Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Golabki / Golumkies / Golumpkis)

littleturtle's Note:

Easy and yummy. Even my husband who hates cabbage thinks these are great. High in Iron and Protein, and Vitamins A, B, & C. Can also be made in the crockpot instead of oven, just place rolls seasmside down in crockpot, pour in sauce, cover and cook on LOW 8-10 hours.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 12 large cabbage leaves
• 1 1/8 lbs ground elk or 1 1/8 lbs ground beef
• 1/8 lb pork sausage or 1/8 lb ground pork
• 1/2 cup rice, cooked with
• 1 tablespoon butter (1 cup rice when cooked)
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet basil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 1/2 tablespoons onions, grated
• 1 1/2 tablespoons celery, diced
• 1/4 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup cabbage, shredded
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:

1. Cut 12 large leaves off of cabbage head, cover leaves with boiling water, let stand until leaves are limp (2-3 minutes); then drain OR core cabbage head, and boil cabbage until leaves are tender enough to remove easily (10-15 minutes), very carefully remove 12 large leaves (You may have to peel the outer layers first and then return the cabbage to cook and continue peeling the leaves until all are done); then drain.
2. Mix beef, pork, rice, egg, milk, seasonings, and vegetables.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F.
4. Put 1-4 tablespoons (depending on size of leaf) of meat mixture in center of each leaf; tuck in sides and roll to cover meat (I roll any leftover filling into meatballs and cook them with the cabbage rolls).
5. Place, seam side down in baking dish.
6. Mix tomato sauce with the sugar; pour over rolls.
7. Cover and bake for 45-60 minutes.

Reviews

[Coffee Crazed]

This took me back to my childhood. Big family gatherings were often accompanied by Mom's giant electric roaster filled with these little packets of taste bud bliss! I cored the whole head of cabbage, plunged it into a pot of boiling water, carefully removing the leaves as they softened and separated from the head. Used brown rice, 1 lb. ground bison and 13 ozs. bulk, Sweet Italian sausage. Added 1/2 small can of tomato paste mixed w/water to make 1/2 cup liquid, then mixed that in w/meat mixture for added moisture. Skipped the milk and reduced the basil to 1/4 tsp. Mixed a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes with the remaining tomato paste, 1 cup water and 1.5 Tblsp brown sugar and dumped over top of packets and meatballs. Covered everything w/remaining cabbage leaves to hold in that moisture (great trick btw!) Baked in large roasting pan @ 325F for 1 hour + 45 mins. Discarded the leaves lying on top, which were now showing signs of drying out. This was the first time DH had ever tasted this dish. He's not a big fan of cabbage, but he said, "These are SUPER AWESOME!" He gobbled down two giant ones, plus 2 meatballs. Served w/mashed potatoes. Thank you so much for sharing this delicious dish! We have PLENTY of leftovers. Will be giving some to a friend this afternoon. Very easy and very tasty!

[sdowswell]

Crazy tasty, but the whole bit with the cabbage leaves remains a reason for profanity in my kitchen. I've tried both methods noted here regarding the process of preparing the leaves for rolling with no luck whatsoever. In the end, I tried to double the recipe but was lucky to get 1 dinner's worth of rolls, a good set of meatballs for later, and about 1/2 lb of cabbage bits unsuitable for anything save the compost bin. Practice will probably alleviate this issue (and yes, this is so good a recipe that I plan future attempts), but novices be warned that the prep time noted here should likely be doubled, and a good stiff drink on the side wouldn't be a bad idea either.

[Poofy]

We attempt Stuffed Cabbage once a year regretting our decision once the food is put on the table. Not this time! This recipe consists of absolutely wonderful flavor. Of course, like all, I made some modifications: Used up leftover homemade marinara sauce. Mixed a half a cup of marinara sauce (with brown sugar) into meat mixture. Increased (brown) rice to 1 cup. Forgot the milk, and left out the chopped cabbage (I think the cabbage rolls add more than enough of that sulfuric taste). Do NOT skip on the onion, carrot, celery, etc. It really made a difference. Thank you so much littleturtle! A true winner.