Polish cabbage rolls consist of a meat-and-rice filling wrapped in tender cabbage leaves cooked in stock and typically served with tomato sauce. Easy to prepare using simple ingredients they make a delicious meal, perfect for sharing.
See also traditional Polish unstuffed cabbage rolls!
Polish cabbage rolls, or 'gołąbki' (pronounced 'go-WOMP-kee') are an iconic Polish dish, equally popular as classic pierogi and bigos. During the communist era gołąbki accompanied all manner of celebrations and special occasions but were also often served as an everyday family meal. In my house growing up gołąbki were usually a Sunday dish as they required a bit of preparation time.
The origin of the name 'gołąbki' is not clear. Some believe it comes from an old French dish of cabbage stuffed with pigeon meat ('pigeon' in Polish means 'gołąb'). Others see a possible connection to 'głąbki', which means 'cabbage cores' in Polish. The origin of the dish itself isn't clear, either. Stuffed cabbage can be found in many world cuisines including Eastern European, where cabbage is a staple used in many classic dishes. Cabbage rolls in Poland have a long tradition and can be prepared using different methods and ingredients (more on that at the bottom of the post).
My version of traditional Polish stuffed cabbage is very similar to my mum's recipe. The filling consists of ground pork (specifically pork shoulder), cooked rice, onion and a few herbs. I used the gołąbki stock to make an easy tomato sauce, which is added at serving. The list of ingredients isn't long and you don't need any special skills to make great tasting Polish gołąbki. See my detailed instructions below.
*I recommend that you read through the instructions before making the recipe.
Polish cabbage rolls ingredients and substitutions
- Cabbage: see details below.
- Meat: traditional meat used in Polish cabbage rolls is pork, most often pork shoulder. If you are buying ground pork make sure it contains 12-15% fat. Lean meat is not suitable to use in gołąbki.
- Rice: I recommend long-grain rice.
- Onion.
- Herbs: I used lovage, savory and a Polish ground herb mix called 'pieprz ziołowy', which adds an amazing depth of flavour. This herb mix replaces a liquid seasoning called Maggi (a combination of salt, sugar and flavour enhancers) which people used to drizzle over gołąbki for added flavour.
- Soy sauce: not traditional, but adds depth (I also use it in other traditional Polish recipes, including uszka mushroom dumplings).
- Stock: chicken or vegetable.
- Tomato paste.
- Oil and butter.
- Flour: thickens the tomato sauce.
- Salt and pepper: I recommend using freshly ground multicoloured peppercorns (for added flavour), if possible.
- Sugar: balances the acidity of the tomato sauce.
What cabbage to use
The most popular cabbage varieties used to make authentic Polish gołąbki are green cabbage harvested in late spring and summer, as well as more mature white cabbage. My personal favourite is the spring/summer variety. I find it a little sweeter and the leaves become tender quite quickly. Savoy cabbage is also frequently used. It has delicate leaves, which are not too tightly packed and cook quickly.
Whatever variety you decide to use make sure your cabbage is a good size. Small cabbage rolls can be tricky to make and won't have very much filling.
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1. Prepare cabbage: Cut about ½ inch off the bottom of the cabbage (the core side) then cut out the core.
2. Cook cabbage: Place your cabbage in a large pot, fill halfway with water, cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the outer leaves start separating. If the leaves are tender but aren't separating from the cabbage gently pull them away using a fork. Take the leaves out of the pot and continue simmering the cabbage until the next layer is ready to come out.
TIP: If a leaf has come away but isn't quite tender enough place it back in the pot and cook for a few more minutes. Use thick outer leaves or torn leaves to line your oven dish. Reserve a few leaves to cover the cabbage rolls later.
3. Prepare leaves: Next slice off the thick middle bit from each leaf (the outer part of the leaf).
4. Cook rice: Rinse then cook the rice using a little less water than normally (1.5 cups/360ml) with about ⅓ teaspoon of salt. Simmer, covered until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely (without the lid).
5. Cook onion: Melt ½ tablespoon of butter with the oil, add the onion and cook gently for 12-15 minutes until soft and translucent, stirring often. Do not brown the onion (to preserve its natural sweetness). Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
TIP: At this point preheat the oven to 350F/180C/160 fan/gas mark 4.
