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Classic cabbage rolls in a saucepan

Classic Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Appetizing, made from everyday ingredients, dinner for the whole family! Classic cabbage rolls (golubtsy) cooked in a pot are a beloved dish many of us grew up with. They come out so tasty, juicy, and fragrant! Every home cook should have this recipe in their back pocket — they're simple to make, and you get a big batch!

Maria

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

White cabbage (large)

Vegetable oil

Broth

800

Sour cream

Ketchup

Ground meat (pork and beef)

500

Tomatoes

300

Rice

150

Garlic

Carrot

Onion

Dill (I used dried)

Ground black pepper

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 22 % 4 g

Fats 39 % 7 g

Carbohydrates 39 % 7 g

101 kcal

GI: 57 / 43 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make classic cabbage rolls in a pot? Get your ingredients ready. Choose a large head of cabbage that isn't too tight, so the leaves come off easily. You can use any ground meat, but the classic version uses a mix of beef and pork.
Step 2:

Break the head of cabbage down into separate leaves. Boil them in salted water for about 5 minutes, until soft. Trim down the thick rib at the base of each leaf, or flatten it with a kitchen mallet, to make the leaves easier to roll.
Step 3:

Make the filling. How do you make the filling for cabbage rolls? Peel and grate the carrot. Peel and chop the onion.
Step 4:

Sauté the onion and carrot in vegetable oil until soft.
Step 5:

Rinse the rice in several changes of water until it runs clear, put it in a saucepan, cover with water, and cook until half done — about 5 minutes after it comes to a boil is enough. Then drain the rice in a colander and let it cool.
Step 6:

Peel the garlic and put it through a press.
Step 7:

Wash the tomatoes and grate them.
Step 8:

In a deep bowl, combine the ground meat, rice, onion, carrot, tomato, garlic, and dill, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 9:

Mix until evenly combined.
Step 10:

Now start rolling. Place one or two tablespoons of filling along the edge of a cabbage leaf.
Step 11:

Fold the leaf around the filling like an envelope. Use up all the leaves and all the filling.
Step 12:

Brown the cabbage rolls in a skillet with vegetable oil until golden on both sides.
Step 13:

Make the sauce. How do you make the sauce for cabbage rolls? Get the ingredients ready. In place of broth, you can use the water the cabbage leaves were cooked in.
Step 14:

Combine the ketchup with the sour cream and broth, and stir until smooth.
Step 15:

Transfer the browned cabbage rolls to a deep pot and pour the sauce over them, up to the top of the rolls. Simmer, covered, for about 40–60 minutes. Serve the cabbage rolls with sour cream.

You won't believe it, but in 9 years of cooking, this was the first time I'd made classic cabbage rolls! Long ago I made vegetarian ones, but I never got around to the usual meat version — even though, as a kid, cabbage rolls were my favorite food right alongside pasta. I've finally filled that gap, and now I know exactly how to make real classic cabbage rolls in a pot! Here's one tip from my own experience to make "undressing" the cabbage easier: cut the core out halfway, making a cone-shaped hollow where the leaves attach. Put the head in a pot of salted water so it's fully covered, set it over medium heat, wait for the water to boil, simmer briefly, and peel off the outer leaves as they loosen. That way you won't need to boil them separately afterward.
To keep the sour cream from curdling or separating as it simmers, first stir it with a spoonful of flour in a separate bowl, then add it to the pot. You can replace the sour cream with cream of any fat content. Just remember that the fat percentage of the sour cream or cream you use affects the calorie count of the dish.
You can replace the ketchup in this recipe with tomato paste, canned tomatoes in their own juice, or fresh tomatoes. Use whichever you like, to taste.
Root vegetables are best scrubbed with a brush or a stiff sponge under running water.