Golubtsi (Голубцы) also known as Cabbage Rolls, is a delicious comfort food popular in Eastern Europe. They are delicious, economical and can feed an army of people. What's not to love about this dish!
Where are Golubtsi From?
There are so many different variations of cabbage rolls in many countries around the world. Even in Eastern Europe, Cabbage Rolls are considered a national dish of many countries. Every Russian and Ukrainian household makes these. This recipe is cabbage leaves that are stuffed with ground meat mixed with onions, rice, carrots and spices, then cooked in a tomato sauce. All cooked together as a one pot dinner on your stovetop. Here are some other variations;
- Polish - Golabki
- Ukrainian - Holubtsi
- Romanian - Sarmale
- Georgia - Tolma
- Balkans - Sarma
- Hungary - Töltött Káposzta
- Sweden - Kåldolma
- Jewish - Holishkes
- Russian - Golubtsi (Голубцы)
Dutch Oven Cabbage Rolls Recipe
Growing up, my mom always made Golubtsi on a tray, like a lasagna tray. Cabbage leaves that are stuffed with ground meat mixed with onions, rice, carrots and spices, then tomato sauce was poured over it before cooking. However, this Golubtsi recipe is made in a large pot, layered, covered in sauce and cooked on the stove. You can use a Dutch Oven as well because it retains heat and cooks evenly. I use a 8 Quart Martha Stewart Cast Iron Round Pot which works perfectly (and feeds more people). Alternatively, you can make it in a tray and bake it in the oven.
How to Make Golubtsi
The whole family can help make this Golubtsi recipe, even the kids, as it's not hard to roll cabbage and meat. What's not to love about this dish!
You want to start by cutting out the core from the cabbage and removing the outer leaves. In a large pot of salted water, fully submerge the cabbage, core side down. Bring to a boil and rotate the cabbage (allowing water to fill through the core between the leaves). After about 6-7 minutes, pull off the cabbage leaves as they soften, and allow to cool. Leaves should be soft enough to bend but not overcooked.
To prepare the meat mixture, mix together ground beef, cooked rice, sautéed carrots and onions, 2 eggs, salt and pepper and mix well.
Place 2 tablespoons of meat mixture to the thickest side of the cabbage leaf. Roll up the cabbage, tucking the insides as you go, wrapping as you would a burrito. Your first few might look a bit funny, but it will get easier as you go.
Lay the cabbage rolls side by side until the first layer is filled. Place a layer of bacon on the cabbage rolls. Repeat levels until pot is full, I usually get 3 levels.
Pour the tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls until fully covered. Bring it to a simmer, cover and cook for approx. 40 minutes until the meat is throughly cooked.
Cabbage Rolls with Bacon
Ok, bacon isn’t usually made in Golubtsy, but you should try it! Because it’s layered in a large pot, it’s easy to add some bacon between the layers of cabbage rolls. Bacon adds a nice smokey flavor to the sauce and meat. I'm not a big pork eater (except for bacon which isn't really pork, right?) Many people use pork for the filling, but this recipe uses ground beef.
Making Cabbage Roll Sauce
I also think my Tomato sauce is pretty special. Some people use plain water mixed with tomato paste, from when times were tough. Other recipes use beef stock, or add water with a can of diced tomatoes. While all those ideas can work, I find it's more flavorful, and nutritious to use Passata sauce. Passata is simply pure uncooked tomatoes that have their skins and seeds removed. It's an uncooked tomato puree. In the USA, it’s called Tomato Sauce.
Start by sautéing an onion, 2 grated carrots (for sweetness) and garlic. Add 2 bottles of Passata (Tomato Sauce), bay leaf, any leftover chopped cabbage leaves and stock. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, add sour cream and chopped dill and mix. I always add a dash of Maggi (optional) and season with salt and pepper to taste.That’s the secret to a delicious and flavorful Golubtsy. It's in the sauce!!!!
Recipe Tips
- Add some cooked buckwheat with rice or barley and rice
- Mix in ground beef with ground pork 50:50
- Use Sauerkraut style pickled cabbage leaves
- Try Napa Cabbage for a gentler cabbage flavor. Because Napa Cabbage is delicate, I recommend to freeze it ahead of time instead of boiling it. It makes it soft enough to roll without falling apart (as boiling it would).
- Grape Leaves or Beet Leaves make tasty smaller golubtsy
- The centre pieces of the cabbage are too small to use, as are any thick stems. Finely chop them and any excess cabbage and reserve for the tomato sauce.
Can Golubtsi Be Frozen?
Definitely. After you prepare the Golubtsi, stuffing and rolling them, freeze them on a tray. When you are ready to eat them, pull them out of the freezer, place in the Dutch Oven and cook in the tomato sauce. Remember to freeze the uncooked Golubtsi alone without the sauce. You add the sauce to the defrosted cabbage rolls when you are cooking like usual.
Eastern European Comfort Foods
- Hungarian Stuffed Peppers
- Beet Borsch
- Vareniki with Farmers Cheese
- Savory Stuffed Crepes - Farmer’s Style
- Creamy Chicken Stroganoff
- Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
This Cabbage Rolls recipe - Beef Golubtsi layered with smokey bacon will be the best cabbage rolls you have ever had and worth the effort! Enjoy with a generous dollop of smetana and fresh dill for garnish. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Ingredients
- 1 large cabbage
- 2 pounds /1kg lean ground beef
- 2 cups uncooked medium grain rice
- 3 carrots grated
- 2 large onions finely chopped
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 pound /500g back bacon
Cabbage Roll Tomato Sauce
- 2 bottles Passata Tomato Puree 24oz/700g
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 tbs beef stock powder
- 2 grated carrots
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic crushed
- handful fresh chopped dill
- 2 bay leaves
- black pepper to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons of Maggi seasoning to taste optional
- finely chopped cabbage leaf leftovers
Instructions
- Rinse the rice, and cook according to instructions, and allow to cool.
- Cut out the core from the cabbage and remove the outer leaves. In a large pot of salted water, fully submerge the cabbage, core side down. Bring to a boil and rotate the cabbage (allowing water to fill through the core between the leaves). After about 6-7 minutes, pull off the cabbage leaves as they soften, and allow to cool. Leaves should be soft enough to bend but not overcooked.
- In a frying pan, heat olive oil and sauté 2 onions until caramelized then add 3 grated carrots for 7 minutes until caramelized.
- In a large bowl, mix together ground beef, cooked rice, sautéed carrots and onions, 2 eggs, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Place 2 tablespoons of meat mixture to the thickest side of the cabbage leaf. Roll up the cabbage, tucking the insides as you go, wrapping as you would a burrito. Your first few might look a bit funny, but it will get easier as you go.
- Layer a few cabbage leaves in the bottom of your Dutch Oven Pot. Lay the cabbage rolls side by side until the first layer is filled. Place a layer of bacon on the cabbage rolls. Repeat levels until pot is full, I usually get 3 levels.
Cabbage Rolls Tomato Sauce
- In a separate pot, add 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat and sauté onion, garlic and carrots until tender. Add the 2 bottles of Passata tomato puree, bay leaves, any chopped cabbage leaf leftovers, beef stock powder and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add sour cream and chopped dill and mix through the tomato sauce. Add Maggi (optional) and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls and bacon until fully covered. Bring it to a simmer, cover and cook for approx. 40 minutes until the meat is throughly cooked.
- Serve with sour cream, garnish with dill and enjoy!
Notes
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