6. Make filling: Combine the meat, rice, onion, herbs, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix with your hand for 3-4 minutes until the filling starts to come together.
7. Make cabbage rolls: Form a large oval shaped filling meatball and place inside a cabbage leaf. Starting from the thick end of the leaf wrap it around the filling folding in the sides as you roll. Do this as tightly as you can tucking the mixture in with your fingers as you roll (it's easier to do this on a flat surface rather than wrapping the filling while holding the leaf).
TIP: Be generous with the filling making sure you are able to comfortably wrap the leaf around it.
8. Bake: Arrange the cabbage rolls (with the end bit of the cabbage leaf down) in your oven dish (lined with large cabbage leaves) as close together as possible. Create another layer, if necessary. Pour in the stock, cover your gołąbki with leftover leaves (or parchment paper cut to fit your dish) and place the lid on top (or cover tightly with foil). Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1.5 hours or until tender (bake for about 1 hour if using savoy cabbage). Remove from the oven and carefully pour the gołąbki stock into a bowl (as much of it as possible). You'll need about 1 and ½-1 and ⅔ cups (350-400ml) of stock.
9. Make tomato sauce: In a saucepan melt 1 tablespoon of butter, add the flour and using a whisk stir energetically until the mixture is creamy. Stir the tomato paste into the stock you've collected then pour this mixture into the saucepan, increase the heat, bring to a simmer then cook gently for about 3 minutes stirring often. Add the sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.
10. Serve: Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls, scatter chopped dill on top (as an option) and enjoy!
*Scroll down to the bottom of the post for a full, printable list of ingredients and instructions.
Serving suggestions
Traditionally Polish cabbage rolls with tomato sauce are usually served with either mashed or simply boiled potatoes, but you can also serve them as they are without any sides. You can also replace the tomato sauce with this easy, homemade mushroom sauce (wild mushroom sauce is another alternative).
Variations
- In some regions of Poland garlic and marjoram are used in the filling mixture.
- Sometimes an egg is added to the filling. You shouldn't need to use it unless you are cooking the cabbage rolls on the stove and worry that they won't keep their shape.
- If you can't get the recommended herbs you can add a bit of finely chopped bacon (or mince it along with the meat) for more flavour.
- Some people use a combination of pork and beef (adding a small amount of beef).
- A vegetarian version of Polish gołąbki typically contains either buckwheat or rice mixed with mushrooms. In some regions of Poland this type of dish is served at Christmas.
What to make in advance
To save time you can prepare various components of Polish stuffed cabbage rolls the night before. Here is what you can make in advance:
- Cook the cabbage and prepare the leaves, cool then cover and refrigerate.
- Boil the rice and cook the onions then cool and refrigerate.
- Prepare the cabbage rolls, arrange in your oven dish, cover and refrigerate. The following day remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking, pour in the stock, cover then place in a preheated oven (Step 8).
Alternative ways of cooking Polish gołąbki
As with all traditional recipes which have been around for a long time there is more than one way of cooking gołąbki. Some people arrange them in layers in a pot and cook them gently on the stove. The advantage of this method is that the cabbage rolls cook faster (40-50 minutes). However, there is a risk they will unwrap during cooking.
Another technique is to oven bake the gołąbki on a baking sheet (uncovered, without the stock). This method is also quite quick, but often requires the addition of eggs to make sure the cabbage rolls keep their shape. One disadvantage is that the cabbage may become dry or brown too much in the oven.
Top tips
- The most popular meat traditionally used in Polish cabbage rolls is pork shoulder.
- Use tough outer leaves as well as torn or small leaves for lining the oven dish and covering the cabbage rolls (or cover with parchment paper if you don't have enough leftover leaves).
- To save time cook the cabbage, rice and onion simultaneously.
- You can change the ratio of meat to rice, according to taste.
- Wrap the leaves around the stuffing mixture as tightly as possible and arrange the cabbage rolls close together in your dish. The end bit of every cabbage roll should be facing downwards.
- The size of your gołąbki will depend on the size of your cabbage leaves. They should contain a generous amount of filling. So use as much as is possible while still being able to comfortably wrap the cabbage leaf around it.
- Cooking times will depend on the type of cabbage you use. Mature white cabbage will take the longest to tenderize while savoy cabbage gołąbki may only need an hour in the oven.
