it seems that I always need about 3 heads of cabbage to get the best leaves. This way I just layered it with the goodies, although I used a white sauce instead of red. The the cabbage rolls are the prettiest presentation!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Mimi. I love this idea of making a deconstructed version of this dish – must be so much easier!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
Love cabbage rolls, my grandmother used to make them for me anytime I asked her. They are a labor of love that I now realize when I make them myself. Your version sounds good.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Karen – there are a few moving parts but they come together easily. Hope you try them – this sauce is fantastic.
Mark Watson
Excellent recipe. Lots of good advice about prep. I used less sugar and omitted the milk. Came out great.
Love it with mashed potatoes.
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much Mark! We appreciate you taking the time to let us know how it turned out for you. Such a delicious dinner and leftovers are great too! Thanks again.
Linda Frost
My father always loved these with cheesy mashed potatoes! The cheesy potatoes and sauce go so well together!
I grew up with these as well! I come from a Polish family. They are delicious. I’m using your recipe and mine and my friend’s combined! I know they will turn out delicious! I also have no trouble freeing them and reheating since no one in the household but me will eat them! 🙂
Tricia Buice
Sounds terrific Linda! I can’t wait to hear how yours turn out. Thanks for the cheesy potato inspiration 😉
Gerlinde
Cabbage rolls used to be a real treat when I was growing up in Germany. Now you buy them already made in cans, can you believe that? Your version looks super delicious.
Tricia Buice
Canned cabbage rolls – sounds like something my husband would try 😉 Cabbage rolls have been around forever and for good reason. Thanks Gerlinde!
sue | the view from great island
This is my all time favorite, and I didn’t grow up with it, but later in life came to love this meal. Gorgeous photos!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Sue – bet you’ll love this recipe – the sauce is so good!
sheenam | thetwincookingproject.net
I have never made cabbage rolls!! This recipe looks amazing 😀
Tricia Buice
Thanks Sheenam 😉
Nancy
Would be great if you could turn this recipe into a casserole for those who don’t have the time or inclination to make the rolls but love the flavour!
Tricia Buice
Hi Nancy – Good idea for a casserole. I’ve made it into a soup if you would like to try it. The flavors are very similar to the cabbage roll recipe. Here’s a link – Cabbage Roll Soup. Thanks!
Larry
I really enjoy cabbage rolls, especially when someone else makes them – your look delicious as do the other dishes in this post.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Larry!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
I love cabbage rolls, but don’t make them nearly often enough! You recipe looks perfect. Will be cooking up a batch soon 🙂
Tricia Buice
I don’t make them often enough either Jennifer – thanks so much!
Chris Scheuer
My mom never made cabbage rolls but I remember discovering them at a friends house as a child. I thought it was the best thing ever! These look amazing Tricia and I have been eyeing up all the beautiful cabbage at the markets!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Chris! My mom didn’t make as much sauce as I do. I love the flavors and hope you’ll give it a try sometime!
Gourmet Getaways
These look so good. I used make a vegetarian version years ago but I have never had them with meat! I would love to try this recipe.
Thanks for sharing
Julie
Tricia Buice
What did you use for the vegetarian version? Rice and vegetables would be good too – thanks for the inspiration!
Amber
Sauce was way too sweet and meat had no flavor. Was disappointed.
Shiloh Barkley
Making this for dinner tonight!
Em (Wine and Butter)
These look so good and I have them bookmarked to make this Friday night (wild, I know). Im going to try subbing cauliflower for the rice – cant wait and will let you know how it goes! ps – HOPING to have the blog up and running within 2 weeks.. waiting on internet peeps is a defo exercise in patience..
Blond Duck
That was huge! Any leftovers for me?
Gina Stanley
Hi Tricia, I can only imagine how good these were. My Aunt makes them so good, I'm always afraid mine won't measure up. Your husband is adorable and I always save room for dessert, will be back for sure.<br />-Gina-
Stella B's Kitchen
This looks fabulous!!! I've been drooling and dreaming about cabbage rolls for a couple years now but never got around to making them. Your recipe(and photos)look great. I can't wait to see what else you make with that monster head of cabbage:)
Shiloh Barkley
This looks really good! I'll try it. I'm always on the look out for substantial high protein low carb dinners that will satisfy both my man and me.<br /><br />http://www.shilohstaste.com
curiouscuisiniere
That is a huge cabbage! I've never made cabbage rolls, but these look great and don't sound that difficult to put together.
Sue/the view from great island
The photos are gorgeous, and I'm pretty sure that stuffed cabbage is not the easiest thing in the world to make look so glamorous! I really want to make these, I've been seeing huge cabbages at the market myself. While I was in Wisconsin my daughter's boyfriend cut up a big head of red cabbage and is brining his own sauerkraut, it looks great!
Susan Dikeman
These look great! I just bought a head of cabbage, though MUCH smaller than yours, and had no idea what to do with it!<br />Thanks for the recipe!! :-)<br />*Susan
The Café Sucré Farine
I love that picture of your husband, so funny! I haven't had cabbage rolls for a very long time also but from the looks of yours, Tricia, it might be time to re-visit! You make everything look good!
Chatty Crone
That looks delish!<br />
Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow
Oh, my gosh!! That is the biggest head of cabbage I have EVER seen!! Recipe One of the Giant Cabbage Head looks delicious. <br /><br />Keep your hatches battened down!! 😉 blesssings ~ tanna
Big Dude
Now that's a head of cabbage. Your cabbage rolls look delicious and I really like your presentation.
Angie's Recipes
How sweet of your husband! <br />These cabbage rolls look divine, Tricia.