By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- 4(236)
- Notes
- Read community notes
I used the large outside leaves of my huge cabbage for these Greek-inspired rice-and-herb-filled cabbage rolls. Those leaves are too tough for many other preparations, but they’re perfect for stuffing.
Featured in: My Beautiful 5-Pound Cabbage
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 12large cabbage leaves (about 2 pounds)
- ¼cup olive oil
- 1large red or white onion, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1¼cups long-grain or basmati rice, rinsed and drained
- 3tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 to 3garlic cloves (to taste), minced
- ⅓cup chopped fresh dill
- ⅓cup finely chopped mint
- ½cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- ⅓ to ½cup strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- 1lemon, sliced
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
314 calories; 13 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 624 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Preparation
Step
1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the cabbage leaves, a few at a time, for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are flexible. Transfer from the pot to a bowl of cold water, then drain and set aside. Cut out the thickest part of the base of the center rib by notching a 1- to 1½-inch V at the base. This will make the leaves easier to roll up.
Step
2
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large nonstick skillet and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until it is tender but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the pine nuts and garlic, stir together and add the drained rinsed rice. Stir for a minute or two, until you hear the rice begin to crackle, then remove from the heat. Toss with the herbs, salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil. To gauge how much salt you will need, use the amount that you would use when cooking 1¼ cups of rice.
Step
3
Lightly oil a heavy flame-proof or lidded skillet. Place a leaf on your work surface in front of you, with the wide ribbed bottom closest to you. Place 2 rounded tablespoons of the rice mixture on top of the leaf. Roll the leaf over once, and tuck in the sides. Continue to roll the leaf into a tight package. Place in the pan. Fill and roll the remaining leaves and pack them into the pan. You will probably need to stack two layers of the filled leaves.
Step
4
Whisk together the lemon juice, remaining oil and tomato paste with 2 tablespoons water. Season to taste with salt. Pour over the cabbage rolls. Add enough water to barely cover the rolls and top with a layer of lemon slices. Invert a plate and place it on top of the rolls to keep them wrapped and in position. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover the pan, turn the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, at which point the cabbage leaves will be tender and the rice cooked. Remove from the heat and carefully remove the stuffed leaves from the water to a platter or to plates with a slotted spoon or tongs. Taste the liquid left in the pot and adjust the seasoning. Serve the rolls warm with the liquid from the pot as a sauce.
Ratings
4
out of 5
236
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Cooking Notes
Margaret
When I make stufffed cabbage, I core the whole head, wrap it in plastic and freeze it overnight. The next day I let the cabbage thaw, then peel off the leaves, use a paring knife to shave off any thick veins, and proceed with stuffing and cooking.
josee
I frequently make large amounts of these when I get a big cabbage in my CSA. we eat a serving and i freeze the rest by separating them evenly in smaller foil containers with covers, then freeze. They are very easy to thaw directly from freezer in oven. I promise they don't turn to mush!
Martha Rose Shulman
Yes, I think they would freeze well. Assemble as directed in Step three, then freeze. You probably don't need to thaw them before finishing the recipe, but give them an extra half hour of simmering.
Elf
I used barley instead of rice and tomato soup instead of the sauce. Delicious vegetarian meal!
Brad
If you can be bothered to undertake a multi-week cabbage roll project, I highly recommend making some whole-leaf sauerkraut. The leaves get soft and pliable, and the tanginess is unbeatable.
Judy
Tried this with ingredients on hand: chopped cashews instead of pine nuts, brown rice, no dill. Added 1/2 cup leftover kasha to the filling. Lemon juice adds a lot of flavor here. My large covered skilled boiled over about halfway through the cooking and had to add more water. So next time I'll try using an enameled casserole and bake it at 325 for an hour and a quarter. This dish improves if allowed to rest after cooking, up to 2 hours. Great with garlic mashed potatoes!
janet
do you think recipe would freeze well?
maybe prepare the cabbage rolls and freeze them uncooked. when needed, thaw and finish the recipe.
any thoughts?