- Freeze in a single layer in batches in an airtight container. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or in a pan with a little butter.
Related recipes to try next
- Sauerkraut Cabbage Rolls
- Vegan Cabbage Rolls with Lentils and Mushrooms
- Easy Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls Skillet
See also these other authentic Polish recipes!
Recipe
Authentic Polish Cabbage Rolls (Gołąbki) with Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- large shallow oven dish
- Large pot
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 large cabbage green/white
- 2 pounds (900 g) ground pork 12-15% fat, see *Notes
- ¾ cup (150 g) rice uncooked
- 2 medium onions finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1¼ teaspoons Polish pieprz ziołowy sold in Polish stores, see **Notes
- 1 teaspoon dried lovage
- ½ teaspoon dried savory
- 1¼ teaspoon fine sea salt plus lots of freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil any
- 1½ tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 cups (360 ml) chicken/vegetable stock hot, 1½ stock cubes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste or to taste
- ½ teaspoon sugar or to taste
Instructions
- Prepare cabbage: Cut about ½ inch off the bottom of the cabbage (the core side) then cut out the core.
- Cook cabbage: Place your cabbage in a large pot, fill halfway with water, cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the outer leaves start separating. If the leaves are tender but aren't separating from the cabbage gently pull them away using a fork. Take the leaves out of the pot and continue simmering the cabbage until the next layer is ready to come out.TIP: If a leaf has come away but isn't quite tender enough place it back in the pot and cook for a few more minutes. Use thick outer leaves or torn leaves to line your oven dish. Reserve a few leaves to cover the cabbage rolls later.
- Prepare leaves: Next slice off the thick middle bit from each leaf (the outer part of the leaf, see photo).
- Cook rice: Rinse then cook the rice using a little less water than normally (1.5 cups/360ml) with about ⅓ teaspoon of salt. Simmer, covered until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely (without the lid).
- Cook onion: Melt ½ tablespoon of butter with the oil, add the onion and cook gently for 12-15 minutes until soft and translucent, stirring often. Do not brown the onion (to preserve its natural sweetness). Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.TIP: At this point preheat the oven to 350F/180C/160 fan/gas mark 4.
- Make filling: Combine the meat, rice, onion, herbs, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix with your hand for 3-4 minutes until the filling starts to come together.
- Make cabbage rolls: Form a large oval shaped filling meatball and place inside a cabbage leaf. Starting from the thick end of the leaf wrap it around the filling folding in the sides as you roll. Do this as tightly as you can tucking the mixture in with your fingers as you roll (it's easier to do this on a flat surface rather than wrapping the filling while holding the leaf).TIP: Be generous with the filling making sure you are able to comfortably wrap the leaf around it.
- Bake: Arrange the cabbage rolls (with the end bit of the cabbage leaf down) in your oven dish (lined with large cabbage leaves) as close together as possible. Create another layer, if necessary. Pour in the stock, cover your gołąbki with leftover leaves (or parchment paper cut to fit your dish) and place the lid on top (or cover tightly with foil). Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1.5 hours or until tender (bake for about 1 hour if using savoy cabbage). Remove from the oven and carefully pour the gołąbki stock into a bowl (as much of it as possible). You'll need about 1 and ½-1 and ⅔ cups (350-400ml) of stock.
- Make tomato sauce: In a saucepan melt 1 tablespoon of butter, add the flour and using a whisk stir energetically until the mixture is creamy. Stir the tomato paste into the stock you've collected then pour this mixture into the saucepan, increase the heat, bring to a simmer then cook gently for about 3 minutes stirring often. Add the sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.
- Serve: Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls, scatter chopped dill on top (as an option) and enjoy!
Notes
- *The most popular meat traditionally used in gołąbki is pork shoulder.
- **If you can't get the recommended herbs you can add a bit of chopped bacon into the filling for added flavour (or mince it along with the meat).
- Use tough outer leaves as well as torn or small leaves for lining the oven dish and covering the cabbage rolls (or cover with parchment paper if you don't have enough leftover leaves).
- To save time cook the cabbage, rice and onion simultaneously.
- You can change the ratio of meat to rice, according to taste.
- Wrap the leaves around the stuffing mixture as tightly as possible and arrange the cabbage rolls close together in your dish. The end bit of every cabbage roll should be facing downwards.
