Golumpki - Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 very large head of green cabbage
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion, small dice
- 4 large heads garlic, minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound lean ground pork
- 2 cups cooked, Aborio Rice
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb blend
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, San Marzano
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large stockpot, bring water to boil.
- Core out head of cabbage and plunge into boiling water.
- Continue to boil cabbage and carefully remove outer leaves when they become pliable. Remove them to a colander to drain. Continue the process until all cabbage leaves are removed.
- Set aside partially cooked cabbage leaves so they can drain and cool.
- Using a paring knife, carefully remove a portion of the large center rib of the cabbage leaves. Be careful not to cut through the leaf entirely. This makes rolling them easier.
- In medium skillet, heat butter over medium high heat. Add onion and cook through until slightly browned. About 8 minutes.
- Add minced garlic to onions. Stir through and turn off the heat.
- In a very large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, rice, sauteed onion & garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Can use your hands or sturdy wooden spoon.
- Line a large roasting pan with the largest cabbage leaves. Sprinkle with salt.
- FILLING THE CABBAGE ROLLS: Take about 1/4 cup of meat/rice filling. Place it in the lower third of the cabbage leaf. Roll cabbage up and over filling. Then roll sides towards the center. Then roll all the way up until you have used all of the cabbage leaf.
- Place individual cabbage roll seam side down into the roasting pan. Continue until all cabbage leaves are used. Feel free to tuck in any additional cabbage leftovers around the pan. Lightly sprinkle with kosher salt.
- In medium size bowl, pour can of tomatoes and break up with fingers or spoon into smaller pieces. Add dried Italian herbs, salt and pepper. Stir until combined.
- Spoon tomato sauce over the top of the cabbage rolls.
- Cover roasting pan with heavy duty foil. Bake at 375 for 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Remove pan from oven. Take off foil. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Then top with dollops of sour cream and serve.
Notes
- With so much filling, you may need to use 2 heads of cabbage or one very large head.
- Be sure to drain the cooked cabbage leaves very well so that they don't add too much additional water to the finished dish.
- Experiment with a variety of herbs and spices in the filling.
- Some people like to sprinkle hot sauce on top of the cabbage rolls at the table.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!