Cabbage rolls

- step-by-step recipe - lots of tips and several options for additions - a Polish dinner that can be prepared all year round

• Preparation time: 1 hour
• Maximum stewing time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Number of servings: about 17 pieces
• Energy value 107 kcal
• Carbohydrates 4 g
• Including sugars 2 g
• Protein 7 g
• Fat 7 g
• Diet: low-sugar, low-carbohydrate, high-protein.
• 700 g ground pork shoulder
• a head of cabbage - white or Savoy
• 1.5 cups of broth or reserved stock
• 1 medium onion - about 200 g
• a tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons of tomato puree or concentrate
• spices: a flat teaspoon of salt and pepper

Cabbage rolls

My glass holds 250 ml. The vegetables were weighed before any peeling/preparation.

Calories were calculated based on the ingredients I used. Therefore, this is an approximate calorie count based on the ingredients used in this recipe. The listed ingredients yield approximately 17 cabbage rolls.

Before making cabbage rolls, I encourage you to read the entire post first. It includes many interesting tips on ingredients and their substitutes. You might want to use Chinese cabbage instead of regular white cabbage, for example, or add rice to the filling. Finally, I also describe how to make oven-baked cabbage rolls.

Recipe for cabbage rolls

You'll need about 700 grams of pork. In my opinion, pork shoulder is best for cabbage rolls. A mixture of pork neck and lean ham will also work, or rump, which I highly recommend. Grind the meat in a food processor using the medium-sized holes. If you don't have a grinder, I recommend purchasing the meat from a butcher, who can grind it on-site.

Peel and finely chop the onion. I usually choose garlic or regular white onions, but sweet onions will work just as well. Sauté them in oil for about 5 minutes (or a little longer) and add them to the bowl with the ground meat. Add a level teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and two tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Mix everything well.

Tip: To prepare cabbage rolls stuffed with rice, cook 50 grams of white rice (you'll have about 140 grams of rice after cooking). Mix the cooked and drained rice with the meat mixture, onion, and spices. Check the flavor of the stuffing and adjust seasoning if necessary. Instead of rice, you can also use barley or buckwheat groats.

Prepare a large, wide pot. Fill it with water to 1/3 of its height. Turn on the burner. I used young cabbage, but you can also use old cabbage or Chinese cabbage. There are several ways to blanch cabbage leaves. I suggest first removing the core with a knife. Cut an upside-down cone from the core. This will make removing the soft leaves easier. Place the cabbage in boiling water, core-side down. After two minutes, turn the cabbage over and wait another 2-3 minutes before removing the first leaves. Remove 2-3 leaves at a time. Roll the cabbage rolls and remove the remaining leaves. (With Chinese cabbage, simply remove the leaves and soak them in boiling water for 2 minutes.)

Each leaf has a thick vein in the center. This should be removed carefully (but not too deeply, as this could result in the filling leaking out). You can also trim off any protruding vein with a sharp knife.

Place a tangerine-sized portion of the filling in your hand. Flatten it slightly, lengthen it, and transfer it to the leaf near the cut vein. Fold the sides of the leaf inward. Roll the cabbage roll tightly from the thicker vein to the edge of the leaf at the other end.

Roll up all the cabbage rolls in batches until you have enough filling. Pour out the water from the pot. Place a few cabbage leaves, which were no longer large enough to roll them, on the bottom of the pot. Arrange the cabbage rolls side by side. You'll probably need 2-3 layers. If you're worried about the cabbage leaves at the bottom burning, I recommend placing a few slices of bacon on top first.

Pour vegetable or chicken broth mixed with tomato puree over the cabbage rolls. Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for about 1.5 hours (with the Savoy cabbage). At the end of cooking, you can add a tablespoon of chopped parsley or dill.

Tip: Young cabbage and white cabbage can cook/soften much faster than, for example, Savoy cabbage. Young cabbage will be soft after about 30 minutes. Old cabbage after about 40-45 minutes.

Serve the cabbage rolls immediately after cooking. They taste best with boiled potatoes. Pour the delicate, thin, slightly tomato-flavored broth over them and sprinkle with freshly chopped dill or parsley.

Advice:

Oven-baked cabbage rolls are equally easy to prepare. Place cabbage-wrapped cabbage rolls side by side in a large ovenproof dish (first, line the bottom of the dish with cabbage bunches that have torn or are too small to wrap). Place the cabbage rolls on the middle rack of a preheated oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Set the oven to the top/bottom setting. Cover the dish with the cabbage rolls and bake for 50 minutes (or longer if the cabbage is still too hard). After this time, pour tomato sauce over them. For tomato sauce, for example: 1 cup broth; 2 cups tomato puree; 4 tablespoons tomato paste; a teaspoon each of salt and oregano, and half a teaspoon of pepper. Return the cabbage rolls and sauce to the oven and bake uncovered for about 20 minutes or longer (same temperature).

Below are photos of delicious cabbage rolls with the addition of seasoned sauce/broth poured from the cooked cabbage rolls.

The tomato sauce for cabbage rolls is delicious and makes the cabbage rolls taste even better.

Enjoy your meal.