- The size of your gołąbki will depend on the size of your cabbage leaves. They should contain a generous amount of filling. So use as much as is possible while still being able to comfortably wrap the cabbage leaf around it.
- Cooking times will depend on the type of cabbage you use. Mature white cabbage will take the longest to tenderize while savoy cabbage gołąbki may only need an hour in the oven.
- Freeze in a single layer in batches in an airtight container. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or in a pan with a little butter.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Keep in touch!
If you make my traditional Polish cabbage rolls recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Katherine says
Thank you for this recipe Monika! 🙏
I also grew up with a strong Polish food influence, here in Queensland.
I wanted to make cabbage rolls for the first time by myself and these turned out brilliantly and so authentic!
Your recipe notes and illustrations are awesome - gave me the confidence to get it right the first time.
I cant wait to cook them again! Brought back great memories.😍
Monika says
I am so glad these turned out well but also that they brought back good memories, which is fantastic:)
Helen Kennedy says
My mother was a goralka and made golabki using minced bacon and adding some saurkraut to the filling as she used water to cook them, on the stove top with slices of the cabbage core and coarse leaves at the bottom of the pot to prevent burning. She said that pearl barley was sometimes used in her family, but it is a lot slower to cook.
Monika says
There are so many variations of cabbage rolls depending on the region. Sauerkraut as well as bacon are ideal ingredients to add to golabki so I am sure your mum's were delicious:)
Cassandra says
Can these be made ahead and refrigerated until the day of, then baked? Im not sure i would have time to do the rolling and that the day of (planning to take to a potluck lunch)
Monika says
Yes, they can! You can prepare the cabbage rolls a day in advance and bake the following day.
Betty says
Delicious little packages.
Made these for my son and daughter when they were very young, didn’t know that it was a Polish dish.
Monika says
Strangely my own kids only started enjoying cabbage rolls when they were older!
Eleanor says
Just wondering what type of rice you use? It looks like basmati. We always used long grain, but this looks like an interesting alternative.
Monika says
Any long grain rice is fine to use, including basmati.
Adrian Ackroyd says
As a child used to be taken by my father to a nearby polish restaurant on our visits to the science museum in London - they used chives and a light sprinkle of caraway in the sauce. To die for - always insisted we go there for lunch and nowhere else! No KFC or McD for me!
Monika says
Glad this recipe brought back good memories for you!
Karen Tompkins says
I have a very similar recipe but I use minute rice and add a half teaspoon of garlic powder and 2 teaspoons garlic salt to the sauce is which is 42oz V8 juice 2 cups beef stock and a small can of tomato paste. Add about a quarter of the sauce to the meat/rice mixture, and the rest get poured over and bake.
Monika says
Thanks for sharing this, sounds delicious:)
anna conway says
Hi my dad taught me to cook few polish sinature dishes.....i hadent got enough minced beef so chopped up checken to boost meat
Jim Bulebosh says
I make mine using ground beef,instant rice, diced onion, egg, garlic,salt,pepper. Mix together .Instead of Tomato Soup I use Tomato Puree. After I put them in a roaster pan I pour the Puree over the halupki and add water too. Then I put sauerkraut over the too. I add a can of beer. If you want the recipe email me at [email protected].
Monika says
Sounds delicious, I especially like the addition of the sauerkraut. Thanks for sharing this:)
Gaye Rainier says
My mum used use acetic acid
sophie holland says
heya I plan to make this tomorrow at some point n I was wondering about the soup/saurce and if I could put my own twist on it.
As I'm making a Mediterranean White Bean Soup tonight n was wondering if it would be a good idea to use that for the sauce? And if so, would I put it in with cabbage roll straight away or a tad later due the soup already being cooked?
Thanks in advance
Monika says
Using soup is probably not the best idea as it might produce too much liquid so I wouldn't advise it.
Elaine says
My Polish grandmother made hers with short grain white rice (and sometimes buckwheat), grated onion and a bit of ground bacon. They were baked with water and butter. If I attempted to serve cabbage rolls with meat in them and tomato sauce they’d languish in the serving dish til I gave them away. Our cabbage rolls are served as a side dish, not a main course. My grandparents homesteaded in a Ukrainian area in north central Alberta and nobody put meat in their cabbage rolls and they were beautiful tiny little rolls not overburdened by too much cabbage. Some of the ladies would bake theirs in tomato juice, but not many!
