Classic Cabbage Rolls Recipe

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

Who can resist a pan full of tender cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, seasoned ground beef and caramelized onions simmered in a rich tomato sauce! This is a filling and tasty dish sure to please your hungry family. Once assembled, you can cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. That makes this a great recipe for company too! No need to be in the kitchen up to the last minute.I love these kinds of recipes, easy to make, tasty and good enough for entertaining. This Cabbage Rolls Recipe makes enough to have leftovers for a few lunches, or another dinner the next day. Cabbage rolls keep well, reheat beautifully, and the flavor just keeps getting better.

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.

Cabbage Rolls Recipes can be found all over the world. They’re very popular in Europe as well as China and Iran. Cabbage rolls can be made with beef, pork or lamb, and are sometimes seasoned with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. My Aunt Libby was of Lebanese descent where the beef and rice mixture is most popular. In our recipe the rich tomato sauce is a little sweet and sour, for a lovely complex flavor and mild bite. I know you’re going to love it too!