Golabki (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 75 min
Servings: 9
Yield: 9 servings

Description

This golabki recipe features tender cabbage rolls that are stuffed with a savory mixture of ground beef, pork, and spices, then simmered in tomato soup.

Ingredients

1 head cabbage, cored
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
3 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup
2 (12 fluid ounce) cans tomato juice, or more to taste
1/2 cup ketchup

Directions

1 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place cabbage head into the pot, cover, and cook until leaves are softened enough to remove from the head, about 3 minutes. Remove cabbage from the pot and let sit until leaves are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
2 Remove 18 whole leaves from the cabbage head, cutting out any thick tough center ribs. Set whole leaves aside. Chop the remaining cabbage and spread it in the bottom of a casserole dish.
3 Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, about 5 minutes.
4 Combine beef, pork, cooked rice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add onion and mix until well combined.
5 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
6 Place about 1/2 cup beef mixture onto a cabbage leaf. Roll the leaf around beef mixture, tucking in the sides to create an envelope around the meat. Repeat to make remaining cabbage rolls. Place cabbage rolls in a layer over chopped cabbage in the casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper.
7 Whisk condensed soup, tomato juice, and ketchup together in a bowl; pour over cabbage rolls and cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
8 Bake in the preheated oven until cabbage is tender and meat is cooked through, about 1 hour. Uncover for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).