Monika says
Thank you for sharing your story! Your grandmother's cabbage rolls sound delicious. There are a million ways of making cabbage rolls but most of them contain rice and meat (this is how people in Poland, my family included, tend to make them) which is why I also made my recipe with rice and meat. Some people even make cabbage rolls with meat only.
Helen Kennedy says
My mother's golabki had more rice than meat in them and she used minced bacon as the only meat. She also put in chopped saurkraut as golabki can be bland. She would cook them on the stove top in a big pan and used the chopped up cabbage stalk ad leaf veins to line the bottom of the pot. I don't remember her cooking them for as long as you do, though. A few years ago in Poland my cousin showed me her recipe, which was more like yours, using minced pork. Again, she used a pot on the stove top and cooked for just an hour or so. We ate them with either fried bacon and onion or just plain.
Monika says
There are so many ways to make cabbage rolls I am not surprised your mum made them differently to my recipe (your mother's recipe sounds delicious by the way).
Dolores Zajkowski says
As a young woman growing up, my mother, being Polish made cabbage rolls occasionally. She used lean beef,
partially cooked rice, minced onion, parsley and salt and pepper. She added canned tomatoes to the cooking
small amount of cooking water, just enough to cover the stuffed cabbages and cooked them stovetop for about
forty five minutes. She served mashed potatoes and peas and carrots as a side. It was a delicious homey meal.
Monika says
Thank you for sharing your memories Dolores! Sounds like a delicious comforting meal, especially with the sides.
Elaine Phillips says
I haven't made it yet but I can't wait. My mother had a good friend when I was a child and she I did my mother and I to lunch with her and serve cabbage rolls. That was my first taste and I have been searching for a good recipe for a long time. I'm going to give this a try as I am sure they will be delicious. Thank you for the recipe and bringing back good memories.
Monika says
You are welcome, I hope you like this recipe, do let me know how these turn out! Thanks:)
Arlene says
Do you brown the meat before adding it to the cabbage rolls?
Monika says
No I don't.
Richard says
Excellent!! However, to bring a full spectrum of the flavor, please try polish stuffed cabbage with the wild mushroom sauce/gravy . It is SPECTACULAR!
Thank you.
Monika says
Sounds tasty indeed, thanks for the tip:)
Katy Williams says
This very similar to my mother's recipe except she always used ground beef since she didn't eat pork. I come from a Polish family of 7, so hamburger was also cheaper than pork! After mixing the meat with salt and pepper, onion and rice, she would always fry us kids a small burger (like a slider nowadays), to she if it was seasoned correctly. This was part of our lunch, since we were always there at the table, helping her prepare the rolls. She used the inner most part of the cabbage for the bottom of the roaster pan, as she would chop it up. Then use the small and extra large leaves for the top. She would get about 3-4 layers of rolls in that pan! One other thing is she would put sauerkraut on top of each layer, then covered with tomato soup! We kids didn't like the tartness of regular tomato sauce so this was are great substitute. How I miss those "galumpkis" but my sister's and I have carried on her recipe.
Monika says
Thank you for sharing your memories Katy! Your mum was clearly a great and resourceful cook.
Patti Lounsbury says
Very similar to our family recipe except we use beef occassionally adding pork. And we use Minute Rice and mix it in without cooking it first. Since we cook them in a large pot, or two, on the stovetop they develop a lovely texture and firmness that makes them perfect leftovers. Perfect cold weather food.
Monika says
Thanks for letting me know, Patti! I absolutely agree with you that cabbage rolls are perfect cold weather food and leftovers taste fantastic too:)
Bernadette Ochtabienski says
Your recipe sounds just like mine, the only thing I use differently is that I add vinegar to the cabbage water to give the veg. A bit of tang. What is your option about this. Thank you.
Monika says
That's interesting, cooked cabbage is quite bland so a bit of vinegar sounds like a good idea. Especially if you are serving these without the tomato sauce. Thanks for letting me know:)
Jo says
Your way of making golabki is very similar to mine (or my mum's rather).
Corina Blum says
I love caggage rolls and I think I once made them years ago. It's definitely something I should try again!