Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Close-up of several beginner-friendly cabbage rolls tightly packed together, with glossy, light green and yellowish cabbage leaves wrapped around the filling.

5 from 1 vote

This cabbage rolls recipe is a comfort classic - featuring tender rice and buttery onions, seasoned with a pinch of seasoning salt. The rolls are baked until the cabbage leaves become perfectly tender and the edges begin to brown.

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time4

Total Time5 30

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Ukranian

Keyword: Beginner-Friendly Cabbage Rolls, Cabbage Rolls Recipe, Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Servings: rolls

Author: Sammy Montgoms

Equipment

1 9x13 or 10x13 deep baking dish or similar in size

Ingredients

2 heads green cabbage see instructions below before assembly
2½ cups Italian style rice pearl or aborio will work
2/3 cup butter salted
2 yellow onions finely chopped
6 pieces bacon uncooked
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp seasoning salt
black pepper to taste

Instructions

Core the cabbage first (keeping it whole) then wrap it with plastic wrap and freeze overnight or for at least 10 hours.
Remove cabbage from the freezer at least 10 hours prior to assembly (preferably overnight), add to a colander, place in the sink and gently cover the top with plastic wrap, allowing the excess moisture to drain into the sink.
After about 10 hours the leaves should be soft and easy to remove.
Prepare the rice according to package instructions and allow to cool while you prepare your cabbage.
Remove each layer and using a knife cut out the hard triangular rib from each cabbage leaf.
If the leaves are too big, cut them in half.
Pat to remove any excess moisture with a paper towel if necessary and set leaves aside until ready to use.
To a medium sized frying pan add the butter and set to low/medium heat.
Add the onions and cook for 10-12 minutes or until very soft, translucent and just begging to brown then lightly season with black pepper.
To a large mixing bowl add your cooked rice, onions, seasoning salt and a pinch of black pepper.
Thoroughly mix to combine then taste the mixture to see if you'd like to add any additional salt.
Begin by preparing the cabbage rolls by adding 1-2 tbsp of the rice mixture into the centre of the cabbage roll.
Fold in both sides of the leaf to secure the filling, then roll, packing the rice mixture tight.
In your baking dish, arrange the cabbage rolls in layers.
Sprinkle a little seasoning salt between each layer, then lay 2-3 pieces of bacon on top of the rolls.
Repeat until all cabbage and rice mixture has been used.
In a small bowl, mix together the water and vinegar and evenly pour over the cabbage rolls.
Cover with foil and bake at 375 °F for 3-4 hours, or until the cabbage is very tender and can easily be pierced with a fork.
Enjoy!

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