Aurelia Cotta
I found the lemon slices left a bitter taste in spots where the rind touched the cabbage. This took away from the overall flavor of the dish. I will not add sliced lemons again. Second mistake: I used jasmine rice because it was the long grain rice I had on hand and it came out very mushy. I should have used a hardier medium grain rice. I suggest the author specify hardiness rather than length.
Julia
This was DELICIOUS! I received red napa cabbage from my CSA this week so that's what I used. I used chopped walnuts instead of pine nuts and didn't top with lemon slices while cooking, but otherwise, I followed the recipe as written. The cooking method is easy - took about 30 mins to prep everything then I let it simmer for 45 mins. Two of us gobbled up more than half of the recipe in one sitting because it was so yummy. Served with a side of broccolini.
Adda G
Better if you add minced pork from a relatively lean cut or a mixture of beef and pork! I would not sear the meat, just saute the onion and throw in the rice for a bit. You can keep or skip the pine nuts. I use fresh tomatoes pulverized in the blender instead of tomato paste. and I finish the sauce by whisking some egg whites until soft peaks form (2 to 4 eggs to taste) add the yolks one by one and thread in the hot lemony liquid to cook eggs and make avgolemono sauce. Serve immediately.
Katherine
I made the mixture with ground chicken too and stirred in yogurt to the sauce after taking off the heat. Delicious!
Carchar
Omit the lemon slices. The are decor that makes the flavor too acidic.
Collier
The flavor is exceptional. The cooking directions, however, are off the markBlanch or freeze the cabbage first. It is impossible to separate the individual leaves from a fresh, untreated head
Fairly easy, just a little time consuming
I reduced the rice to 3/4 cup and added ground meat. I substituted a little cilantro for the mint. I also used Chinese Cabbage leaves, which gave the little roles more delicacy on the one hand but made the little packets a bit more difficult to make. Nonetheless, the dish was delicious. I served it with garlic/lemon/yogurt sauce which added a nice creaminess and really balanced all the flavors very well.
dextertracy
I lacked pine nuts and dill, but upped the parsley and added golden raisins. I used chicken stock in the braise but found I needed more cooking time than called for (almost twice as long) and had to add more liquid. I wasn't in a hurry so no problem. Will try next time in the instant pot on low pressure...
Sally
This was really lemony. I was excited that it was meatless, but it just didn’t have much flavor.
cyn bloom
Yikes, this was so tart with lemon flavor it was inedible, and I didn't even use the 1/2 c. which was the upper range. Very disappointed. Threw out the entire batch.
Anne
Filling a good recipe for a grain breakfast bowl. I've used freekah, quinoa, or black rice as grain.
Leslie
Delicious. I could only find pointed cabbage but I used two heads and it worked just fine. I toasted the pine nuts before adding them, and tossed in a handful of chopped dried blackcurrants when I added the herbs. I put the rolls in my dutch oven and cooked them at 375 for about 75 minutes and they were totally perfect. I'll make again and won't change a thing.
Judy
Tried this with ingredients on hand: chopped cashews instead of pine nuts, brown rice, no dill. Added 1/2 cup leftover kasha to the filling. Lemon juice adds a lot of flavor here. My large covered skilled boiled over about halfway through the cooking and had to add more water. So next time I'll try using an enameled casserole and bake it at 325 for an hour and a quarter. This dish improves if allowed to rest after cooking, up to 2 hours. Great with garlic mashed potatoes!
Leah
I always tell my children and grandchildren to read the recipe first. Well, guess what? Ignoring my own advice, I doctored a pound of hamburger, glancing occasionally at the ingredient list. Suddenly I realized the rice was supposed to be the filling! I couldn't just add it to the meat, because there would have been too much and insufficient leaves. I cooked the herbed rice and the stuffed cabbage leaves separately, combined on the serving plate and YUM! Now I have to try the real recipe!
Brad
If you can be bothered to undertake a multi-week cabbage roll project, I highly recommend making some whole-leaf sauerkraut. The leaves get soft and pliable, and the tanginess is unbeatable.
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